Indigenous Culinary Arts

Good nutrition is crucial in determining the health and well-being of Aboriginal people in Canada. Many Aboriginal communities face unique food security considerations related to the harvesting, sharing and consumption of traditional food. One-third of Aboriginal households located off-reserve are food insecure due to limited economic opportunities...

Our traditional foods have nourished us well since the time of our creation and have been of fundamental importance to
our culture. We developed sophisticated techniques to preserve a variety of foods year round to keep our bodies strong and this knowledge has carried us well into our current place. Many challenges now exist for First Nations who wish to access traditional foods. ...

The Indigenous Food Systems Network Website was developed by the WGIFS and is designed to allow individuals and groups involved with Indigenous food related action, research, and policy reform to network and share relevant resources and information.

This series of twelve (12) Traditional Indigenous Recipes is contributed by the Aboriginal Nutrition Network (ANN) of Dietitians of Canada.

New guide acknowledges food insecurity and barriers to traditional foods. Northern foods are finding a place on the menu in Canada's new food guide, including whale, seal and berries.

Nutrition North Canada (NNC) is a Government of Canada subsidy program launched on April 1, 2011 to bring healthy food to isolated northern communities. NNC works with stores across the North and food suppliers in southern Canada to help make perishable, nutritious food more affordable and more accessible.

Wild rice, known as manomin to the Ojibwa, was a staple food in the Eastern Woodland Indian culture for more than a thousand years. Although it's commonly referred to as wild rice, it isn't technically a rice. Manomin is a grass of the family Gramineae, the genus Zizania...and it grows only in water.

Foraging, as we know, has been around since prehistoric times. Besides hunting, foraging is how our ancestors harvested food (read: plants) before agriculture and farming took over. Forests, meadows and waters provide an incredible range of nutritious and delicious edible wild plants.

The project aims to create a guidebook for organizations considering developing a traditional and/or country foods program, including tools for managers/leaders who are ready and responsible for the implementation of culturally-safe food programs for Indigenous people.