Valentina Valentini
Corn is the lifeblood of Native American communities. It has been at the heart of many Indigenous cultures throughout the Americas for over 3,000 years. It’s not just sustenance; it’s a sacred plant that holds deep meaning. Among indigenous North American tribes, the Corn Mother is a maternal figure who is believed to be responsible for the origin of corn, and the first to give her people instructions on how to grow it. It is the American Indians who taught Europeans to grow, harvest and use corn in their diets, thus introducing the grain to a new continent when they brought it back home.
“When it comes to corn,” said Crystal Wahpepah, the owner and head chef of Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, California, “it’s such an honour to still have it after all these [centuries], how strong it still is [in our community].”
Wahpepah grew up amidst a diverse and urban tribal community in Oakland on Ohlone land, a collective of about 50 tribes that have inhabited the Bay Area for 10,000 years. Members of the Kickapoo Tribe, Wahpepah’s grandparents moved from Oklahoma to the area during the time of the Indian Relocation Act of 1956, though because her grandfather was in the US Navy, their move only happened to coincide with Act instead of being a result of it.
Wahpepah’s Kitchen opened in 2021 as one of only a handful of Indigenous restaurants in the country, but Wahpepah began her professional food career as a caterer within her community 13 years ago after graduating from San Francisco’s La Cocina Kitchen Incubator program. Since then, she’s catered far beyond those Bay area borders, introducing her peoples’ food to a wider audience. She became the first Indigenous chef to appear on Food Network’s Chopped in 2009, and in 2022 she was a finalist for the James Beard Emerging Chef Award.
“I always saw many different foods from a very young age,” said Wahpepah. “We’re next to Berkeley and to San Francisco, where there are diverse foods, but I would never see our food that we cook at home – the corn soup, berry pudding, native dishes like that. I would never see it in the restaurants. You wouldn’t see it outside your household or your community.”
Wahpepah’s Kitchen has been lauded for its use of Indigenous ingredients, such as berries and acorns, heirloom blue corn, salmon, bison and deer, as well as for its close working partnerships with local producers. Its seasonal menu includes Kickapoo chili, bison meatballs, salmon tostadas and smoked squash tacos. Much of the menu reflects variations on Wahpepah’s experiences cooking as a child with the women in her family.
“I love corn; I grew up on corn. My grandmother always made different corn dishes. She did everything she could with corn,” said Wahpepah. “Corn cookies are something that are so familiar in our Native community.”
Corn thumbprint cookies are one of Wahpepah’s favourite foods to make. “It’s one of those old-time recipes when it comes to corn, originally made with just cornmeal and water. I make a new version of it, but it’s still something simple for people to do at home.”
The cookies are good for all occasions and seasons, but she’s partial to a summertime version because that is when corn is harvested. Summer is also the season for her favourite Indigenous ingredient, berries, and she likes to create a filling for the thumbprints with them. In the autumn or winter, a squash puree makes a nice cookie filling, and Wahpepah encourages creativity – apple butter, dried pears – whatever is in season and local is the only remit.
She says you can use different textures of cornmeal, from super fine to coarse. You can also leave out the wheat flour for a gluten-free cookie option. Wahpepah wants the ingredients to be easy to source, so finding whatever your local market stocks can work for this recipe.
“I’m representing my culture, representing my foods, then I’m also representing something that’s really never been out there before,” Wahpepah said of her restaurant and her recipes. “At the end of the day, I just want people to see how beautiful these foods are and where they’re from.”
The cookies are good for all occasions and seasons, but she’s partial to a summertime version because that is when corn is harvested (Credit: Valentina Valentini)
Corn Thumbprint Cookies recipe
By Crystal Wahpepah
Makes 24 cookies
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, all-purpose flour, corn flour and salt. In another medium bowl, using a hand mixer at a low speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well-mixed. Beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. (You can mix by hand, as well.)
Step 2
Use a small kitchen spoon to scoop and place 24 balls of dough on a baking sheet. Place your thumb in the middle of each ball and press down, making a little bowl shape in the middle of the cookies. Add preferred filling, if desired.
Step 3
Bake for 8 minutes, or until the cookies are brown on the edges; rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking. Let the cookies set and cool before serving.
Courtesy: BBC
