Do you know what Sukkotash is? At first glance, this strange word does not evoke any associations, or at least does not give any idea about its content, unless you were born in the seventeenth century in the American Indian tribe or do not speak the Indian language. The answer is simple. Sukkotash is an American dish.
Its name was first proposed in 1643 in the book "The Key to the Language of America" by Roger Williams, who, mixing the Indian names of beans, corn and pumpkin, created the English term succotash. And the first "official" recipe for this amazing dish was published in a New England newspaper in 1751.
The national American cuisine is quite young and formed relatively recently. Its main feature is that the main dishes are borrowed. Traditional US cuisine is a unique mix of Italian, Indian, Mexican, Spanish, Chinese and other national cuisines of the world, which, by and large, are not at all similar to each other. Thanks to the Native Americans (Indians), corn is considered the main ingredient in American cuisine.
And there is no dish more famous in American history than Sukkotash. The name of this dish is a somewhat anglicized spelling of the Indian word of the Narragansett tribe "msickquatash", which meant a boiling pot of corn, to which other ingredients were added. Sukkotash is an American Indian staple dish. In Indian tribes living in the northeast of the American continent, sukkotash was brewed daily and year-round. The pot with this treat was constantly boiling over the fire, so that any hungry guest, traveler or family member could be quickly fed during the day or night.
Sukkotash was that life-saving and nutritious American treat that could easily (and it happened more than once!) To feed an entire crowd.
Most often, the sukkotash contained corn, beans and pumpkin - the "three sisters" that the Indians cultivated without fail. Winter succotash was made from dried corn, dried beans, and pumpkin; summer was made from fresh sweet corn, searing beans and tender summer pumpkin. Fresh or dry meat or fish were a common addition to vegetables.
British and European settlers who arrived in America quickly appreciated this Native American dish for its year-round availability and high nutritional value, especially during periods when other foods were difficult to obtain. During the Great American Depression, and then World War II, their descendants saved their families with this stew, and, most likely, in times of new economic crises, hungry Americans of the future will cook the same.
Modern Sukkotash is a dish made mainly from corn, beans and other legumes. Various vegetables and meat can be added to these ingredients, but its base is unchanged, because the name of the dish itself mentions corn.
Over time, the rather simple composition of this hearty dish has been improved and slightly modified. In the modern world, a thick soup of beans, corn and bacon, seasoned with heavy cream, is considered a classic succotash. But in some parts of the United States, in particular in the south, sukkotash can still be a main course, and even a snack today. Traveling around America, you are unlikely to be able to try the same version of succotash twice, and each time the recipe will not be wrong - any chef will confirm this to you.
Sukkotash is a traditional Thanksgiving holiday dish in New England, Pennsylvania, and several other states. And in some parts of the American South, any mixture of vegetables cooked with beans and lard or butter will be called sukkotash today.
Nearly all modern succotash recipes contain corn and beans, but the original hard corn and traditional New England cranberry beans (motley beans) have given way to sweet corn and lima beans (see Lima beans). In numerous recipes, smoked beef, lard, potatoes, tomatoes and bell peppers, along with butter, fresh herbs, and sometimes cream, made their way into the succotash pot. Sukkotash today can act as an independent dish, as well as a side dish or even a salad! Sukkotash can also be the most wonderful vegetable stew imaginable - a true feast of summer ingredients.
Interestingly, in terms of its usefulness for the human body, sukkotash is almost an ideal dish, since it is a complete meal option with a perfectly balanced combination of good quality vegetable proteins, vitamins and fats.
The fact is that corn does not contain niacin in a form that the human body can use, and it lacks two amino acids that humans need in the diet: lysine and tryptophan. Beans, on the other hand, have these nutrients, but lack the cysteine and methionine that corn contains. The combination of legumes and corn in one dish is ideal for our body!
North America was discovered by Columbus just 6 centuries ago, and the first settlers from Europe arrived to its shores in 1620. From that time on, the history of American cuisine begins. Sukkotash is much older than the country that considers it its national dish; it is a noble dish with a long history.
What else to add about Sukkotash? It can only be that the world famous Daffy Duck - a cartoon character from the animated series Warner Brothers and Merrie Melodies - is no coincidence that every time he manages to defeat his enemy, he exclaims “sufferin succotash”!
