Inuits consume diet foods that are lured, hunted, and collected locally.
According to Edmund Searles in his article "Food and the Making of a Modern Inuit Identity", they consume this type of diet because most of the meat diet "effectively keeps the body warm, makes the body strong, keeps the body fit, and even makes the body healthy."
Video Inuit cuisine
Food source
- The meat being hunted:
- Marine mammals such as walruses, seals, and whales. Whale meat generally comes from narwhal whales, beluga and bowhead whales. The latter is able to feed the entire community for almost a year of meat, fat, and skin. Inuit hunters most often hunt for teenage whales which, compared to adults, are safer to hunt and have more delicious skin. Toothed seals and bearded seals are the most important aspect of the Inuit diet and are often the largest part of the Inuit hunter diet.
- Land mammals like caribou, polar bear, and muskox
- Birds and eggs
- Saltwater and freshwater fish include sculpin, Arctic cod, Arctic char, capelin, and lake trout.
- While it is not possible to grow native plants for food in the Arctic, the Inuit traditionally collects those available naturally, including:
- Berries include crowberry and cloudberry
- Herbaceous plants like grass and fireweed
- Tubers and stems include mousefood, the roots of various tundra plants cached by vole in underground burrows.
- Roots such as bumpy spring beauty and sweet vamps
- Seaweed
Maps Inuit cuisine
Hunting practice
There is a partial drop in poaching due to the fact that young people do not have the skills to survive abroad. They are no longer skilled in hunting like their ancestors and getting used to the Qallunaat ("white man") food they receive from the south. The high cost of hunting equipment - snowmobiles, rifles, sleds, camping gear, gasoline, and oil - also leads to a decline in families hunting for their food.
- Seal: Depending on the season, the Inuit pursues different types of seals: harp seals, port seals, and bearded seals. The ringed seals are hunted all year round, while the harp seals are only available during the summer. Because seals need to break through the ice to reach the air, they form breathing holes with their teeth and claws. Through this, Inuit hunters can catch seals. When a hunter arrives at these holes, they create a seal indicator that reminds the hunter when the seal comes to breathe the air. When the seal appears, the hunter sees movement in the indicator and uses the harpoon to capture the seal in the water.
- Walrus is often hunted during winter and spring since their summer hunt is much more dangerous. Walrus is too big to be controlled by one person, so can not be hunted alone. In Uqalurait: The Oral History of Nunavut , an Inuit elder describes the hunt for a walrus with these words: "When a walrus is seen, the two hunters will run to get near him and in a short time. the distance it takes to stop when the walrus's head is submerged... walrus will hear you approaching. [They] then try to get in front of walrus and it is stoned while his head is submerged. Meanwhile, others will push the spear into the ice through the harpoon loop to secure it. "
- Similar to walrus, the bowhead whale is caught by the harpoon. Hunters use active pursuit to capture whales and follow them during attacks. Sometimes, Inuit is known for using a more passive approach when hunting whales. According to John Bennett and Susan Rowley, a hunter will capture the pope instead of chasing it, will "wait patiently for the wind, the current, and the spirit to help him carry the whales to the shore."
- For much of the year, caribous roam the tundra in small flocks, but twice a year a large herd of caribous cross the countryside. Caribou has a very good sense of smell and hearing so hunters must be very careful when in pursuit. Often, Inuit hunters set up camps miles and miles away from the caribbean crossings and wait until they are in full view to attack. There are many ways in which caribou can be caught, including spears, forcing caribou into the river, using blinders, scaring caribou, and stalking caribou. While fishing for caribou, hunters put the spear straps in their mouths and the other ends they use to spear the animals gently.
- Fish caught with jigging. Hunters cut square holes in the ice in lakes and fish using bait and spear fish. Instead of using a hook on the line, the Inuit uses a fake fish attached to the line. They lowered it into the water and moved it as if it were real. When the live fish approached, they speared the fish before he had a chance to eat the fake fish.
Nutrition
Since the Arctic climate is unsuitable for agriculture and lacks plant material that can last for years, the Inuit traditional diet is lower in carbohydrates and higher in animal fat and protein than the global average. When carbohydrate intake is insufficient for total energy requirements, proteins are broken down in the liver through gluconeogenesis and used as an energy source. The Inuit studied in the 1970s was found to have a very large heart, perhaps to assist in this process. Their urine volume is also high, the result of the additional urea that the body uses to clean the waste product from gluconeogenesis. However, in some studies, the Inuit traditional diet has not been proven as a ketogenic diet. Not only did some researchers not be able to detect evidence of ketosis produced from traditional Inuit Diets, but the ratio of fatty acids to glucose was observed to be well below generally accepted levels of ketogenesis.
Inuit actually consumes more carbohydrates than most nutritionists assume. Because some of the meat Inuit eats is raw and fresh, or freshly frozen, they can get more carbohydrates from their meat, as food glycogen, than can be done by Westerners. The Inuit Practice for preserving whole seals or bird carcasses under whole intact skin with a thick layer of fat also allows some proteins to ferment, or hydrolyze, into carbohydrates. Furthermore, the fat, organs, muscles and skin of Inuit's marine mammals have a significant glycogen store, which helps the animals when the oxygen is depleted for a long time. For example, when fat is analyzed by direct carbohydrate measurements, it has been shown to contain as much as 8 - 30% carbohydrates. While postmortem glycogen levels are often exhausted through the onset of rigor mortis, marine mammals have a very delayed onset of rigor mortis, even in warm conditions, possibly due to the high levels of oxymyoglobin in the muscles that allow aerobic metabolism to continue slowly for some time after the animal's death. In addition, in cold conditions, the depletion of glycogen was discontinued at -18 ° C (-0.4 ° F) and lower temperatures in comminuted meat.
The Inuit traditional diet derives about 50% of their calories from fat, 30-35% of protein and 15-20% of their calories from carbohydrates, mostly in the form of glycogen from the raw meat they consume. This high fat content provides valuable energy and prevents protein poisoning, which has historically been a problem at the end of winter when hunted animals become emaciated by winter hunger. It has been argued that since the fat from wild game caught in nature is largely monounsaturated and rich in omega-3 fatty acids, this diet does not pose the same health risks as a typical high-fat Western diet. However, tangible evidence has shown that the Inuit have the same prevalence of coronary artery disease with non-Inuit populations and they have an excessive mortality due to cerebrovascular stroke, with twice the risk to the North American population. Indeed, the cardiovascular risk of this diet is so severe that the addition of a more standard American diet has reduced the incidence of death in the Inuit population. Furthermore, fish oil supplement research failed to support claims to prevent heart attacks or strokes.
Vitamins and minerals that usually come from plant sources remain in most Inuit diets. Vitamins A and D are present in the oil and liver of cold water fish and mammals. Vitamin C is obtained through sources such as liver caribou, seaweed, whale skin, and brain seal; because these foods are usually eaten raw or frozen, the vitamin C they contain, which will be destroyed by cooking, even preserved.
Feeding habits and food preparation
Searles defines Inuit food as mostly "eaten frozen, raw, or boiled, with little mixture of ingredients and with a little spice added." Some preparations include:
- Akutaq: berries are mixed with fat.
- Bannock: flat bread
- Food preservation techniques include fermenting fish and meat in the form of Igunaq
- Labrador tea
- Suaasat traditional soup made from seals, whales, caribou, or seabirds.
- whale bone
One common way to eat meat being hunted is frozen. Many hunters will eat the food they hunt at the location where they find it. This keeps their blood flowing and their bodies warm. One of the special eating habits at a hunting site is related to fish. In Overland to Starvation Cove: A History , Heinrich Klutschak explains the habit: "... no fish can be eaten in a mature state where it is caught but only raw, only when one is a day which is far from where fishing is allowed to cook fish on a fat flame lamp. "
Inuit only eats twice a day, but usually eat plenty of snacks every hour. The customs in the Inuit when eating and preparing food are very strict and may seem strange to people of different cultures.
While eating, Inuit places large chunks of meat, fat, and other parts of the animal on a piece of metal, plastic, or cardboard on the floor. From here, anyone at home is able to cut a piece of meat. At this meal, there is nothing to eat; Inuit only eat when hungry. Sometimes, food is announced throughout the camp. A woman does this with a shout "Ujuk!" which means "cooked meat".
After hunting, eating habits are different from ordinary foods. When the seals are brought home, the hunters quickly collect them to receive their meat cuts first. This is because hunters are the coldest and hungry among camps and need blood and warm seal meat to warm them up. Seals are specifically cut directly after the hunt. BorrÃÆ' Â © describes the seal cutting in this way "one of the hunters cuts the abdomen laterally, exposing the internal organs.The hunter first eats a piece of liver or they use a teacup to collect some blood to drink." At this time, hunters can also cut fat and brains to mingle and eat with meat.
Women and children are used to eating different parts of the seals because they wait until the hunter finishes eating. The intestine is the first thing to choose from and then the remaining pieces of the liver are consumed. Finally, the ribs and backbone were eaten and the rest of the meat was distributed among the camps.
Share food in community
Inuit is known for their food sharing practices, a form of food distribution where one person catches food and shares with the whole community. The division of food was first documented among the Inuit tribe in 1910 when a little girl decided to bring a plate to about four neighboring families who had no food of their own.
According to Uqalurait: Nunavut's Oral History , "sharing food is necessary for the physical and social welfare of the whole group." The younger couples will feed their hunts to the elders, most often their parents, as a sign of respect. Sharing food is not just a tradition, but also a way for families to make bonds with one another. After you share food with someone, you are in a "life-long partnership" with them.
Inuit often do not stop telling them that they are not like Qallunaat in the sense that they do not eat the same food and they are communal with their food. Qallunaat believes that people who buy food are food owners and are free to decide what happens to food. Searles describes the Inuit perspective on food by saying that "in the Inuit world of goods, food and other objects related to hunting, fishing, and gathering are more or less communal property, belonging not to individuals but to larger groups, which may include some household. "Inuit household food is not meant to be stored for families who have hunted, fished, assembled, or bought it, but for anyone who needs it. Searles and his wife visited a family in Iqaluit and he asked permission to drink a cup of orange juice. A small attitude to ask is considered offensive because the Inuit does not consider the food belonging to one person.
The perceived benefits and beliefs of the diet
The Inuit believes that their diet has many benefits compared to western food Qallunaat . They insist to prove that their diet will make them stronger, warmer, and full of energy.
One example is drinking blood seal. When interviewing an Inuit elder, Searles was told that "Inuit food produces a strong blood flow, a condition that is considered healthy and shows a strong body." After the consumption of blood and flesh of seals, one can see their veins at the wrist to prove the power provided by Inuit food. BorrÃÆ'Â © states that "the blood seal is seen as strengthening human blood by replacing the depleted nutrients and rejuvenating the blood supply, it is considered an essential part of the Inuit diet."
Inuit also believes that eating raw meat makes them warmer and stronger. They say that raw meat affects a person's body when eaten consistently. One Inuk, Oleetoa, who eats a combination of "Qallunaat" and Inuit food, tells the story of his cousin Joanasee who ate a diet consisting of raw Inuit food. The two compared their strength, warmth, and energy and found that Joanasee benefited most from his diet.
Inuit chose their diet based on four concepts, according to BorrÃÆ'Â ©: "the relationship between animals and humans, the relationship between body and soul and life and health, the relationship between blood seal and Inuit blood, and dietary choices." Inuit is very spiritual when it comes to hunting, cooking, and eating habits. The Inuit's conviction is that the combination of animal and human blood in a person's bloodstream creates a healthy human body and soul.
Hunting belief
One particular belief that Inuit strongly believes is the relationship between seals and the Inuit. According to Inuit hunters and parents, hunters and seals have treaties that allow hunters to catch and feed from seals if only for hunter family hunger. BorrÃÆ' Â © explains that through this alliance "both hunters and seals are believed to be beneficial: hunters are able to sustain the lives of their people by having a reliable food source, and seal, through sacrifice, agree to be part of the Inuit body."
The Inuit are under the belief that if they do not follow the alliance that their forefathers have laid, the animals will disappear because they have been offended and will stop reproducing.
As saltwater animals, seals are always considered thirsty and therefore offer fresh water drinks when they die. This is shown as a sign of respect and gratitude for the seal and sacrifice. This offer is also done to please the spirit of Sedna to ensure food supply.
Healing belief
Borrà © tells of a time when he saw an Inuit woman fall ill who blamed his illness for lack of seal in his diet. After receiving the seal meat, the woman feels better within a few hours and says that her rapid recovery is due to the consumption of meat and blood seals. Borrà © experienced this many times among many different members of the group and they all connected their illness with the Inuit food shortage.
See also
- Greenlandic Cuisine
- Yup'ik Cuisine
- Aboriginal food security in Canada
- Country food
- No carbohydrate diet
References
External links
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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