Foods Of The Florida Indians

Interesting article, thanks. I enjoy learning new information. I found one of the drinks most peculiar - "Oafka," a popular drink and a part of every meal, is made by boiling corn with hickory ashes.

Googled 'oafka' and didn't find anything of use other than genius Google suggestion that maybe I was looking for 'kafka' :mad:

I was curious how exactly it was made and what it would've tasted like. Corn boiled would be sweet and I guess hickory ashes would be like a woodsy barbecue flavor.
 
Interesting article, thanks. I enjoy learning new information. I found one of the drinks most peculiar - "Oafka," a popular drink and a part of every meal, is made by boiling corn with hickory ashes.

Googled 'oafka' and didn't find anything of use other than genius Google suggestion that maybe I was looking for 'kafka' :mad:

I was curious how exactly it was made and what it would've tasted like. Corn boiled would be sweet and I guess hickory ashes would be like a woodsy barbecue flavor.
I will go and search the Florida archives and see if they have more info on it.
 
Thanks for that very interesting post! Here is a little more on real Indian corn dishes from the 'Civilized Tribes':

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v036/v036p155.pdf

Oafka seems to be more a hominy dish according to the above link. However, I've had some idea for a long time that the famous Southern drink of corn squeezin's or moonshine came from Indians making a kind of beer of it - hooch! This was from a branch of the Tlingit people (Hutsnuwu) from the Pacific Northwest, who were known for making strong drink and trading it with the settlers - Alaska hooch. The making of strong drink was known in the Pacific Northwest for generations before Europeans arrived - but the Russians helped refine the process and get even stronger hooch. It's an interesting discussion, found here:

http://www.culinarylore.com/drinks:origin-of-the-word-hooch-for-liquor
 
I will go and search the Florida archives and see if they have more info on it.
The Florida archives turned up nothing that can be searched online,there is some info on microfilm but I am not going to drive to Tallahassee unless it's for a football game.
What I did find that the drink is a Seminole Indian drink and what I found to add is a page from Appleton Journal.I would post the link but it has to be over 300 characters long.
Go to Google search and type in "Seminole Indian Drink Oafka" and when it comes up click on "Appletons' journal" and it will bring up the right page on Google books.
 
can you post Seminole tribe web site?

What were the tribes in Florida at time of Civil War? I can't remember if anything on them and the war been posted. Must look into it more.
 
Thanks for that very interesting post! Here is a little more on real Indian corn dishes from the 'Civilized Tribes':

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v036/v036p155.pdf

Oafka seems to be more a hominy dish according to the above link. However, I've had some idea for a long time that the famous Southern drink of corn squeezin's or moonshine came from Indians making a kind of beer of it - hooch! This was from a branch of the Tlingit people (Hutsnuwu) from the Pacific Northwest, who were known for making strong drink and trading it with the settlers - Alaska hooch. The making of strong drink was known in the Pacific Northwest for generations before Europeans arrived - but the Russians helped refine the process and get even stronger hooch. It's an interesting discussion, found here:

http://www.culinarylore.com/drinks:origin-of-the-word-hooch-for-liquor

Ooo! Interesting stuff! Thanks for sharing :geek:

The Florida archives turned up nothing that can be searched online,there is some info on microfilm but I am not going to drive to Tallahassee unless it's for a football game.
What I did find that the drink is a Seminole Indian drink and what I found to add is a page from Appleton Journal.I would post the link but it has to be over 300 characters long.
Go to Google search and type in "Seminole Indian Drink Oafka" and when it comes up click on "Appletons' journal" and it will bring up the right page on Google books.

Will do, thanks for looking further into it. I'll go take a look at the book :thumbsup:

Appletons' Journal states that the oafka is just corn boiled in a kettle with hickory ashes.he said it was very thin and not much to his liking.I went to the Seminole tribe Web site and they do not even mention it with their other recipes.

Not surprising that it wasn't very good by sound of it sounds even less appealing now :eek:
 
Donna,way back when on Feb.18,2011 you started a thread on "Seminole Nation and the Civil War".it is not a long thread but there are about 10 links on the thread about the Seminole Nation.
civilwartalk.com/threads/seminole-nation-during-civil-war-22184/
 
The Web site for the Seminole Nation is this:
www.semtribe.com
If you click on culture there is a recipe for Taal-Holeke (boiled swamp cabbage).
You may not be familiar with it but we know it as "Hearts of Palm).
When you get to culture click on the right side---Seminole food.
If you click on recipes you will get a Rea recipe for Indian Fry Bread.
 
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