Alutiiq Word of the Week

Fresh and dried herbs are a staple of many recipes. From the peppery zing of parsley to the earthy taste of ground cumin, herbs provide flavor, texture, and color to dishes. Alutiiq chefs spice their cooking with a variety of Kodiak’s wild plants. Greens, berries, and even flowers are a great source of seasoning if you know how to use them.

Wild chives are a local favorite. People use both the leaves and the bulbs to season dishes. Although fresh chives are popular today, people traditionally dried or salted these plants for year-round use in soups and stews. Another tasty soup ingredient is low-bush cranberries, which add tanginess to seal and sea lion dishes. Dried petrushki compliments fish soup and sour dock stems add a tartness.

Plants can also infuse flavor when you cook over a campfire. You can season fresh fish by roasting it on a bed of beach rye placed directly over hot coals. Top the fish with beach lovage while it cooks. Or pick a few cow parsnip leaves. Wiping your fish with the leave, or cooking the fish wrapped in the leaves add great flavor. Some people even line bowls with cow parsnip leaves.

And don’t forget to add local plants to your beverages. A handful of Nootka rose petals—either fresh or dried—adds a lovely floral taste to a pot of black tea.