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Alaskan food is what I call unique type of food and recipes used by those who live closer to nature in Alaska. It can be considered to be "frontier food", if you want to give it a name. It is not as refined but probably a lot healthier than standard food in a store.
The fact is, many Alaskans live "off the land" or at least partially. They hunt and fish, gather berries and greens in the wilds, harvest seaweed from the oceans and dig roots from the ground. Since you are going to be vacationing or camping in Alaska's wilds, I thought you might want to know a little more about Alaskan food. Salmon, Halibut, Rainbow and Lake Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling and other Alaskan fish are eaten in abundance. You'll find one or more of these in the majority of Alaskan streams or in the bays, inlets and fjords. And if you can cook one fresh-caught, there isn't anything better tasting! The natives also smoke a lot of salmon as a method of preserving it. Salmon are served fresh in many Alaskan restaurants. I had the good fortune to have a salmon dinner in Ketchikan restaurant one time, that had just been delivered from a fishing boat that morning. It was extremely delicious! The king crab, shrimp and clams are also ocean-going Alaskan food. You'll find at least some of these served on most of the cruise ships, the Alaska ferry, the Alaska Railroad, on many tours where meals are provided, and in many of our local hotels and restaurants. Plenty of ducks and geese fly through Southcentral Alaska during their yearly migrations in spring and fall. And our year-around resident, the Ptarmigan (similar to a grouse) are as good eating! Ptarmigan are not difficult to catch either. A Ptarmigan watched me one day while I tried throwing stones at it. If I'd had a sling shot I would have had a good dinner. But he knew I wasn't going to catch him because he only jumped a few branches away, then sat there! Another food item which is usually abundant are the snowshoe hares. Whether it is summer or winter, you can see their trails by the small round droppings they leave behind. So they are easy to track. If you want to add any of the above to your diet, you will need an Alaska fishing license for your trip. The license application is the same one for both hunting and fishing so you can apply for them on the same form. If game birds are going to be part of your diet, you'll need to get the duck stamps also. When you start talking about eating moose, caribou, bear, buffalo, sheep, goats or other large game, a lot of work is involved, since you can't leave anything behind. So I would just buy some some of this Alaskan food, unless you came here only for a hunting trip. If you've never had reindeer sausage, moose steak or burgers or Alaskan smoked salmon (squaw candy), you are missing a true Alaskan experience. I have never tried bear meat and really don't want to. I am squeamish that way! But I know it has always been a part of the Alaskan Natives' diet. I recall that we had a buffalo dinner for our graduating class at East Anchorage High meal. That was definitely Alaskan food, though buffalo were not here originally. They were transferred to the Alaskan wilderness from other areas. My Wild Alaskan Food Story: My Mom had her method of preparing moose. Unfortunately, I was not too fond of her recipe and did not really enjoy eating it. But when you have nothing else, you manage to eat what is put in front of you. Actually, I have to admit that she was at a disadvantage. I think we had some moose meat that had been given to us and it was an old animal when it was killed. It had a VERY wild taste to it, which she tried to cover up with bay leaves, salt and pepper. I think she even put tomato sauce on some of it. Unfortunately, it didn't cover up the taste too well, and it was tough besides. At that time, we lived in a log cabin with no utilities, so everything was cooked on a wood stove. I imagine a slow-cooker or crock-pot would have tenderized it but we didn't have such things. And she didn't know about slow-cooking. I'm not guaranteeing it would have tenderized THAT meat, but it might have. Years later, I tasted a younger moose that we had harvested. We had it made into steaks, roasts, hamburger and whatever else you cut the meat into. I cooked a lot of it and never used bay leaves or anything else to make it "taste better". It was tender and did not have any weird taste to it. I actually enjoyed eating it! Objections to Eating Wild Alaskan Food: I have heard many people comment about how they wouldn't eat a wild animal and they think it is terrible because people actually kill and eat some of the wildlife here. I just thought I'd point out that beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey or any similar food sold in a grocery store, came from live animals that were killed so we could eat. Just because they have been domesticated over centuries doesn't make it any different than killing and eating wild animals. If anyone wants to object to eating wildlife, then they should also object to eating any meat from a grocery store! Personally, I think our whole civilization would be better off if we didn't eat meat, but unfortunately most people have become accustomed to it, and many are unable to live without meat and stay healthy. For those who can, I think it is great if you are a vegetarian. But please don't accuse others of being "inhuman" because of their need or desire to eat meat. Wild Berries and Other Wild Alaskan Food Plants: If you have never tasted wild berries, you are in for a treat. Alaska has an abundant variety. Blueberries and raspberries don't need an introduction. They are probably only a bit smaller than commercial varieties but have their own slightly sweet flavor. Currants and cranberries (both high and low bush), are extremely sour as most people know, but make great sauces with fish or wild meat. There are a number of other berries that look somewhat like raspberries but have slightly different shapes and colors. And they are on different sizes and types of bushes. We found wild cucumber plants scattered throughout tall grassy and open wooded areas. They tend to be solitary plants and only have a few berries on each, but they are worth picking. The clear red, oblong berries are juicy and sweet so we always ate them. Rose hips are supposed to be loaded with vitamin C, so pick a few. They are full of seeds, so remove those and slice the thin, crisp shells into your salad. Take the seeds with you and try growing wild Alaskan roses in your own garden! Alaskan dandelions are very large and the greens make a nutritious addition to any salad, even if they are a little bitter. They usually grow in open areas where they can get a lot of sun. Wild chives you can easily recognize and all you have to do is break one off and smell it to make sure. They grow beautiful lavender pompoms on the top ends. Fiddlehead ferns grow all over in thickly wooded areas as it stays cool and damp there. Pick the ones that are just unfurling. There are many other Alaskan food plants that have been traditionally used by Alaska natives and Eskimos. So they are the experts! If you meet one, have them show you what plants they eat. You might learn about some other good-tasting snacks! You can find out more about the great variety of Alaska plants. Just make sure that you DO recognize anything you plan on eating. There are also many poisonous plants here just like anyplace else. Hope you get to enjoy some of our great Alaskan food while you are here! If not in the wilds, you'll find it in many of the smaller grocery stores or roadside restaurants. And take some home with you, if you get a chance. Return to Top of Alaskan Food Page Return To Camping in Alaska Page Return To Tips for Backwoods Alaska Vacations Home Page
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