One thing I am curious about is the foods of indigenous/First Nation Americans. Are there unique foods from the various groups of indigenous/First Nation people that are still commonly eaten? Are such foods commonly eaten by the wider population?
Now we get to the interesting topic of differences in colonization policy in North America. The Anglos mainly opted for segregation and displacement of native peoples, while the Spanish in Mexico (and Latin America) opted for incorporation and a policy called mestizaje (racial and cultural mixing of whites and natives). These different approaches had long-lasting impacts on the social, cultural, and even culinary aspects of the Anglo vs Hispanic North America.
In the US, I've found that true indigenous cuisine, not just the use of new world ingredients, is difficult to find, one must go to reservations in more remote places to try authentic indigenous cuisine. In the United States, the displacement and segregation of indigenous peoples led to a more distinct separation of cultures, including in food. Native American cuisines, have not been fully integrated into the broader American culinary scene, partly because Native American communities have often been isolated, both geographically and socially, from mainstream culture.
Meanwhile in Mexico, the early blending of cultures led to a culinary scene where indigenous ingredients and techniques are foundational. Foods like corn, beans, and chili peppers, staples of indigenous diets, have remained staples in modern Mexican cuisine as well. Indigenous methods of food preparation, such as the nixtamalization of corn, are still used today. This has allowed indigenous culinary traditions to survive and evolve as part of the mainstream, rather than being relegated to more isolated or marginalized communities.
One example of indigenous cuisine in the US for me was on a road trip through the US SW through Utah and Arizona where I found myself at a dusty old dinner in Monument Valley, part of the Navajo Nation, when who do I see sitting next to me, none other than Stephen Fry, the famous British comedian of all places, I think he was shooting a documentary about Monument Valley for the BBC. Which would explain why there was a London taxi cab parked outside lol!
I remember it very vividly, I had a Navajo stew of local corn (Neeshjizhii) with mutton and fry bread and Stephen Fry was having a country fried steak with the white gravy, though he was more interested in talking to his producer than the food, I think he ate only a few bites... I feel I had the better and more rewarding meal ;-)
