Hickory Nut Milk

Hickory "nut milk"

Today I reproduced what John Heckewelder (1742-1823), a Moravian missionary in Pennsylvania, described the Indians preparing.  They pound the nuts in a block or mortar, pouring a little warm water on them, and gradually a little more as they become dry,until, at last, there is sufficient quantity of water , so that by stirring up the nuts, the broken shells separate from the liquor, which from the pounded kernels assumes the appearance of milk.  This being put into the kettle and mixed with the pottage gives it a rich and agreeable flavour…  Peter Kalm , a Swedish botanist also describes witnessing this process of preparing hickory nut milk in 1749.  In the picture, the hickory nuts are in my elm bark basket.  The stone mortar and pestle was used to crack and pound the nuts and then the “nut milk” was finished in my small trade kettle.  This “nut milk” would then be added to my trade kettle with the hominy corn, beans, squash, and dried venison.

Visit my website at www.hearttohearthcookery.com and click on the Pennsylvania Humanities Council Presentations button to find out information about a free Lenape Foodways presentation.