Frybread

Did You Know?

• Bannock of the First Nations of Canada shares a similar cultural history with frybread.
• The Māori people of New Zealand have a frybread called parāoa parai.
• Romani people have a similar frybread called pufa or manriklo.

History

Frybread became a staple in Northern Native American communities when the United States government provided displaced tribes with flour, water, salt, and lard to prevent starvation. The simple quick bread was cooked in a pan of hot lard over coals and eventually spread to other tribes, aided by boarding schools. In 2005, South Dakota named frybread its official state bread. That same year, activist Suzan Shown Harjo criticized the dish in Indian Country Today, calling it emblematic of confinement and health problems, though critics accused her of overstating her case.

Culture and symbolism

Frybread became deeply tied to Native American culture and feelings about colonization and displacement, as well as pride in resilience. According to Smithsonian Magazine, for many Native Americans, frybread links generations and connects the present to the painful narrative of Native American history. The relationship with frybread is complicated and conflicted; some Native American chefs reject it as a symbol of colonialism. Indigenous chef Sean Sherman calls it everything that is not Native American food, representing both perseverance and pain. Patty Talahongva, a Hopi journalist, calls it Die Bread and associates it with diseases like gallbladder disease and diabetes, attributing its spread to boarding schools. She promotes indigenous food sovereignty with foods like corn, beans, and squash instead of starchy, high-fat frybread.

Preparation and serving

A typical frybread recipe uses flour, water, salt, a small amount of oil or lard, and sometimes baking powder or yeast. The ingredients are mixed into a simple dough, covered for 30 minutes to an hour until it rises, then formed into small balls that are rolled or pulled into flat discs before frying in hot oil. It is served at home, at gatherings like pow-wows and potlatches, and at state fairs. Serving styles vary by region and tribe; it may be eaten plain, salted, with sugar or honey, or as a base for Navajo tacos.

In popular culture

Frybread and the phrase Frybread Power appear in Sherman Alexie's 1998 film Smoke Signals, where characters frequently eat, fry, or discuss the bread. Keith Secola features it in his song Fry Bread. A fictional frybread contest formed the plot of the 2012 mockumentary More Than Frybread. The 2019 picture book Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story won the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal in 2020. A 2021 episode of Reservation Dogs includes a character rapping a song called Greasy Frybread, and the 2023 film Frybread Face and Me is a Navajo coming-of-age story.