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The Chumash Diet
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food, were dried, ground, and leached to eliminate the bitterness. The acorns were ground to a powder with a stone
mortar and pestle. The acorn flour was used to make soup and mush which was eaten on a daily basis. The acorn
flour was mixed with water in a tightly woven basket and cooked with red-hot stones placed into the liquid. While
stirring the mixture, the liquid soon boiled and thickened. It is estimated that the average Chumash individual
consumed up to 300 pounds of acorns in a year.
mortar and pestle. The acorn flour was used to make soup and mush which was eaten on a daily basis. The acorn
flour was mixed with water in a tightly woven basket and cooked with red-hot stones placed into the liquid. While
stirring the mixture, the liquid soon boiled and thickened. It is estimated that the average Chumash individual
consumed up to 300 pounds of acorns in a year.
Other seeds were toasted and ground to a paste. Chia sage and seaweed were also often on the menu. In spring,
the Chumash ranged far afield, collecting fresh plant growth and tubers. They ate manzanita, miner's lettuce and
soapwort.
the Chumash ranged far afield, collecting fresh plant growth and tubers. They ate manzanita, miner's lettuce and
soapwort.
The Chumash were a hunting, fishing, and gathering tribe, getting most of their food from the sea, but also eating
roots, plants, nuts and seeds.
roots, plants, nuts and seeds.
The Chumash ate fish and shellfish such as abalone and clams, and they also ate sea mammals such as seal
and otter, and scavenged occasional whale carcasses that washed ashore on the beaches. They collected
shellfish and caught fish from the dense kelp beds close offshore. The fishing season reached its peak at the end
of summer and in the early fall, when the canoes caught enormous numbers of tuna. From the land, they hunted
quails, and ducks, and large mammals such as bears and deer, from which they made made everything from
clothes to musical instruments.
and otter, and scavenged occasional whale carcasses that washed ashore on the beaches. They collected
shellfish and caught fish from the dense kelp beds close offshore. The fishing season reached its peak at the end
of summer and in the early fall, when the canoes caught enormous numbers of tuna. From the land, they hunted
quails, and ducks, and large mammals such as bears and deer, from which they made made everything from
clothes to musical instruments.
During the rainy season, from November to March, they subsisted on dried meat and stored vegetable foods.
Chumash Recipes:
Pine Needle Tea. Crush and snip needles, flowers, and candles from the yellow pine. Meanwhile, boil a pot of
water. Place pine in boiling water, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep from 20 minutes to all night.
water. The best tea will be a nice reddish color, and a small amount of oil will rise to the top. If you drink this tea
every day, it can relieve mild depression. Good for allergies and cough. It is also supposed to flush the kidneys.
Warning: Do not drink if pregnant, may cause miscarriage.
water. Place pine in boiling water, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep from 20 minutes to all night.
water. The best tea will be a nice reddish color, and a small amount of oil will rise to the top. If you drink this tea
every day, it can relieve mild depression. Good for allergies and cough. It is also supposed to flush the kidneys.
Warning: Do not drink if pregnant, may cause miscarriage.