'Three Sisters Salad' Brings Old And New Indigenous Cuisines Together

The Thanksgiving story that many of us were taught in grade school is, after approximately four hundred years, finally getting a more accurate edit in American classrooms; one that paints a clearer picture of the English Separatists and their colonization of Native Wampanoag land. In 2020, the National Education Association published a guide for how to teach kids the history of the holiday in a way that's "accurate, respectful, and still fun." In addition to enlightening kids on the background of the Wampanoag people, the guide encourages schools to teach the importance of the Three Sisters of Native American cuisine: corn, beans, and squash.

Per the USDA's National Agriculture Library, the Three Sisters are crops planted together in a shared space. "Developed through Indigenous agricultural practices, these three plants protect and nourish each other in different ways as they grow and provide a solid diet for their cultivators," writes the USDA. What better way to honor Native cuisine on your Thanksgiving table than a Three Sisters salad?

In "The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook," Chef Richard Hetzler shares recipes that celebrate Native American flavors and agricultural practices, per NPR. Taking inspiration from the Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Hetzler writes simple recipes that draw from various Indigenous ingredients and dishes from "throughout the Western Hemisphere," giving them a modern twist.

His "Three Sisters Salad" — which mixes grilled squash and corn with cranberry beans and yellow and red tomatoes that get tossed in an apple cider vinaigrette — yields "nearly complete nutrition," per the chef. The recipe explains that the trifecta of staple crops grows well together. "The beans climb the natural trellis provided by the cornstalks, while the broad-leaved squash plants spread out below, preventing weeds and keeping moisture in the soil," he writes.

Hetzler suggests cooking the zucchini, squash, and corn over a charcoal grill after brushing them with oil and seasoning them with salt and pepper. The beans and tomatoes will lend freshness and texture to the grilled vegetables, and it'll all get a nice tangy kick from the cider dressing.