Making Kanutsi

Kanutsi is an old food of the Cherokee people. Nobody really knows how old because the 3 ingredients were all available before the 1600s. It remains a staple to this day, with variations. It was typical in times of plenty to add in extra vegetables or meat. I do this more often than eating it straight because it is bland by itself. I use Kanutsi as a base for my chili when I make Indian Tacos because I was fed up to the ears with my fellow Cherokee people not making their own version of it because we have a long tradition of culinary achievement. There are Cherokee language names for over 700 edible plants. Hernan de Soto's expedition of murder reported that the Cherokee had vats of hickory nut oil that they fried food in, and that the farms were so expansive that they traveled among the fields for days before reaching town.

Kanutsi is simply corn and ground hickory nuts cooked in water. There are 2 ways to make it.

1: Put raw shelled hickory nuts in a blender with water. Blend until the nuts are finely ground. Pour into a pot and cook with dried corn until the corn is tender.

2: Grind shelled hickory nuts on a rock with a wood or stone pounder until the nuts are finely ground. Add to water and dried corn and cook until the corn is tender.

If you want to make stew out of it, add the following after the corn is cooked:
Chunks of squash
cooked and rinsed beans
chunks of meat
chopped red chilie peppers
garlic or Svgi
wild onions

Cook until the squash is tender and meat is cooked.