Anishinaabe Blueberry Wojapi

Wild blueberry berry sauce thickened with arrowroot, from the Great Lakes Anishinaabe tradition

Origin: Great Lakes Region, Anishinaabe Territory

From the journey of Blueberry.

Wojapi (a Lakota word also used across the Great Lakes Nations in various forms) is a thick berry sauce or pudding that represents the oldest continuous berry preparation in the North American interior. The Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) people of the Great Lakes made wojapi from miinan (wild blueberries and related Vaccinium species), thickening it with arrowroot starch or dried and ground cornmeal and sweetening it with maple sugar. It was used as both a sweetener and a complete dish: poured over cornmeal preparations, eaten as a ceremonial food at community gatherings and seasonal celebrations, and preserved for winter by drying. The Great Lakes wild blueberry harvest (in late July and August) was a community event whose abundance was read as an omen of the season's generosity. This version represents the traditional preparation adapted for modern kitchens, using arrowroot or cornstarch as the thickener and maple syrup as the sweetener in place of maple sugar. Wojapi is one of the foods most central to contemporary Indigenous food revitalisation movements across North America, and it is served at the growing number of Native American restaurant and food stall enterprises as a sauce for fry bread, roasted meats, and corn preparations.

Ingredients

Berries

  • 500 g wild blueberries or mixed forest berries (fresh or frozen)

Base

  • 120 ml water

Sweetening

  • 3 tbsp maple syrup, or more to taste

Thickening

  • 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tbsp cold water

Seasoning

  • 1 pinch sea salt

Method

  1. Combine the blueberries and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries have broken down and released their juice, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. Add the maple syrup and salt. Taste: the wojapi should be tart, fruity, and just lightly sweet. Add more syrup if desired.
  3. Stir the arrowroot mixture into the simmering sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens to a consistency between a loose jam and a thick syrup.
  4. Remove from heat. Serve warm as a sauce for fry bread, cornmeal preparations, roasted meats, or yoghurt. Wojapi can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week and reheated gently.
The Gastrographer

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