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Manoomin, Meanings Of A Meal

I had been asked to bring a main dish to a Holiday party. After a few dry run recipe tests, here is what I decided to make. Quails and manoomin (native American for wild rice.)

I thought that the quails would be something special and of course the real wild rice form Teresa is a rare and even more special treat for everyone.

Quails were marinated in rosemary and star anise, and crispy deep-fried. The wild rice with chestnuts was simply simmered in pure chicken/beef (1/2 & 1/2 each) stock. I did a few ultra close-up views of the rice; it revealed to me that the rice has markings very similar to the markings on quail eggs. So I added quail eggs, also deep-fried, to the dish. Of course the kids love these cute tiny eggs.

Yes, there were a few kids in the party. It became an opportunity to guide the conversation of the dish towards a little educational direction.

In addition to talking about the fact that wild rice is a sacred gift, very much part of the cultural and spiritual life of Native Americans, we also talked about the plating design of this dish, which was generated with a hint (not a copy or imitation) of the unique cultural healing ceremony practice of the Native Americans, namely sand painting:

Sample of a

We all enjoyed this unique food, which gave us the chance to enrich our minds with some perspective into the rhythms of a culture which is part of our world.

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