Acorn Mush

Acorn mush is a traditional Native American dish made by combining leached acorn flour, or acorn meal, with water. Traditionally, the acorn mixture was cooked in a unique, tightly-woven basket by carefully lowering fire-heated stones into the basket, and then stirring the stones until the mush thickened to a porridge-like consistency.

The resulting porridge-like meal was normally eaten by using one’s fingers. Once a labor-intensive dish, these days, acorn mush is simply boiled in water over the stove. Also known as wiiwish, this traditional dish is often prepared for holidays such as Thanksgiving, and it is typically accompanied by vegetables or game meat such as venison and rabbit.