Resources

BOOKS

The Boreal Gourmet
Adventures in Northern Cooking
by Michele Genest Michele Genest The Boreal Gourmet A true northern cookbook featuring Yukon flavours and traditions.
Available at Amazon.ca
The Boreal Feast
A Culinary Journey through the North
by Michele Genest Miche Genest The Boreal Feast From the author of The Boreal Gourmet comes another irresistible tribute to foods of the North, and this time she devotes special attention to feasts.
Available at Amazon.ca
The Boreal Herbal
Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North
by Bev Gray The Boreal Herbal A Guide to Harvesting, Preserving and Preparing
Order from borealherbal.com
Vadzaih
Cooking Caribou from Antler to Hoof
by Miche Genest and Kelly Milner Photography by Cathie Archbould Published by the Porcupine Caribou Management Board and the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation of Old Crow Download PDF from PCMB website
The Art of Natural Cheesemaking
Using Traditional, Non-Industrial Methods and Raw Ingredients to Make the World’s Best Cheeses
by David Asher Cheesemaking that is natural and intuitive, grounded in ecological principles and biological science. Available at Amazon.ca
Gwich’in Ethnobotany
Plants used by the Gwichin for Food, Medicine, Shelter and Tools
by Andre, Alestine and Alan Fehr Published by Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute and Aurora Research Institute
Order from Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute
Wild Fermentation
The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods
by Sandor Ellix Katz The book that started the fermentation revolution.
Available at Amazon.ca
Putting Food By
Fifth edition
 by Ruth Hertzberg, Janet Greene, and Beatrice Vaughan A classic work on the best ways to can, freeze, pickle, dry, cure, and preserve. Available at Amazon.ca
Awesome Ancient Grains and Seeds
A Garden-to-Kitchen Guide
by Dan Jason and Michele Genest Wheats, including farro, spelt and kamut, are surprisingly easy and very rewarding backyard crops.
Available at Chapters-Indigo
The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman and Beth Dooley 2018 James Beard Award Winner: Best American Cookbook
Available at Amazon.ca
Odd Bits
by Jennifer McLagan How to Cook the Rest of the Animal
Purchase details at author website
Fat
by Jennifer McLagan An appreciation of a misunderstood ingredient, with recipes
Purchase details at author website
Blood
by Jennifer McLagan Blood is a primer filled with delicious ideas that are bound to make even the skeptics entertain a second thought.
Purchase details at author website
Bones
by Jennifer McLagan Recipes, History, and Lore
Purchase details at author website

FILMS & TELEVISION

Angry Inuk
a film by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril This award-winning documentary, joins a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit as they campaign to challenge long-established perceptions of seal hunting. Watch the trailer and find out how to order or view the film.
10 Billion
What’s On Your Plate?
a film by Valentin Thurn By 2050, the world’s population will grow to 10 billion people. How will we provide enough food for everyone to survive?
Watch the trailer Find out how to order or view the film.
Niqitsiat
Hosted by Rebecca Veevee Niqitsiat features the preparation and cooking of Inuit traditional foods. Healthy eating and living are promoted through the depiction of delicious and easy to prepare, locally available food. Get details at APTN

Research Data

Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America

traditionalanimalfoods.org/ This website describes and references the published literature on the many nutrients in traditional animal foods known and used by Indigenous Peoples of northern North America. The publication focuses on Canada, Alaska, Greenland and the northern United States of America, but many of the animal species presented here also occur in the northern latitudes of Europe and Asia.

The Cost of Healthy Eating in Yukon
https://yapc.ca/assets/files/Healthy%20Eating%202018.pdf

Mercury Levels in Yukon Fish
Statistics from fish in Old Crow from a study by Yukon Research Scientist, Mary Gamberg
Mercury per gram of fresh fish:
  • Burbot : 0.62 ug/g
  • Pike: 0.17 ug/g
  • Burbot liver:  0.124 ug/g
  • Grayling: 0.06 ug/g
  • Chum Salmon: 0.04 ug/g
(Based on a sample size of 14 burbot, 11 pike and 12 chum salmon from Old Crow and grayling from other Yukon locations.) For adults, the tolerable daily mercury limit is  0.47 ug/kg/day (Health Canada)  (less for women of child bearing age) This translates to a tolerable daily limit in grams of fish for an adult Canadian woman of average size:
  • Burbot : 45 g  (1.5 oz)
  • Pike: 164 g
  • Burbot liver: 225 g
  • Grayling: 466 g
  • Chum Salmon: 700 g
Based on one 4 pound, 11 year old burbot from the Yukon River at Dawson City:  
  • Burbot muscle:  0.23 ug/g mercury
  • Burbot liver:  0.04 ug/g merucry
The mercury levels from the Old Crow burbot are 2.5 times higher than the levels in the one fish tested from the Yukon River.  One sample only, but it suggests that the mercury levels in the Yukon River near Dawson may be less than the levels around Old Crow.
 
For PCB’s and DDT, the amount found in 10 grams of burbot liver from the Old Crow study was quite low, one tenth of the tolerable daily intake for PCB’s and one twentieth for DDT.
 
Note:
  • Mercury levels differ from one water system to another
  • Larger (older) fish have lower levels of contaminants than smaller (younger) fish
  • Predatory fish (lake trout, burbot) have higher levels of contaminants than non-predatory fish (whitefish, grayling, salmon) 
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