Comments on: Chef Richard Hetzler Dishes on Native Food

By: Suzn Campbell

Suzn Campbell — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 03:38:52 +0000

I am wondering if it is noted anywhere in your cookbook or cafe that Mitsitam is Lenape for Come and eat ? If not,it would be a nice addition ** Maple brine turkey sounds interesting ….
Wanishi ~ Thank you ,Suzn Campbell

By: Beth Py-Lieberman

Beth Py-Lieberman — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:16:17 +0000

We checked in with Chef Hetzler on the question of how to safely cook fiddleheads and this is what he told us.

Fiddleheads can cause you to have an upset stomach if not properly cooked or eaten raw in large quantities. By sautéing the fiddleheads you are heating them through enough just as you would if you were to blanch them. This in effect is similar to blanching or steaming the fiddleheads. Also when choosing fiddleheads you should always look for the younger smaller ferns, from my understanding you only need to cook the larger ones for a great amount of time to tenderize and reduce the chance of any illness.

Richard Hetzler
Executive Chef/ Food & Beverage Director
Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe & Catering
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of the American Indian

By: Juanell Boyd

Juanell Boyd — Sun, 08 May 2011 18:12:53 +0000

I was thrilled to receive the Mitsitam Cafe cookbook as a birthday gift recently and am looking forward to trying many of the recipes. However, the Fiddlehead Fern Salad is an unsafe way of preparing fiddlehead ferns. Historically, fiddleheads were prepared by prolonged boiling, which, as it turns out is the only safe way to prepare fiddleheads, as they contain a potent liver toxin and carcinogen which is destroyed by prolonged cooking, but not by brief steaming or sauteing. I learned this fact the hard way, after becoming ill following a meal which included gently sauted fiddle heads. Right after this unfortunate event, I read a newsletter written by a fellow toxicologist from UC Davis reminding me of a little know fact, but something that I should have remembered from my own toxicology studies…that fiddleheads must be boiled extensively to make them safe to consume. I hope you will correct your recipe in the cookbook as well as in your restaurant.

Juanell Boyd, Ph. D
Diplomate, American Board of Toxicology

By: Meet Richard Hetzler, Executive Chef of The Musem of the American Indian’s Mitsitam Cafe « Coyotecooks Blog

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 06:49:19 +0000

[...] Richard has discussed working with foods very familiar to most Native Americans, such as fry bread, or salmon prepared on cedar planks. He’s also been creative about combining what was available to local Native Nations. “A great example is the maple-brined turkey…We know that Native Americans cured items in salt, so essentially they were doing a brine, infusing the flavor, adding moisture…They definitely had turkey. They had maple syrup. It works for us,” he said in a Smithsonian Institute interview. [...]