The Seminole Nation is traditionally from Florida and enjoyed many of the foods found naturally in the area. One unique aspect of the Seminole community is that it was made up of different nations, especially Creek Nation, that welcomed Africans and the descendants of original Southern slaves into their group as well. This made for interesting fusion cuisine.

While many from this group were moved westward in in the 18th Century by the US Federal Government, about 50 stayed in Florida, just as a group of Acadians (aka Cajuns) had once stubbornly stayed in Nova Scotia before moving increasingly southward to New Orleans.

The remnant band of Seminole lived in the Everglades and defeated three times their number in US soldiers (1500 or so) that tried to roust them. Today, descendants live with the Seminole Tribes of Florida or the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. One of the Florida tribes gained recognition in Cuba as well in 1959.

Interestingly, the Seminole Tribe of Florida owns the entire chain of Hard Rock Cafes as of 2005. That's pretty good progress for the descendants of those few hundred that stayed behind. and their Travel and Tourism business is healthy. Of course, cuisine is a part of that and cookbooks for Seminole recipes have sold well in recent years.

In 2000, over 27,000 people reported full or part Seminole heritage in Florida, with 6,000 in Oklahoma (per US Census). This number of these individuals has ncreased since that census period and will likely to continue to grow..

I hope you enjoy the recipes below.

Safki or sofkee is a traditional dish enjoyed by Native Americans in the Southeast US. Often, it was made 3with hominy and meat of some kind that was available*. It was also made from wild rice when that was available.

The safki spoon was special in these households and was used to partake of safki when visitors arrived, in a formal greeting of welcome. A song about the safki spoon is performed by Lisa LaRue in the video presented to the right.

*Wild Rice Safki

INGREDIENTS

• ½ Gallon salted water (I use spring water)
• 2 Cups wild rice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS

• Boil water and add in the rice and cornstarch for thickening and stir.
• Boil and stir every few minutes for 12 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and add the baking soda.
• Stir often and continue to cook until rice is tender and ready to serve, thick and tasty. You might wish to experiment by adding some of your favorite spices to this recipe. 

*Bacon-Hominy Safki

You can substitute any meat you like in this recipe, cut into small pieces, but you would need to add fat for other than pork. Some fish would be good in this dish as well.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 rashers of bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2 cans canned hominy, drained
• 3 or more green onions, chopped, with part of the green portions used
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Fry bacon pieces in a skillet until crisp.
• Add hominy and spices and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in green onions and cook another 5 minutes, stirring, then serve.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium to large, any type of sweet potato or pumpkin
• 2 Cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 Cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 Cup whole milk

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425F (220C)
• Wash, cook, and mash the sweet potato.
• Put mashed potato into a mixing bowl and let sit.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder and mix thoroughly.
• Using a large measuring cup, pour oil and milk and mix well.
• Add oil and milk into the potatoes and mix.
• Add the flour mixture carefully into the potato bowl, a little at a time and mixing well each time to form dough, not sticky.
• Flour a bread board or a clean counter top and place dough on top of it.
• Knead dough for 60 seconds and roll out to ¼” thick.
• Use a biscuit cutter or a drinking glass rim to cut out biscuits.
• Cooking spray a baking sheet and dust lightly with flour.
• Place biscuits on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes or until done.
• Serve with jam, jelly, syrup, and butter.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp bacon fat
• 2 Large ribs celery, sliced thin.
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 Cups corn bread, well crumbled (you can also use corn bread stuffing mix and leave out the salt below)
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 1/2 Cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp each salt and sage
• 2 tsp black or red pepper (red gives it a kick)

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat , heat the bacon drippings; sauté the celery and onion until slightly soft.
• Reduce heat to medium low. Add the corn bread, beaten eggs, chicken broth, spices, and mix. Especially if you are using dry corn bread stuffing mix, let the mixture heat thoroughly to absorb moisture and finish the eggs.
• Toss the stuffing lightly with a fork and serve.

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