THE ARCTIC - FOOD

The Inuit relied on the caribou for food, shelter, clothing and tools.
image credit : Bob Stevens, US Fish and Wildlife Service; license - public domain
image credit - Bob Stevens, US Fish and Wildlife Service, license - public domain

TRADITIONAL FOOD and STORE-BOUGHT FOOD

The Inuit traditionally have relied on hunting and fishing to survive. For thousands of years they hunted the caribou, musk ox, Arctic hare, walrus, polar bear, seal, whale, ptarmigan, geese, ducks and other birds as well as bird eggs. Wild greens, roots, berries and seaweed were collected and preserved. The traditional food obtained from the land and the sea is called "country food" .

Today the Inuit still hunt and fish. Gardens or crops can't be grown in the Arctic, although there are greenhouses in a few communities.

a store selling groceries and other supplies
store in Grise Ford, Nunavut, image credit Nancy Shaver
image credit - Nancy Shaver; used with permission

Modern food or southern food is shipped from southern Canada and sold at local stores. Depending on the size of the community, some places have two stores - a Northern store and a Co-operative. Both stores sell fresh, frozen and canned foods, processed foods and dried goods, along with hardware, hunting and household supplies. Flights bring fresh fruits and vegetables, bread and perishables like milk. Modern food is becoming popular among the young people. The traditional food or country food obtained by hunting and fishing is healthier and less costly than the store-bought food.


SHOPPING FOR GROCERIES IN NUNAVUT


The following information about obtaining groceries in the community of Pangnirtung is from http://www.pangnirtung.ca. There are two stores in the community (population 1481, 2016 census) - a Northern Store and a Co-op. Fresh fruit and produce, dairy and meat products are flown in from Ottawa or Montreal. People often order fresh produce through food mail. They place sealift orders for other supplies. Many rely on country foods (caribou, arctic char, seal, etc).


checkout from classroom clipart

The list below is a sample of grocery prices in Pangnirtung
source : 2016 Nunavut Food Price Survey ,
prepared by the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics

4 litre milk - $15.89
dozen large eggs - $4.47
cheddar cheese (270g) - $7.99
cheese whiz (500g) - $13.71
peanut butter (500g) - $5.79
frozen french fries (1kg) - $7.69
potatoes (4.54kg or 10 lbs) - $16.49
cucumber (1) - $4.67
apples (1 kg) - $8.40
apple juice (1 litre) - $8.03
can vegetable soup (284ml) - $3.46
soda crackers (454g) - $7.51
dozen buns (hamburger/hot dog) - $4.64
bread, whole wheat (675g) - $4.89
flour (10 kg) - $39.99
corn flakes (500g) - $8.66
mac and cheese (225g) - $3.65
bacon (500g) - $16.14
wieners (500g) - $5.61
pork chops (l kg) - $12.09
ground beef (1 kg) - $15.99
bathroom tissue 2 ply 12 rolls - $17.34
tooth paste (130ml) - $8.44
soft drinks (12 cans) - $21.99

Besides shopping at the local store, people can get their food and supplies by sealift delivered by ships/barges, online shopping (internet) and food mail (now called Nutrition North) transported by planes. Sealift orders arrive once or twice a year depending on location of the community. Delivery is in the summer or fall when the sea ice has melted. People can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by ordering groceries and supplies in bulk provided they have the space for storage. Food mail orders can be placed every week for fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy products and other perishables. The orders are flown in. This is also cheaper than shopping at local stores.

sealift orders are shipped in containers and crates
sealift
image credit - Nancy Shaver; used with permission

TRADITIONAL FOOD (or COUNTRY FOOD)

Traditionally, the Inuit did not eat many fruits or vegetables. They ate mostly meat, obtained from the land and the sea. Here are some of the traditional foods that are eaten today. The meat is eaten raw, frozen, cooked, dried or aged.
  • Caribou meat is similar to deer meat. The meat, liver and stomach contents are eaten.
caribou is eaten raw, frozen, cooked, dried or aged
caribou meat, flickr.com, creative commons license
image credit Amanda , Flickr.com, license - Creative Commons
  • Arctic hare and ground squirrel is usually baked, boiled, cooked in a stew.
  • Geese and ducks are eatern raw, boiled, roasted, dried. The meat, liver, gizzard and heart are eaten. Bird eggs are collected in spring and early summer.
  • Musk ox is similar to beef.
  • Whale - maktaaq or muktuk the outer layer of skin and blubber is eaten raw. Whale meat is also dried, aged, cooked or boiled in stew or soup.
maktaaq cut with an ulu
maktaaq cut with an ulu; Agent Magenta at Flickr.com, Creative Commons license
image from Flickr.com, license - Creative Commons
  • Polar bear meat is usually baked or boiled in soup or stew, never eaten raw
  • Seal meat is eaten raw, frozen, boiled, dried or aged. The fat is used as a dip with seaweed, fish or dried meats. The fat is also mixed with berries and eaten like ice cream. Flippers are aged in blubber. Almost all parts are eaten including liver, blubber and brain.
  • Arctic char and other fish are eaten raw, frozen, dried, aged or baked. Stew or soup is made with fish. The meat, skin, head, bones and eggs are eaten. Arctic char is one of the favourite foods of the Inuit. Other fish are Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon and Arctic cod.
Arctic char is similar to salmon and trout
Arctic Char, Jim Gaither, US Fish and Wildlife Service, license public domain
image credit - Jim Gaither; US Fish and Wildlife Service; license - public domain
  • Ptarmigan is a chicken-like bird eaten baked, fried or boiled.
  • Walrus meat, flippers, skin and blubber are eaten raw, aged, dried and boiled (stew).

walrus meat hung to dry
walrus meat drying, Elizabeth Manfred, June 2005, permission granted
image credit Elizabeth Manfred, permission granted, Gambell photo library
  • Wild plant greens such as willows, mountain sorrel and fireweed are picked. The leaves are eaten raw, in a salad, cooked as a vegetable or added to soups and stews.
  • Labrador Tea plant leaves are brewed for tea. The plant has a nice smell and a spicy taste. It is also used as a medicine.
  • Berries (crowberries, blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries, gooseberries, Baffin berries) are eaten fresh, dried, frozen for later use, eaten with seal blubber or oil, or cooked to make jam.
wild berries are picked in the summer
a variety of wild berries, Alaska, US Fish and Wildlife Service
imge credit US Fish and Wildlife Service , license - public domain

  • Seaweed is eaten raw or boiled (cooked) as a vegetable or dried to eat later.
  • Seafood such as scallops, sea cucumber, shrimp, mussels, clams, crabs are eaten raw, boiled for soup or fried.
  • Bannock (traditional bread made of flour and lard) is boiled in a pot of oil, fried in a pan or baked in the oven. It is eaten with margarine or butter and sometimes dotted with dried fruit.

woman baking bannock over a campfire
photo of woman baking bannock by Ansgar Walk
image credit - Ansgar Walk ; Wikimedia.com; Creative Commons License


WEB PAGES about the ARCTIC
INTRODUCTION ** PEOPLE ** ANIMALS ** PLANTS ** CLIMATE CHANGE ** ARCTIC INDEX


Canadian Studies - index
Web Pages for Students


information from :
Traditional Foods of the Inuit
Inuit : Traditional Food Fact Sheet
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Far North Food
People of the Arctic, by John Tyman cooking and eating | changing diets
Pangnirtung - Living here



J.Giannetta
September 2009
updated April 2017
jgiannet@hotmail.com


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