Kokopelli's Kitchen 
Flavors of the Southwest
Blue Cornmeal & the Hopi
The mythology of corn among the Native Americans forms a vast and varied tapestry. Since Indian cultures were in many ways founded upon corn, beliefs about the grain express its reign over men. For example, the Indians commonly saw the world as having six directions: north, south, east, and west, and also up and down. Each of the directions was associated with one of the six primary colors of corn. For many tribes (color associations did vary from tribe to tribe) red was for the north, blue the east, black the south, yellow the west; white was for "up" and variegated corn was "down," (the underworld).
Blue Corn: Found primarily in the Southwest, blue corn has been a staple food of Native Americans - including the Hopi, Pueblo, Navajo & Zuni tribes - for hundreds of years. Coronado found blue corn & other flour corns during his 1540 expedition into the Southwest.
Blue flour corn, made of primarily soft starches, is used for blue corn flour & cornmeal, and for making blue corn tortillas and blue corn chips. It’s a bit coarser than yellow or white meal, but is somewhat sweeter & nuttier in flavor. It also contains about 20% more protein & up to 50% more iron than other varieties of corn.
Blue Corn & Hopi Indians: Hopi blue corn varieties can range in color from nearly black to a powdery gray color. There are three varieties of the blue corn: "standard" blue (sakwaqa'o), hard blue (huruskwapu), and gray-blue (maasiqa'o). Because of its hard kernels, huruskwapu is most resistant to storage pests and traditionally was the preferred variety for storing. When the grinding was all done by hand, women preferred using maasiqa'o because it is soft and easier to grind but the color was not as vibrant as that of the sakwaqa'o or huruskwapu.
Besides being the backbone of their diet, blue corn represents an essential part of the Hopi culture. It represents the Eastern rising sun, the beginning of life, wisdom & understanding. The Hopi of Arizona use blue corn in the naming ceremonies of infants, who might not receive their name for 6-to-8 months. They believe that blue corn represents a long life; Hopi men ate blue corn before undertaking long journeys because they believe it gives them great strength. To this day, the Hopi believe in the power of blue corn, as demonstrated by their story of creation.
Blue Cornmeal & Hopi Weddings: Blue cornmeal plays a role of great significance in a Hopi wedding. Sometimes a couple must wait several years until they can accumulate the amount of corn necessary for their traditional wedding. In fact it’s not at all uncommon for a couple to be legally married and have children before they can afford a traditional wedding. In these instances, the children participate in the ceremonies.
For 16 days prior to the ceremony, the bride goes into seclusion with her mother or “mother-figure”. No one sees the bride during this time. During this time:
Besides the “payback” to the parents, the bride is presented with bags of cornmeal as wedding gifts for use in her married life. She might also receive sweet corn; this can be used as a sweetener for coffee and as a hot drink for children.
Piki Bread: Piki is a wafer-thin bread made from finely ground blue cornmeal. It’s prepared for daily consumption and for special occasions like feasts and weddings. It is also prepared for the deceased, to sustain their essences as they journey into the spirit world.
Piki batter is made of blue corn that has been roasted and very finely ground into flour. The flour is mixed with boiling water, about two teaspoons of the very fine powdery ash left from burning special grasses and a pinch of salt.
To make piki bread, a Hopi woman kneels before her piki stone which is a flat stone that has been heated to about 700 degrees. She spreads the thin batter on her stone with a quick swipe of her hand. The moisture in the batter prevents her hand from being burned.
Some piki stones have been in families for years, and have been passed down through the generations as treasured possessions. But the stones, usually about 3-feet long by 2-feet wide, can be broken and new ones must be made regularly. Piki stone makers search for just the right kind of flat dense rock that will hold heat and can be ground almost to a polish.
Once the stone has been carried home and dried out for several days, the stone makers start grinding to get it completely flat; then they polish the stone to as glossy a finish as possible so the piki won’t stick. Before it can be used for bread making, the stone must be baked in a very hot fire and oiled repeatedly to season it. This also helps ensure that the stone won’t crack under use; a baker can always tell when a stone is cracked because the batter will stick to the cracked area.Kokopelli's Pantry offers stone-ground blue cornmeal.
And, ourHopi Blue Corn Muffins with Pine Nuts are not to be missed!
Blue Corn: Found primarily in the Southwest, blue corn has been a staple food of Native Americans - including the Hopi, Pueblo, Navajo & Zuni tribes - for hundreds of years. Coronado found blue corn & other flour corns during his 1540 expedition into the Southwest.
Blue flour corn, made of primarily soft starches, is used for blue corn flour & cornmeal, and for making blue corn tortillas and blue corn chips. It’s a bit coarser than yellow or white meal, but is somewhat sweeter & nuttier in flavor. It also contains about 20% more protein & up to 50% more iron than other varieties of corn.
Blue Corn & Hopi Indians: Hopi blue corn varieties can range in color from nearly black to a powdery gray color. There are three varieties of the blue corn: "standard" blue (sakwaqa'o), hard blue (huruskwapu), and gray-blue (maasiqa'o). Because of its hard kernels, huruskwapu is most resistant to storage pests and traditionally was the preferred variety for storing. When the grinding was all done by hand, women preferred using maasiqa'o because it is soft and easier to grind but the color was not as vibrant as that of the sakwaqa'o or huruskwapu.
Besides being the backbone of their diet, blue corn represents an essential part of the Hopi culture. It represents the Eastern rising sun, the beginning of life, wisdom & understanding. The Hopi of Arizona use blue corn in the naming ceremonies of infants, who might not receive their name for 6-to-8 months. They believe that blue corn represents a long life; Hopi men ate blue corn before undertaking long journeys because they believe it gives them great strength. To this day, the Hopi believe in the power of blue corn, as demonstrated by their story of creation.
- As the Hopi moved from the third to the fourth way of life, Maasawu, the Creator, presented the gift of corn to all those who emerged. The other peoples took the largest ears of corn and Hopis were left with the small blue ear. The Hopis knew that their fourth way of life would be would not be easy, but that overcoming hardships would make them strong. The themes of humility, cooperation and respect became the lifeway of all Hopis.
Blue Cornmeal & Hopi Weddings: Blue cornmeal plays a role of great significance in a Hopi wedding. Sometimes a couple must wait several years until they can accumulate the amount of corn necessary for their traditional wedding. In fact it’s not at all uncommon for a couple to be legally married and have children before they can afford a traditional wedding. In these instances, the children participate in the ceremonies.
For 16 days prior to the ceremony, the bride goes into seclusion with her mother or “mother-figure”. No one sees the bride during this time. During this time:
- The bride-to-be grinds several pounds of blue corn by hand and makes piki. These abilities prove her worth as a wife.
- The bride-to-be makes her wedding gown, usually of white doe skin which has been provided by her future husband. Nowadays, it is much more common for the dresses to be passed down from generation to generation.
- Before the bride is presented to the groom, a cleansing ceremony is performed – her “mother figure” bathes her and washes her hair.
Besides the “payback” to the parents, the bride is presented with bags of cornmeal as wedding gifts for use in her married life. She might also receive sweet corn; this can be used as a sweetener for coffee and as a hot drink for children.
Piki Bread: Piki is a wafer-thin bread made from finely ground blue cornmeal. It’s prepared for daily consumption and for special occasions like feasts and weddings. It is also prepared for the deceased, to sustain their essences as they journey into the spirit world.
Piki batter is made of blue corn that has been roasted and very finely ground into flour. The flour is mixed with boiling water, about two teaspoons of the very fine powdery ash left from burning special grasses and a pinch of salt.
To make piki bread, a Hopi woman kneels before her piki stone which is a flat stone that has been heated to about 700 degrees. She spreads the thin batter on her stone with a quick swipe of her hand. The moisture in the batter prevents her hand from being burned.
Some piki stones have been in families for years, and have been passed down through the generations as treasured possessions. But the stones, usually about 3-feet long by 2-feet wide, can be broken and new ones must be made regularly. Piki stone makers search for just the right kind of flat dense rock that will hold heat and can be ground almost to a polish.
Once the stone has been carried home and dried out for several days, the stone makers start grinding to get it completely flat; then they polish the stone to as glossy a finish as possible so the piki won’t stick. Before it can be used for bread making, the stone must be baked in a very hot fire and oiled repeatedly to season it. This also helps ensure that the stone won’t crack under use; a baker can always tell when a stone is cracked because the batter will stick to the cracked area.
And, our
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