Talk:Succotash

Origins/Native American significance

What are the origins of succotash? Is it a traditional Native American cuisine? If so, how widespread is it among Native Americans? I notice it's described as a Narraganset word and it's categorized under "Native American cuisine", but the article doesn't mention its origins or significance among Native Americans. This would be a good topic to expand on, I think. -kotra (talk) 23:01, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

This might help - succotash etymology.--Astavats (talk) 06:14, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

That doesn't say much about its history, but thanks! I've added a citation for its etymology now. -kotra (talk) 21:49, 7 December 2008 (UTC)

Gonna quote from a couple of books here. The first is Civil War Recipes: Receipts from the pages of Godey's Lady's Book edited by Lily May Spaulding and John Spaulding. In a note on the 1860 succotash recipe (page 115) in the book it says "According to Imogene Wolcott in The Yankee Cook Book, the word "M'sickquatash" (the Narragansett Indian word for corn boiled whole) became the "succotash" of the Pilgrims when thy combined corn and beans. As time went on, however, succotash developed into a more elaborate dish made of large white beans, hulled corn, corned beef, salt pork, chicken, white turnip, and potatoes, and in this form was a famous food of Plympouth, Massachusetts, where it was served again and again at celebrations of Forefathers' Day, December 21."

Ok, the article does explain the M'sickquatash being a Narragansett term for boiled corn kernels, though this does say it was corn boiled whole. Now the other source is American Food: The Gastronomic Story by Evan Jones. On page 9 it says "The combination of dried beans and whole corn is a variation of the Narragansett msickquatash, introduced to colonial cooks by Indians and subsequently known as succotash. A similar corn-bean dish may have been served by Pilgrim housewives at the first Thanksgiving dinner in 1621 (along with venison, roast duck, roast goose--no turkey has been reported--clam, eels, wheat and corn breads, leeks, watercress, wild plums, homade wine), and it became without question a staple in the colonial diet, especially in New England."

Neither really answers your question about how widespread it was among the Native Americans. But it seems modern succotash is some kind of derivation of a Narragansett dish, though if beans were a part of the dish or if they were added in by the Pilgrims is uncertain to me. -anonymous 11/11/2013 9:45 PM EST. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.241.140.68 (talk) 02:46, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

I don't speak any Indian dialects, but I am VERY familiar with pidgin English. One element of the article has been modified to read:

"The name succotash is derived from the Narragansett word sahquttahhash, which means "broken corn kernels"."

It is clear what 'ash, or hash means. It means a hash. And this dish is clearly a hash. So sahquttah is probably their pidgin English term for maize. Sakata is a common term for corns of various types (often regionally taken to be a rice) in pidgin English speaking regions of the East Indies, it came into pidgin vernacular from far north India where the sanskrit Sakata means rice. I suspect that this is a retronym. I sit here eating sakata right now and stumbled across this article and thought "Suffering succotash!"

The problem is enough authors have fantastically developed this into being what it is perceived to be in this article, so there will always be primary sources erroneously claiming this, especially cooking books trying to exoticise their recipes. But, there you have it. Grain hash. In Pidgin English. 2001:8003:2953:1900:50FD:2CD8:8930:2A5B (talk) 23:03, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

Trademarks?

Has anyone in the United States ever tried to trademark the recipe for this kind of a food product? Or is it so widespread as to be public domain? 216.99.201.247 (talk) 04:55, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

Carrots

I thought that properly made succotash always had minced carrots in it. The picture on the main page of this article shows only corn and lima beans, no carrots. I think the main page of this article would be improved if someone pointed out that carrots were essential to the recipe. 216.99.201.247 (talk) 05:03, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

I never heard of carrots as an essential in succotash. In fact I have only ever heard of carrots, corn, and limas being called mixed vegetables. Obviously you have heard of carrots in succotash and the article does mention various vegetables added. But most of these are not essential to the dish. -anonymous 11/11/2013 8:53 PM EST — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.241.140.68 (talk) 01:53, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

Earliest recipe?

What's the earliest known recipe for Succotash? The Jade Knight (talk) 11:17, 21 November 2019 (UTC)