Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America

Uncover the stories behind the foods that have linked the natural environments, traditions, and histories of Indigenous peoples across North America for millennia through more than 100 ancestral and modern recipes from three-time James Beard Award-winning Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman.

"I've been completely seduced by Sean Sherman's new book. This is so much more than enticing recipes and gorgeous photos."--Robin Wall Kimmerer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry

"A collection of the stories that tell deeper truths about our country and the people who have always been here."--José Andrés, chef and founder of World Central Kitchen

Growing up on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation, Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman understood that his people's food was rich in flavor, heritage, and connection to the land. It was in the midst of a successful restaurant career mainly cooking European cuisines that he realized the lack of understanding about Native American foodways--a revelation that sent him on a journey to learn more about how Indigenous communities have preserved and evolved their cuisines through the centuries. Now a leading figure in the Indigenous food movement, he shares in Turtle Island the unique and diverse Native foodways of North America through both traditional and modern recipes made with ingredients that have nourished Indigenous peoples physically, spiritually, and culturally for generations.

Organized by region, this book delves into the rich culinary landscapes of Turtle Island--as many Indigenous cultures call this continent. Learn to eat with the seasons, consume meat and fish nose-to-tail, focus on plant-forward dishes, and discover how to better feed yourself. Alongside delicious recipes like Smoked Bison Ribeye, Wild-Rice Crusted Walleye Cakes, Charred Rainbow Trout with Grilled Ramps, Sweet Potato Soup with Dried Venison and Chile Oil, Sunflower Seed "Risotto," and Sweet Corn Pudding with Woodland Berry Sauce (and so much more), you'll see the inspiring Indigenous food scene through Sean's eyes.

Exemplifying how Native foodways can teach us all to connect with the natural world around us, Turtle Island features rich narrative histories and spotlights the communities producing, gathering, and cooking these foods, including remarkable stories of ingenuity and adaptation that capture the resilience of Indigenous communities.

Author: Sean Sherman,Kate Nelson,Kristin Donnelly
Publisher: Clarkson Potter Publishers
Published: 11/11/2025
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 3.68lbs
Size: 10.13h x 8.33w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780593579237


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/01/2025 pg. 91
Booklist 09/01/2025

About the Author
Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota, born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, has been cooking across the US and world for the past thirty years. His main culinary focus has been the revitalization and awareness of Indigenous foods systems in a modern culinary context. In 2014, he opened The Sioux Chef as a caterer and food educator in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area. His first book, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, was published in 2017. His restaurant OWAMNI opened in 2021 and was honored on many best new restaurant lists, winning the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2022.

Kate Nelson, Tlingit, is an award-winning writer and editor based in Minneapolis who focuses on amplifying important Indigenous change makers and issues. She has interviewed such luminaries as chef Sean Sherman, model/activist Quannah ChasingHorse, and Reservation Dogs showrunner Sterlin Harjo, and written for publica­tions including The New York Times, National Geographic, Time, Elle, Esquire, Vanity Fair, and others. A lifelong storyteller, she is a former magazine editor-in-chief, a two-time James Beard Foundation Media Award nominee, and an avid equestrian in her free time.

Kristin Donnelly is the author of Modern Potluck and Cauliflower from Short Stake Editions and has worked on over a dozen other cookbooks as a co-author, recipe developer, and project manager. For eight years, she was is a food editor at Food & Wine magazine and has written about food and lifestyle for many magazines, including Martha Stewart Living, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Women's Health, and Parents. She lives in New Hope, Pennsylvania, with her husband and daughter.