Acorn Processing

Acorn processing — the collection, drying, shelling, grinding, and leaching of acorns to remove bitter tannins, producing a flour or paste used for porridge, bread, and soup — was the foundational food technology of the Indigenous peoples of California, the Eastern Woodlands, and anywhere oak trees grew in abundance. Acorns were the most important plant food for California's Indigenous nations (*Miwok*, *Pomo*, *Ohlone*, *Yokuts*, and many others) — the oak forests were managed through controlled burning to maximise acorn production, and the processing of acorns into food was a multi-day, multi-step technique that represents one of the most sophisticated food-processing traditions in pre-contact North America. The technique has been largely lost but is being revived through Indigenous food sovereignty efforts. · Presentation And Philosophy