Title: Piki
Categories: Amerind Corn Quick
Yield: 1 Servings

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Aiieeeeee! "Piki" is absolutely NOT "fry-bread." The two terms are NOT synonymous. The recipe posted to rec.food.recipes under the title above is for fry-bread, widely made and enjoyed by Native Americans and late-comers alike, but most often thought of in association with the Navajo. Recall, however, that wheat is not native to the New World, so fry-bread is a comparatively recent treat that developed from similar products (e.g., sopapillas) introduced with the coming of Spaniards to what is now the U.S. southwest.

Piki is indeed primarily made by the Hopi. It is made by preparing a thin gruel of metate-ground cornmeal (almost always of blue corn) in water with a little juniper ash. In an authentic preparation, a broad, flat stone is heated over an open fire until a few drops of water sprinkled on the rock jump and dance as they evaporate quickly. The piki-maker dips the palm of her hand in the cornmeal mixture and quickly smears the mixture over the hot rock, leaving a very thin layer covering most of the rock. As the piki cooks, drying and beginning to curl at the edges, she carefully peels it away and rolls it up, folding and tucking it while it is hot to obtain the desired dimensions. A finished piki typically is a roll that is 8 to 10 inches long, perhaps 2 inches in diameter, medium blue-gray in color, consisting of numerous layers of very fine, thin, crispy cornmeal "bread." The piki is very fragile and flakes off easily. Some people say it is a bit of an acquired taste, although I loved it at first bite...admittedly, it is a bit unusual. Often someone will take one bite, comment "it's like eating ashes," and never eat it again. But it has a subtle, delicious corn flavor that lingers in the mouth well after the crispy flakes are gone.

Piki is a Native American original, made from a New World plant (maize or corn), and probably has been around a very long time.

There's little point in trying to make a piki-taste-alike in a home kitchen, as it requires the proper consistency of blue corn meal, the juniper ash, the magic of the stone griddle, and the hand of an experienced maker to deliver the full experience. Instead, visit a place where piki is being made or sold and try it for yourself. The Heard Museum Indian Market in Phoenix (held around the first week of March each year) often has a demonstrator making (and selling) piki. At the world-famous Indian Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico (usually the 3rd weekend of August each year), several Hopi craftspeople bring and sell piki at their booths. Piki can be found at various other Indian gatherings where there are Hopi in attendance.

Sorry for going on so...but this (obviously!) is a favorite of mine.

Sue smartin@lamar.ColoState.edu Santa Fe, New Mexico/Fort Collins, Colorado

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