breadroot
Native American staple
Breadroot is a North American prairie plant with a starchy, edible root traditionally harvested by Indigenous peoples.
The tuber was a dietary staple, eaten raw, roasted, or dried and ground into flour.
Also called prairie turnip or *tipsin* in Lakota.
The plant has become less common as prairie habitat has diminished.
Underground nutrient reservoir
- perennialRecurring each year
- legumePod-producing plant family
- wildflowerUncultivated flowering plant
- herbaceousHaving soft green stems
nitrogen-fixing · rhizome · taproot · groundnut · starchy · dried · braided
Cooked uncovered with heat
- boiledHeated until bubbling
- driedStripped of moisture
- groundSolid surface underfoot
- flourMilled grain powder
pemmican · soup · stew · baked · raw · peeled · stored · reconstituted
Collection of people meeting
- wildcraftingGathering uncultivated natural materials
- diggingRemoving earth below
- harvestingGathering mature crops
- edibleSafe to consume
ethnobotany · traditional · indigenous · hunter-gatherer · survivalism · seasonal · food preservation · drying
Containing complex carbohydrates
- carbohydrateSugar or starch compound
- proteinFolded amino chain
- fiberPlant-based digestive aid
- sustenanceMeans of living
nourishing · staple food · caloric · filling · wholesome · survival food · traditional diet · nutrient-dense
Central North American grassland
- prairieOpen grassy flatland
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- plainsBroad, level grasslands
- MidwestNorth-central American region
shortgrass · tallgrass · dryland · arid · sandy soil · native range · Dakota · Montana
tuber
Underground nutrient reservoir
- perennialRecurring each year
- legumePod-producing plant family
- wildflowerUncultivated flowering plant
herbaceous · nitrogen-fixing · rhizome · taproot · groundnut · starchy · dried · braided
roasted
Cooked uncovered with heat
flour · pemmican · soup · stew · baked · raw · peeled · stored · reconstituted · powdered
gathering
Collection of people meeting
- wildcraftingGathering uncultivated natural materials
- diggingRemoving earth below
- harvestingGathering mature crops
edible · ethnobotany · traditional · indigenous · hunter-gatherer · survivalism · seasonal · food preservation · drying · braiding
starchy
Containing complex carbohydrates
- carbohydrateSugar or starch compound
- proteinFolded amino chain
- fiberPlant-based digestive aid
sustenance · nourishing · staple food · caloric · filling · wholesome · survival food · traditional diet · nutrient-dense
Great Plains
Central North American grassland
Midwest · shortgrass · tallgrass · dryland · arid · sandy soil · native range · Dakota · Montana · Nebraska
breadrootpotato
Edible underground tuber
carrot · sugar beet · cassava · sweet potato · staple crops