Indian fruit pudding

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 pounds Chokecherries or blueberries
4 cups Water
½ cup Flour
1 cup Sugar or honey, or to taste

Directions

This dish was originally made with chokecherries. These tiny cherries are bitter enough to surprise you, and the pit is the biggest part of the fruit. The whole cherry, pit and all, was pounded up and used to preserve meat, and they are certainly sour enough to do just that.

When they were made into a pudding it must have taken the family's entire stock of honey to provide enough sweetening. Wild blueberries, which could not be preserved so easily, were also used for this dish.

Boil the berries in the water. Drain the juice and set aside. Mash the berries and mix with the flour. Combine the sugar or honey with the juice and add to the berry/flour mix. Stir well. If lumps are present add a little more water and continue to stir. Bring to a simmer and stir constantly until thick. Check for sweetness. Cool and serve.

Source: "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American" by Jeff Smith.

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