Nadowessabo Soup

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In Québec, french-speaking people call corn « Blé d’Inde » instead of « Maïs » like French people (from France) do. Blé d’Inde literally translates in « Wheat of India ». It is said this name was coined by Christopher Colombo as he thought he reached India when actually he was in America. Calling First Nations people "Indians" wasn't his only vocabulary mistake legacy.

Corn, or « Wheat of India » was growing in North America way before white people discovered the continent. First Nations cultivated it since a long time when Jacques Cartier, commissioned by the King of France, made his second trip to Saint-Laurent Region in 1534 with the clear mission to find a path to China. He was very impressed by the “Wheat of Gold” as he called it, which was growing in Hochelaga (future Montreal.)

It wasn’t China he found, but the rich and fertile region of the Saint-Laurent, from Quebec City to Montreal. The indigenous population, Iroquois in majority around Quebec City cultivated corn around their villages.

Our house is right on the frontier of Kahnawake Proud Nation of Mowhaks, less than 10 km away from Montreal Down-Town. It’s not an Iroquois Nation but my half-Mohawk neighbor gave me this recipe for corn and potatoes soup which she says is from the Iroquois region of Île d’Orléans, near Quebec City.

This is a really simple and frugal soup but we love it. I prepare it the day before so we reheat it for breakfast on those sub-zero temperatures mornings announced by the weather man. After having such a soup everybody in our house is ready to endure more efficiently the “sticks your nostrils together when you inhale” kind of cold we often have in January and February here.

Nadowessabo Soup

1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 big potatoes, peeled and sliced
1.5 cups (375 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup (250 ml) corn (canned or frozen are ok)
1.5 cups (375 ml) milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh flat parsley leaves to taste, chopped

Melt butter in a large saucepan and sweat the onions for few minutes on low heat.

Add sliced potatoes, salt, pepper and broth. Bring to a boil and lower back the heat to low. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool few minutes.

Blend to a purée using an immersion blender, a blender or the food processor. Put the soup back in the saucepan over low heat. Add milk and corn. Bring back to a gentle simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until corn is cooked if frozen or heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve very hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley leaves.

Other Soups

Chineese Meatball Soup (anglais)
Wonton Soup (anglais)
Harira, The Hearty Moroccan Soup (anglais)