“When you cook on fire like this, the pashofa tastes better than cooking on a stove.”
-Sam Johnson

A short, wonderful video from Chickasaw TV’s online-series on traditional Chickasaw foods. This particular video focuses on the preparation of pashofa, a traditional Choctaw and Chickasaw dish of hominy and pork. This video highlights not only the basics for how to make pashofa, but also a much of the modern elements of sociality (community, for example) that surround this dish.

There are so many things I love about this short video, but what strikes the most personal chord is the large iron pot hoisted over an open fire–everything about this scene is reminiscent of the iconic image of stew pots in Southern communities that bring people together. For some of us, Brunswick stew could be in that iron pot; for others, perhaps a low country boil. Next time, though, maybe we should try pashofa.

Iron pot over an open fire, right before it boils.