Rubaboo (Pemmican Stew)

Stew made from pemmican and potatoes

---

City/Region: Canada

Time Period: 1874

---

There are a lot of ways to eat pemmican, from eating it raw (do not recommend, it’s greasy and bland), to heating it in a frying pan (haven’t tried, but probably still pretty greasy and bland), to using it as an ingredient in a stew (actually tasty). This stew was called rubaboo, and it was eaten by explorers and Canadian mounties, often dressed up with whatever was on hand, like wild onions and potatoes. This is one of those dishes that you can add whatever you like and have on hand without losing authenticity, because that’s what used to be done. You could make rubaboo without the onions, potatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper, but I recommend that you use them. They really lift the flavor of the pemmican. Other ingredients that are mentioned in historical writings include corn and beans, so experiment and add what sounds good to you.

Check out the recipe and video for pemmican!

“[Pemmican] was cooked in two ways in the west; one a stew of pemmican, water, flour and, if they could be secured, wild onions or preserved potatoes. This was called ‘rubaboo’; the other was called by the plain hunters a ‘rechaud.’ It was cooked in a frying-pan with onions and potatoes or alone. Some persons ate pemmican raw, but I must say that I never had a taste for it that way.”

— Journal entry by Sam Steele, September 6, 1874

---

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (225 g) pemmican
• 1/2 cup (60 g) flour
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 quart (1 L) water
• 2 cups chopped potatoes, about 2 to 3 potatoes
• Herbs, whatever you like
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Break the pemmican into small pieces, then put them in a pot over medium-high heat. Stir it around until you can smell it cooking.
2. Add the onions and stir to coat them with the melted fat and cook for about 5 minutes until they’re lightly browned. Add the flour and stir until everything is evenly coated. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Stir in the water. For a thinner stew, you can add more water. This recipe makes a nice, thick stew. Add the potatoes and any herbs, salt, and pepper that you want to throw in. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
4. When the stew has thickened and the potatoes are nice and tender, serve it forth. Enjoy it with a cup of tea and some arctic winds for extra authenticity.

---