Pashiminan, Algonquian blueberry paste
Although there are many linguistic variations to describe a blueberry paste among the Algonquian nations.
In Innu-Aimun, Pashiminan translates into: Blueberry jam cooked to a solid consistency. While Pashimineu translates into: He makes blueberry jam cooked until solid. Note here that the formula here (he) addresses the Human and not the masculine form.
Summer practice formerly very widespread among the Algonquian nations. The culinary practice of this blueberry paste involved hours of meticulous work, but on the other hand, it involved only one ingredient: wild blueberries. Once these berries are picked, they are emptied, in waves, and over long hours into pottery or even pots over the fire. The operation’s goal is to evaporate the blueberry liquid without burning the paste during manufacture. Hours later, the fruit of a thick tarry paste was obtained; mixture that was later poured into molds to be reserved for later.
Like a cake, they cut this dense molded fruit paste into slices, which, once winter arrived, took the form of a vitamin-based food that skillfully added to the winter diet practiced by the North-East American Algonquian nations.