Frybread

Frybread, or Fry Bread, is a Native American bread created in the 1800's. It is flat dough fried in oil, shortening or lard.

Like most icons of ethnic cuisine, Frybread is often considered part of cultural identity, but its roots (and ingredients) are controversial. While it is similar to the flat breads found throughout indigenous American cultures, it is also a legacy of the oppression of Native Americans during the 19th century. Navajo developed the bread while interned at New Mexico's Fort Sumner, and given nothing to eat but rations of wheat flour and lard. The result is a high-fat, high carbohydrate dish that some have identified as the cause of high rates of diabetes among Native Americans.