Foodways of Lenni Lenape

Discover the rich culinary heritage of the Lenni Lenape, the original inhabitants of the Delaware Valley, with an engaging presentation by internationally recognized food historian and author Dr. William Woys Weaver. In his program, The Foodways of Lenapehocking: Garden Plants and Food Customs, Dr. Weaver highlights the plants and foodways that shaped indigenous life in our region.

Dr. Weaver will also share how Lenape food traditions were preserved through early partnerships between Quakers and native peoples, offering a rare look at the cultural and agricultural legacy that continues today. Many of the heirloom plants featured in the program are still cultivated at his Roughwood Center for Heritage Seedways, home to the largest private collection of Eastern Woodland seeds.

Guests will enjoy refreshments inspired by Lenape recipes, including Psindamocan Bread, a parched sweet corn bread with dried cranberries, served on a historic pewter charger once gifted by William Penn to Dr. Weaver’s ancestors.

The Harrison Township Historical Society’s arts and history programs are supported in part by the Gloucester County Cultural and Heritage Commission at Rowan College of South Jersey, in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Jersey Historical Commission.