Rocky Mountain Cuisine

The Rocky Mountain states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana are known for their “meat and potato” cuisine originating from the wholesome, hearty foods of the pioneers, which included stews, roasts, and steaks.  Not only was this cuisine influenced by the Native Americans, but also draws its heritage from the Basque and Hispanic settlers who first lived in the region.  The Rocky Mountains offers a variety of indigenous game and freshwater fish as well as an abundance of berries and mushrooms, which grow in the mountain forests and meadows of the plains.  Grains, potatoes, beef, and lamb are today the largest agricultural commodities produced in this region of America. 
The story of Rocky Mountain cuisine begins with the rapid settlement of the American West in the mid-1800’s, before the beginning of the transcontinental railroad.  Prospectors and immigrants heading to the Gold Rush of California traveled two main routes: the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail.  The northern route, the Oregon trail, began in Missouri across the Rocky Mountains into Utah and veered North through Idaho and into Oregon while the Santa Fe trail took a more southerly route through Colorado, into New Mexico.  Both of these routes influenced the cuisine of the Rocky Mountain region and Western American cooking as we know it today.  The cooking originating from the Oregon Trail is responsible for our fondness for simmered beans, pan gravies, stews, biscuits, and quickbreads.  The cooking originating from the Santa Fe Trail, with its heavy Mexican and Native American influences, contributed not only to the cuisine of the Rocky Mountains but also to the cuisine of the American Southwest.
The first known party to follow the Oregon Trail, leaving from Independence, Missouri, in 1842, was the Bidwell-Bartleson party.  Over the next two decades, hundreds of thousands of immigrants left their homes to follow the Bidwells and Bartlesons in their quest gold.  The Mormons were one such group who followed the Oregon Trail, however, for religious freedom. They veered south once in the Great Basin of Utah.  Many of the dishes still popular in Utah today, such as hearty stews and other one-pot dishes made with beans, have roots from the foods eaten by the Mormons while traveling West.   When the Mormon population chose to settle in Utah rather than continuing west, their taste and preferences prevailed in the area.  The Mormons continue to influence the foods of the region today.
Similar to “chuck wagon” cooking in Texas, the pioneers and immigrant settlers on the Oregon Trail found that their daily sustenance included sourdough breads, quickbreads, salt pork preparations, wild game and fish, and what could be foraged from the forests, mountain valleys, and plains.  The basic storage on the typical Oregon Trail chuck wagon also included coffee, sugar, dried beans, flour and baking powder for making quickbreads, and acidic sour milk to activate the leavening of breads.  The Dutch Oven, a cast-iron pot with a tight fitting lid, and depth of three feet was the primary cooking vessel for most meals served on the Oregon Trail and was used for cooking breads, stews, and roasting meat.  Hot coals were placed under the pot and around the lid making it an effective cooking vessel for either dry or wet heat cooking methods.  Many historians still argue today that the popular dish of biscuits and gravy originated on the Oregon Trail as a result of the fried bacon gravy frequently served over quickbreads with breakfast as well as many evening meals.
In addition to prospectors and immigrants, many soldiers and fur trappers also followed the Oregon Trail.  The soldiers traveling the trail ate a food called “cold flour,” which was a coarse, polenta-like meal made from parched corn and served with cinnamon and sugar.  The soldiers ate the meal as is, or made gruel out of it by cooking it with water.  Sometimes the soldiers would press dried, sliced vegetables into cakes to eat on the long journey.  They must not have been very tasty or popular, however, because the soldiers referred to them as “desecrated vegetables” instead of their correct name of the day “desiccated vegetables.” Fur trappers traveling the Oregon Trail frequently consumed a Native American dish called “pemmican” as a form of sustenance.  Pemmican was a high-energy food made from bison meat, which was cut into thin strips and dried in the sun.  It was then pounded into a fine powder between two stones and sometimes mixed with the juice of wild chokecherries.  Afterward the pemmican was placed in a bison hide bag, typically with the hair on the outside, and sealed shut.
The Santa Fe Trail opened in 1821 with the first expedition completed by William Becknell, who set out from Missouri eager to begin trade with the Mexicans and Native Americans of the Southwest.  Once this route proved to be prosperous, many southern businesspersons and Canadian fur traders began to travel the trail bringing with them a more sophisticated palate than those who followed the Oregon Trail.  In 1835, the first trading post, called Bent’s Fort, opened near the town of La Junta, Colorado.  Bent’s Fort was a place to rest and relax as well as to eat a proper meal, featuring dining at a table with forks and knives.  Native American cooking was the primary cuisine and featured foods such as bison jerky, corn cakes, and “washtunkala”—a stew made from dried corn.  While there, many travelers acquired a taste for tortillas—a Mexican unleavened flat bread made from corn masa and served during most meals with pine nuts from the piñon trees in the region.  Aside from the its local cuisine, Bent’s Fort was also a place to purchase Champagne, Bordeaux wine, ginger and other West Indian spices, and even fresh oysters that came by train, packed in ice, and sprinkled in cornmeal.  One of today’s most popular Rocky Mountain restaurants is The Fort located in Morrison, Colorado, which by all rights is an exact replica of Bent’s Fort and serves traditional Rocky Mountain cuisine and Native American foods.
The rich and affluent pioneers brought a taste for classical European cuisine to the Rocky Mountain region.  At that time, the big city of the region was Denver, Colorado, where the region’s first luxury hotel, The Brown Palace, was founded in the late 1800’s.  A western bill-of-fare, however, was unlikely to be found on the menu at “The Brown.”  As the guests of the hotel were generally rich miners and railroad tycoons who had already made their fortunes, the menus at The Brown Palace were well-known to rival any famous hotel in the East.  Frequently, dishes such as crab, lobster, veal, and duck were on the menu and were served in an opulent dining room, paired with the finest of wines.  Today’s popularity of classical and European cuisine in the Rocky Mountain region, no doubt, has roots from the foods served at this hotel over one hundred years ago.  The Brown Palace, named after Molly Brown, is still in business today in its original location and has maintained its fine reputation of serving gourmet meals to the world’s most notable people.
The Basque people who immigrated from southwestern France and northern Spain came to the west as sheepherders who worked on the ranches of Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming.  In many remote areas, thriving communities of Basque descendants developed.  Hearty stews of beef, chicken, and lamb flavored with onions, garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, and herbs best describe the Basque contribution to the cooking of the region.  The largest Basque community in existence today, outside of Europe, is in Boise, Idaho. Basque restaurants in America are known for their family-style service and many courses of hearty food.  In many cases, Basque restaurants have long communal tables where one can be seated with other people making for an interesting dining experience.
Much of the wild game enjoyed today in the Rocky Mountains began out of necessity.  Today, game is considered a delicacy. Abundant species of fowl, venison, boar, and bison are available and thrive in the mountains of the region.  Today, most game served in restaurants and hotels is not wild by any means.  Wild game is not inspected for consumption by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and, therefore, is typically not served in commercial foodservice establishments.  The game served in commercial foodservice operations is generally farm-raised in a closely controlled environment, developed specifically for the foodservice industry.  Due to the pleasing taste and low levels of fat in many game products, their popularity is rising and the Rocky Mountain region has a variety of game farms and ranches to satisfy the needs of the American palate.
Although there are not a lot of salt water species in the Rocky Mountains, there are a variety of trout and bass that live in the streams, rivers, and lakes of the region, which provide ample quantities of these high quality and tasty freshwater fish.  Trout is often farmed raised specifically for the foodservice industry, similar to game animals.  Wild fish is generally reserved for sport and fly fishermen.  Today, rainbow trout, originally found only in North America, is now being farm raised in Europe.  The stock of rainbow trout is so popular in France that it has become the most commonly purchased fish.  Additionally, American fish farming techniques are utilized to keep the supply of trout in balance with the heavy demand for this easy-to-prepare fish.
One of the most famous foods indigenous to the Rocky Mountain region is the potato.  Over 100 varieties exist with most farmed in Idaho and Colorado.  In fact, Idaho Potato is now a registered trademark.  Idaho potatoes are usually grown in volcanic soil and irrigated with fresh mountain runoff water.  Russet potatoes from Idaho are the most popular and common potato variety and are primarily used for baking potatoes and for the production of French Fries.  Colorado, while also producing Russets, is more known for its specialty potatoes that come in a variety of colors, sizes and flavors.
Dried beans, referred to as legumes or pulses, are produced in great quantity and quality in the Rocky Mountain region.  Almost all brown, green, and yellow lentil beans consumed in America come from the Palouse Valley in northern Idaho.  Colorado dried bean production is most noted for its pinto and Anasazi varieties of beans.
Today’s two largest agricultural products from the Rocky Mountain region are beef and lamb.  Colorado Lamb is world renowned for its unique flavor, low fat content, and large eye in the rack, making Colorado lamb chops the envy of lamb producers worldwide.  The eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming and Colorado are home to many of the largest cattle ranches in the world.  Needless to say, “beef is what’s cooking” in the Rocky Mountains.
Genuine Rocky Mountain cuisine is rarely found in the cities of the region, but instead in the small towns of the plains and mountains.  In these small communities the culture, heritage, and culinary traditions of the American pioneers and settlers continue to this day.

Rocky Mountain Indigenous Ingredients

Alaskan Sweetheart Potatoes: A variety of potatoes from Colorado’s San Luis Valley.  Alaskan Sweethearts are slightly pink in color with a red skin making them a unique choice for a colorful potato salad.  They are excellent for baking or boiling.
Anasazi Beans: A dry bean with a history dating back over 500 years.  The Native American tribe of the same name first cultivated these beans.  The Anasazi tribe vanished mysteriously leaving only their ruins in Mesa Verde, Colorado; however, the beans they cultivated have become quite popular today.  The beans are uniquely colored with a mottled black and brown or red and white skin and are sweet with a full flavor.  Unlike many other dried beans, these contain 75% fewer carbohydrates, which can cause digestive gas.
Baby All Blue Potatoes: A variety of potato from Colorado’s San Luis Valley.  These potatoes are small, thin, and long and are referred to as “fingerling” potatoes.  They have a bluish-lavender-colored flesh making them a good choice for soup.  Baby All Blues are best cooked whole by steaming, roasting, or boiling.
Big Jim Chilies: Grown in the plains east of Pueblo, Colorado, these chilies are grown side-by-side with Anaheim chilies.  Big Jim chilies are a little hotter and spicier than their Anaheim cousins; however, they look almost identical.  They are also referred to as Pueblo chilies.  Their is closer to the New Mexico green chili, which is actually an Anaheim green chili grown in the state of New Mexico. The heat of Big Jim Chilies green chilies is rated with 1000-1500 Scoville units and placed usually 1-2 on a scale of 1-10.
Bison: Commonly called buffalo, they are a member of the Bovidae family and believed to be descendants of wild cattle.  Bison numbered over 40 million in population in the mid-1800’s; however, the population shrank to less than 1,000 by 1900.  Today, bison number over 150,000 as the population is strictly controlled and monitored by government activists.  Bison is once again being raised for consumption and has become quite popular due to its rich, sweet taste and low-level fat compared to beef.  When cooking bison, it is recommended that lower temperatures be used as well as less cooking time compared to cooking beef.
Buffalo: (See bison)
Buffaloberries: A wild berry, orange or red in color, found throughout the mountains and plains, which ripen in early to late fall.  Buffaloberries are somewhat bitter in flavor and used primarily to make jams and jellies.  If they are picked just after a frost, they become sweet enough to use in pies.
Chanterelle Mushrooms: A wild mushroom normally associated with French cooking; however, it grows in late August in the high-altitude mountains surrounding Telluride, Colorado.  These mushrooms are mustard colored and give off an apricot scent.  There is an annual mushroom festival each year in Telluride where a variety of recipes using chanterelles can be sampled.
Chokecherries: Common throughout the Rocky Mountain region, they are small, orange-purple fruits that are members of the plum family.  Chokecherries are quite hardy and extremely resistant to changes in the weather.  The name chokecherry describes its taste—very astringent—which makes it well suited for jams, jellies, and syrups.  When chokecherries are at their peak of ripeness, they can be eaten from the vine, but one must take care as the leaves and pits are poisonous.
Chorizo: A spicy sausage of Hispanic heritage that is made with pork and seasonings. Traditionally, chorizo of Mexican origin is made with fresh pork while the Spanish tradition calls for smoked pork.
Chukar Partridges: A popular game bird from Idaho.  Chukar partridges are prized among hunters, due to their rich-flavored meat and tender texture, and become available starting in September.
Cold Flour: A provision of the chuck wagon, which traveled west along the Oregon Trail.  Cold Flour was a parched corn that was pounded into a coarse meal similar to polenta.  The meal was either eaten as is or mixed with sugar and cinnamon and eaten as a cereal.
Crawdads: A fresh water crustacean related to its saltwater cousin, the crayfish.  Crawdads are indigenous to the rivers of the Rocky Mountains and have a taste similar to lobster.  Typically, the tails are sucked out of the shell while in the mouth and the remainder of the crawdad is discarded.  The bodies and legs make for excellent soup or stock; however, they are a little too difficult to eat.
Cutthroat Trout: A variety of fresh water trout with distinctive markings on its neck.  Cutthroat trout are commonly found in the rivers and lakes of Utah and in 1997 replaced the rainbow trout as the state fish.
Dandelions: A wild meadow plant with a bright yellow flower originating from France.  The leaves are usually blanched and served in salads.  For the best flavor, it is best to eat dandelions before they flower, as they will be bitter.  Dandelion roots are also used as a vegetable in Japanese cooking.
Elk: A very large relative of the deer.  Smoked elk’s tongue is considered by many in the Rocky Mountain region to be a delicacy.
Grouse: A popular game bird from Montana. Blue and Ruffled Grouse becomes available starting in September of each year.  It has a distinct taste with a slight oily texture.  This depth of flavor makes it very popular when in season.
Huckleberries: The most highly prized berries of the Rocky Mountain region.  Huckleberries are similar to blueberries in texture, color, and flavor; however, they have a thick blue-black skin and contain several seeds in the middle.  The berries have a unique astringency that is very flavorful and tasty.  The mountain states of Idaho and Montana are known to produce the tastiest varieties.
Indian Flat Bread: An all-purpose flat bread made with corn flour by the Native American’s of the Four Corner’s region (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona).  Indian flat bread is also referred to as Navajo fry bread.
Jerky: A name for cured and salted, air- or oven-dried strips of beef or bison
Lentil Beans: Almost all of the lentil beans produced in America come from a region called Palouse in the valleys of northern Idaho and eastern Washington.  These popular American beans come in three varieties: green, brown, and yellow.
Matsutaki Mushrooms: These mushrooms grow within decaying leaves and branches, which cover the forest floor, and become available in September. The Matsutaki mushrooms are the favorite mushrooms of the Japanese people.
Meadow Mushrooms: This wild mushroom, when mature, is tan in color and has a large, flat cap and looks similar to a portobello mushroom. Meadow mushrooms grow in field grasses and are available from May through June.  When they are immature they are slightly pink in color and are dubbed “pinkbottoms.”.
Montana Whitefish: This huge freshwater whitefish from Flathead Lake in Montana weigh up to nine pounds each.  The Montana Whitefish is known for its mild, pleasant-tasting flesh and excellent golden roe.  The whitefish population in Flathead Lake was an accident.  Shrimp were seeded in the lake in an attempt to lure salmon into the body of water; however, it was the whitefish that came seeking the shrimp instead.
Oyster Mushrooms: These mushrooms are cultivated first in May and June then again in September and October.  Oyster mushrooms are grayish in color and grow in clusters on cottonwood trees at lower elevations along rivers and lakes.
Ozette Potatoes: A variety of potato from Colorado’s San Luis Valley.  Ozette Potatoes are yellow-skinned and yellow-fleshed fingerling potatoes.  Ozette’s are best cooked by roasting or baking.
Palisade Peaches: A variety of peach indigenous to the western slope of Colorado near the city of Grand Junction.  Palisade Peaches are world-renowned for their sweet flavor and firm texture.  This area of the region is the second largest producer of peaches in America next to Georgia.
Pemmican: An early American food made from chokecherry juice pounded with suet, mixed with powdered bison jerky, and stored in a bison hide bag.  During pioneer days, Native Americans taught the settlers to make pemmican, which helped to sustain them on the long voyage west.
Pheasant: A game bird about the same size as a chicken, found in the mountains of Montana.  Pheasant has darker meat than chicken with a pleasant but not overwhelming flavor.  Due to the popularity of pheasant, they are now farmed in hatcheries to make obtaining good quality pheasants easier for chefs and restaurateurs.
Pine Nuts: Also referred to as piñon nuts.  Pine nuts are harvested from the cones of pine trees, which grow in high altitudes in the Rocky Mountains and the American Southwest.  Pine nuts can be roasted and/or ground to add a unique flavor to any dish.
Pinto Beans: Grown primarily in Dove Creek, in the southwestern corner of Colorado, pinto beans are an essential ingredient in Chili con Carne, a favorite recipe in the Rocky Mountain region.  These beans grow best in a semi-arid climate in a high elevation, normally 7,000 feet above sea level. They also the main ingredient in refried beans, commonly served as a starch with Tex-Mex and Southwestern cuisine.
Porcini Mushrooms: A wild mushroom normally associated with French and Italian cooking; however, they grow in the Rocky Mountain region from July through mid-September.  Porcini mushrooms, also known as cepes in France, have red caps and a white bulbous base.
Pueblo Chilies: (See Big Jim Chilies)
Purple Peruvian Potatoes: A fingerling potato originating from South America that has a deep-purple color.  The purple Peruvian potatoes have an extremely earthy flavor and are excellent either boiled or baked.
Quinoa: An ancient grain from the Andes region of South America, it was referred to by the Incas as the “mother grain.”  Studies have shown that the quinoa grain contains all eight amino acids required for human tissue growth.  Quinoa also has a high content of vitamins and minerals.  When cooked, quinoa is light and fluffy with a subtle crunch.  Quinoa comes in both brown and black varieties and cooks in just ten minutes to four times its original volume.  Quinoa can be easily substituted for any rice, millet, or grain.
Rainbow Trout: A freshwater fish that begins life in the rivers of Idaho.  The young fish travel many hundreds of miles to the Pacific Ocean through a network of streams and rivers to live there for approximately four years.  After this time, the trout return to their spawning grounds through the same rivers and streams.  Rainbow trout are the favorite fish of the region.  Typically they are cooked whole in a skillet or grilled and served with brown butter sauce.
Red Bliss Potatoes: Small potatoes from Colorado’s San Luis Valley, sometimes referred to as “Cherry Reds.”.  Red bliss potatoes are white fleshed with a deep red skin and have a very creamy and buttery taste.
Red Sangre Potatoes: Medium-sized potatoes from Colorado.  Red sangre potatoes are named after the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range in the southern part of the state.  They are white fleshed with a red skin and are excellent for either baking or boiling.
Rhubarb: Originally, from the Himalaya Mountains of Tibet, this stem of a large perennial plant found its way to the Rocky Mountains.  Technically it is a vegetable but is primarily used as a fruit.  It is widely available and sold both fresh or canned. Fresh rhubarb is usually stewed with sugar and used for pies and jams.
Rocky Mountain Oysters: A culinary tradition of the Old West.  Rocky Mountain Oysters are the testicles of a sheep or young bull that are roasted whole in a pan.  Eating Rocky Mountain Oysters was a ritual test of manhood for the cowboys of the Old West.  The cowboys removed the testicles from the animal, cooked and consumed them before an audience of their peers.  Today they are usually coated, breaded, and then pan- or deep-fried and served with a spicy dipping sauce in most western-theme restaurants.
Russet Potatoes: The preferred potato of Americans grown primarily in Idaho where the volcanic soil and mountain runoff water provide excellent growing conditions.  These not-very-attractive tubers are large and oblong with a slightly rough skin.  Their low moisture content makes them perfect for making light and fluffy baked potatoes.  In addition, their low sugar content makes them suitable for French fries—one of America’s most consumed foods with over 4.5 billion pounds consumed annually.
Striped Bass: A fresh water bass indigenous to the streams, rivers, and lakes of the Rocky Mountains.  Similar to its salt water relatives, this small mouth bass has a white flaky flesh and is very flavorful.  Due to the high cost of harvesting striped bass, it is rarely served outside of the Rocky Mountain region.
Venison: A generic term for any variety of deer meat.  Venison is one of the most popular varieties of game and needs to be hung and marinated before cooking, unless the animal is very young.  The best venison comes from the buck, which is about two years old.  The most popular cut is the haunch or leg and when boneless, is referred to as a Denver leg.  White-tailed deer is a common variety of deer that is very popular in the Rocky Mountain region.  The meat is tender and flavorful without the gaminess associated with other varieties of venison.
Yellow Fin or Yukon Gold Potatoes: A yellow-skinned and yellow-fleshed potato developed in Finland, and are now grown in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.  They have a creamy texture and a buttery flavor that is suitable for any potato preparation.

Menus from Rocky Mountain Cuisine

Menu One

Red Potato, Corn, and Chorizo Chowder

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Spinach Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts, Smoked Bacon, Red Peppers, Goat Cheese and Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing

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Grilled Flank Steak with Confetti Butter and Beer Battered Onion Rings

Steamed Broccoli tossed with Brown Butter and Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Cowboy Beans

Menu Two

Buffalo Consommé with Anasazi Bean Custard

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Barbecued Montana Quail served with Barley Salad

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Rocky Mountain Trout in Cornmeal Crust with Horseradish Butter Sauce

Rocky Mountain Warm Slaw

Cayenne and Honey Glazed Carrots

Indian Flat Bread

Menu Three

Charred Corn and Quinoa Soufflé with Mountain Crawdads

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Marinated Colorado Dried Bean Salad

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Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Leg of Lamb with Pan Gravy

Red Chard Casserole

Caramelized Onions

Sweet Potato Dumplings