Rubaboo


Rubaboo is a common stew or porridge consumed by coureurs des bois and voyageurs and Métis people of North America. This dish is traditionally made of peas and/ or corn, with grease and a thickening agent that makes up the base of the stew. Pemmican and maple sugar were also commonly added to the mixture. Rubaboo that is made by the Plains Metis is often made with pemmican, rabbit, prairie chicken or sage hen and a wide variety of wild vegetables such as wild parsnip onion, turnip, and asparagus that can all be added to the food with preference. The thickened mixture was later re-served as “rowschow”. Sometimes, It is occasionally spelled Rubbaboo. Other sources describe it as consisting primarily of boiled pemmican, with thickening agents added when available.

Origins

The etymology of the word is a blend of the French word roux with the word for soup from an Algonquian language, such as Anishnaabe naboo. Although pemmican can be added to the stew, Rubaboo and pemmican remain separate dishes, but are culturally linked closely to each other in Metis history.

Rubaboo Aboriginal Arts Festival

Apart from its first definition, Rubaboo has also gained a newer meaning, when an Indigenous cultural festival under the same name, that was founded in the year 2009. Rubaboo Aboriginal arts festival has been in operation for ten years, and the festival focuses on Indigenous and Metis celebrations of culture, with live performances and vendors in attendance. The Rubaboo cultural arts festival takes place in Alberta annually, and is a different meaning to the cultural dish meaning of the word Rubaboo.
http://albertaaboriginalarts.ca