As barren and frozen as the Arctic region is, it still has enough food to sustain several cultural groups, two of which are the Inuit and Aleut. The Inuit live across the north pole region, stretching from the northern region of Siberia to Greenland, while the Aleut inhabit the islands and coast of Southwest Alaska. Despite their slightly different locations, the two groups survive on the same type of diet.
Meat and Fish
Meat and fish make up the bulk of the Inuit and Aleut diet simply because they are the most abundant food sources in the region. Marine mammals are a staple food, especially seal, although marine mammal food sources also include polar bear, narwhal, walrus and whales, specifically the larger whales that eat plankton. A type of fish called Arctic char is a desirable part of the traditional diet, although other fish, such as cod and sculpin, and shellfish are sometimes included. Birds are on the list, with seabirds, geese, ducks and duck eggs as part of the diet. Dietary selections from the land include mammals such as caribou, moose, foxes, hare and mountain sheep.
Vegetables
Vegetables are much less abundant than animals in the arctic, making vegetables a seasonal delicacy. No vegetable matter goes to waste, and the Inuit and Aleut will eat partially digested vegetables out of a hunted herbivore's stomach. Other edible plants include sorrel, blueberry, willow, crowberry, soapberry, lichens, winter-green, kelp, wild herbs and the Eskimo carrot, a hearty root vegetable that produces a large, cone-shaped carrot.
Considerations
The availability of a specific food source is a major factor when it comes to deciding what to eat, but so does consideration for the natural balance of life. The regional rule of thumb is to balance the dietary intake of sea mammals with that of land mammals so neither category becomes fully depleted. Each community follows the rules to best maintain the ecological balance it believes such a practice achieves. Communities will also consume more of a particular animal or fish if that animal or fish is overly abundant during certain years. Mealtime is a communal activity, with the hunter sharing his catch with the community which, in turn, distributes it to individual households and their members. Fresh, or raw, meat is typical fare.
Imported Foods
Although the Inuit and Aleut have long survived by hunting and gathering from the land, their diet also contains food items gained from contact with Europeans over the years. Although considered inferior to the traditional diet of "country" foods, the imported foods still made their way into the dietary line-up. Dry and canned staples make up the bulk of the imported foods and include sugar, flour, breads, tea, biscuits as well as canned fish, meats, vegetables, fruit and jams.
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