What is wojapi? Why this berry sauce became a South Dakota food favorite

This article is about one of 18 South Dakota food favorites. For the complete list, go here.

Wojapi: A thick berry sauce traditionally made with chokecherries and root flour by Lakota. Usually paired with fry bread. 

Chokecherries are sacred to the Lakota — they're used in multiple ceremonies and their pit is medicinal, said Lisa Ironcloud,  who works with food sovereignty programs regarding Lakota-style cooking. 

While the chokecherry and wojapi, which is a thickened paste traditionally made of chokecherries, are important to American Indians, they represent the integral part of South Dakota's edible landscape in the traditional Lakota diet. 

Wojapi was originally made by combining cooked and pounded chokecherries with flour from roots found on the South Dakota prairie. Today, wojapi can be also made using any kind of berries or canned fillings. The consistency eventually resembles a pudding, Ironcloud said. 

"It's part of the land," Ironcloud said. "I know that if I come to South Dakota, I'll find chokecherries." 

Chokecherries are especially important to Ironcloud because it reminds her of her childhood when she'd pick the berries with friends. 

Now, she's passing the tradition of Lakota cooking down to her children. She regularly takes her children out harvesting for food. 

"I think of spending time with my children and laughing when our dogs eat the chokecherries too," Ironcloud said. "You think of family when you think of the food." 

The top 18 South Dakota foods

• Bison
• Chili and Cinnamon/Caramel Rolls
• Chislic
• Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream
• Gabubu Bread
• Indian Tacos
• Kolache
• Kuchen
• Pheasant
• Pickle Beer
• Red Beer
• Rushmore Mountain Taffy
• Tiger Meat
• Wall Drug Doughnuts
• Wall Drug Water
• Walleye
• Wasna
• Wojapi