Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant - photo by USFWS

Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant
State Bird of South Dakota

Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is the State Bird of South Dakota.

According to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection:

The ring-necked pheasant was introduced in the United States nearly two centuries ago, but its first successful introduction was in 1881 in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Imported from its native range in Asia and China, today’s pheasant is actually a hybrid, resulting from crossbreeding between the English, Mongolian, Chinese, and Japanese varieties.

The Chinese ring-necked pheasant, celebrated its 100th anniversary in the state of South Dakota in 2008. The term “Chinese ring-necked” is not a reference to a particular subspecies. The term refers to the colloquial name commonly given to the wild pheasants. A native of Asia, pheasants came to South Dakota in 1908 when three Spink County farmers released three pairs of the birds, according to The South Dakota State Historical Society.

Recipe for Simple Pheasant

• ½ cup bread crumbs
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp Parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 egg
• 4 boneless Pheasant breasts
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups Marinara/Salsa Sauce
• 4 slices provolone cheese

Directions for Simple Pheasant

1. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Parsley and garlic powder.
2. Dip breasts in egg and coat with bread crumbs.
3. Cook breaded Pheasant in butter in a non-stick skillet 6-8 minutes, turning once.
4. Pour Marinara/Salsa around Pheasant, top each breast with provolone cheese.
5. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes (Until sauce is warm and cheese melted).

Recipe courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources

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History of Frybread

Frybread is a Native American bread used as a staple during many ceremonies such as Powwows, sweats, and Honor dinners. This particular recipe comes from the is from Tall Mountain and Summerwolf (French/Danish/English/Lenape).
-from American Indians By Jack Utter

Frybread - photo by Isaac Wedin 2.0 CC license

Legislature on Frybread

Ingredients for Native American Frybread

• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 Tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 cups “warm” water

Preparation of Native American Frybread

1. Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Sift or stir this together.
2. Add the “warm” water to this mixture and stir until all the dry ingredients are mixed well.
3. Put oil on your hands; remove dough from bowl and knead until the dough is smooth.
4. When the dough is smooth & soft, rub oil over the top of your dough.
5. Place back into the bowl, cover with a dry cloth & let rest for 30 minutes.
6. Begin heating your lard, oil, or grease so it is very hot.
7. Pull the dough at its edges until you have small circles.
8. Drop circles into the hot grease until golden brown, then turn over until golden brown on
   the other side as well.
9. Add enough grease/oil so the dough can deep fry.
10. Dip cooked fry bread into sugar, or spread butter, jam or jelly on top and eat.

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History of Kuchen

the South Dakota State Dessert

South Dakota adopted Kuchen as the state dessert to celebrate the rich cultural heritage and traditional foods of their German ancestors. Kuchen, (pronounced ”koo-kin) is derived from an Old German word for “cake”. The word originated in the 1800s, and it describes various types of coffee cakes made from a sweet dough and a wide variety of fillings.

Leckerer Apfelkuchen - Photo by Maja Dumat - flickr.com

The idea of a state dessert began when the ECDC president (who is also superintendent of Eureka Public School) saw a school daily trivia question. It asked for the state dessert of Massachusetts. Further research showed that, although South Dakota has many official symbols, dessert was not one of them.

Since kuchen was a favored dessert all across the state, and since it was a state designation that was being sought, it only seemed right that all of South Dakota should have the chance to be involved. Letters were sent to every town in the state asking if they wished to support the bill naming kuchen as the state dessert. Seventeen towns, in addition to Eureka, gave written support for the bill.

It was a sweet Valentine”s Day when the bill passed the Senate State Affairs Committee by a vote of 8-1. The following day, it passed the Senate by a vote of 19-11. Following a long wait of over a month, supporters of the bill statewide were happy and relieved when the governor signed the bill on March 11.

How to Make Apple Kuchen

the South Dakota State Dessert

Cooking and Preparation Time: 1 hour

Servings: 20 – 24 pieces

Ingredients for the Crust

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

Directions the Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Lightly grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan.
3. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or food processor fitted with a steel blade and mix to combine.
4. Add the vanilla and butter, a little at a time.
5. Press into the baking pan and bake in oven until slightly golden but not brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool.

Ingredients For the filling:

• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, at room temperature

Ingredients For the topping:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, if desired, cored, and thinly sliced

Directions on how to make the filling and topping:

1. Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in mixer (preferably with a paddle) and beat until creamy.
2. Add the egg, mix to combine, and pour over the cooled crust
3. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix to combine.
4. Place the apples on top of the filling in two or three columns.
5. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and transfer to the oven.
6. Bake until firm and a rich brown, about 20 minutes. Cut into 20 to 24 pieces.

- Recipe from the 2007 South Dakota Legislative Manual

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