Among the Oglala Lakota, there is no separation of starter, main course, and dessert: all share the same hearth. The pot simmers in the center, each receives their portion of bison meat (tȟaló) and broth (wahaŋpi), then dried fruits and wasná are passed around for the road. The best pieces go first to the elders, orphans, and guests: feeding others before oneself is a virtue. The meal follows the seasons and the movements of the herd, never the clock.

All Plains cuisine revolves around the bison — its meat, fat, marrow — and the wild chokecherry, crushed with its pit and then dried. The union of fat and tart fruit defines Lakota taste: it is found in pemmican as well as in wojápi.