‘Ach’íí’ (ach-EE) is a Navajo delicacy made from sheep gut, in which a length of the small intestine is wrapped around a section of colon and fat. It’s made immediately after a sheep is butchered and then roasted over an open fire until it’s nice and crunchy.

There was some controversy surrounding the sale of ‘Ach’íí’, primarily because the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not consider it “food” and therefore could not be sold to the public. This forced some businesses that slaughter sheep for mutton to dispose the majority of the sheep after slaughter. But some businesses like Sweetmeat Inc. in Waterflow, N.M did not agree with the USDA. They worked closely with federal inspectors on their processing techniques, to ensure they used high standards of quality control in preparing ‘Ach’íí’ for public sale. After months of negotiations with the USDA, Sweetmeat Inc. was granted to sell ‘Ach’íí’ under the USDA’s “specialty meat items” stamp in 2007.

Now ‘Ach’íí’ can be sold to the public. A very tasty traditional food of the Dineh!