Delectable festive Cuisine

Dec 25, 2023 Features / Columnists, News

---

By Renay Sambach

Kaieteur News – As the holiday season envelops the world in a joyful embrace, traditions manifest in various forms, especially through delectable cuisines.

In Guyana, nestled on the northern mainland of South America, Christmas comes alive with a vibrant array of flavors that reflect the country’s rich cultural heritage. From savory delights to sweet indulgences, Guyanese festive cuisine is a fusion of diverse influences that create a unique and tantalizing experience.

At the heart of Guyanese Christmas celebrations lies a table adorned with a mouthwatering array of dishes.

Pepperpot: A Flavorful Tradition

Central to the Guyanese Christmas feast is “Pepperpot,” a rich and spicy stew that symbolizes unity and togetherness. Cooked over several days with ingredients like cassareep (a thick, dark sauce made from cassava), meats (often beef, pork, or even game meats), cinnamon, cloves, and other spices, Pepperpot is a cherished dish passed down through generations.

(What’s Cooking Guyana recipes)

Ingredients:

2 pig trotters or 1 cow heel

2 lbs. stewing steak or brisket

8 oz pickled meat

2 lbs. ox tail

¼ pt. cassareep

2 red peppers

1 inch piece of cinnamon stick

3 cloves

2 oz sugar

Salt to taste

Method:

Wipe and clean meat thoroughly.

Put heel or trotters in pan. Cover with water and bring to boil. Skim.

When half tender, add other meats, and hot water to cover. Cook for about 1 hour.

Add other ingredients and simmer until meat is tender. Adjust flavour for salt and sugar.

Serve hot.

Serves eight persons.

Note: This dish develops more flavour when left over a period of days. It must be reheated to boiling point each day.

Sorrel Drink

Ingredients:

8 cups sorrel petals

2 ounces grated ginger

12 cups boiling water

Dried orange peel (optional)

Sugar for sweetening to taste

Method:

Place sorrel, crushed ginger and dried peel of orange into a pot of boiling water.

Macerate for 12-16 hours.

Strain, sweeten to taste, and bottle.

For preservation, keep in refrigerator. If you wish, add an ounce of white rum to each quart bottle.

Fruit Cake

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 ½ hours

Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients:

½ pound (225 grams) margarine

½ pound (225 grams) dark sugar

4 medium eggs

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla/almond flavouring

1 pound (450 grams) cake and pastry flour

¼ pound (115 grams) breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons (10 ml) mixed spice/nutmeg

1 tablespoon (15 ml) baking powder

3 cups (750 ml) red wine

1 cup (250 ml) rum

3 cups (720 grams) soaked mixed fruits

½ cup (120 grams) cherries

¼ cup (60 grams) peanuts, crushed

Method:

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.

Gradually beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla/almond flavouring.

Combine flour, breadcrumbs, mixed spice/nutmeg and baking powder and mix well.

Fold flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with the red wine, rum, soaked mixed fruits, cherries and crushed peanuts.

Scrape batter into a greased and lined 325 cm (10-inch) baking tin. Bake for 1½ hours at 180°C/350°F or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool.

Ginger beer

Ingredients:

1 lb. of ginger

10 cups of water

2 cups of dark brown sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

6 cloves

5 3 x 3-inch pieces of orange peel

1 4-inch piece of orange peel

Uncooked rice to help with fermentation

Method:

Grate ginger with the fine side of the grater.

In a large pot, combine all ingredients, except cinnamon and the (3×3) pieces of orange peel.

Bring to a rapid boil for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain.

Use a cheese cloth to remove ginger bits.

Pour into a large glass jug.

Break orange peel and cinnamon sticks into pieces; add to ginger beer, and bring to room temperature

Place 12 uncooked rice grains in each glass jar; pour into glass jars and let rest.

Ferment for 5-7 days.

Discard cinnamon sticks and orange peel.

Serve over crushed ice or ice cubes.

Garlic Pork

Ingredients:

3 lbs. of pork at least one (1) inch thick; tender cuts are preferred

12 large cloves garlic

½ cup of fresh thyme leaves (stem reserved) or

2 tbsp. of dried Thyme

8-10 wiri-wiri peppers

1 ½ tbsp. sea salt

½ tsp. black pepper

2 cups of white distilled vinegar

2 cups of boiled water (brought to room temp.)

3-4 whole cloves

3 additional cloves of garlic, unpeeled

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme

Method:

Wipe the meat clean with a damp cloth or paper towel.

Using a sharp knife, make little gashes into the meat on both sides. Grind the garlic, thyme, and wiri-wiri peppers in a food processor/mortar and pestle, then pour this seasoning rub in a small bowl.

Using a butter knife or your fingers spread a generous amount to fill the small gashes in the meat.

Salt and pepper both sides, reserving ½ tsp salt.

Rub any left-over seasoning mixture on meat slices.

Using a wide-mouthed glass jar, start by layering pieces of seasoned meat, stacking until all meat has been placed in the jar.

Combine vinegar and water, and pour cautiously into the jar of layered meat until meat is covered by two inches.

Gently shake the jar to distribute meat evenly, and place thyme stems and cloves in the jar. Add three cloves of unpeeled garlic, as part of the garnish, and the peppercorns.

Place additional sprigs of thyme on top of jar, or slide it down the sides.

Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, and seal jar tightly.

Store in a cool dark place (not refrigerator), and let it rest for 3-5 days.

After curing period, drain meat on a rack, and discard liquid. Do not allow seasoning in the gashes to fall out.

In a skillet, pour 3 tbsp. Canola oil.

Pan-fry on medium heat, until nicely browned for about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and serve with crusty bread and ginger beer, or desired beverage.

Black cake (Jehan Powell recipe)

For the Fruits

You will need:

1 lb. currants

1 lb. prunes

1 lb. raisins

1/4 lb. candied cherries

1/4 lb. mix citrus peel

1/4 lb. almond or peanuts (optional)

Rum or port wine

Wash and grind all ingredients.  This can be done with a food mill or food processor.  Mix in about 2 cups of rum or port wine and allow to ‘sit’ for at least 2 weeks.  Store in an airtight container.

1 lb. or 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 lb. or 4 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

10 eggs

*caramel or cake coloring (about 1/4 cup)

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. mace

1 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. vanilla essence

1/2 tsp. almond essence

1/4 cup rum

1 bottle of Dark Rum

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Grease and line two 9 inch baking pans with parchment paper; set aside.  In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace and cloves; set aside. Place butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix until fluffy and light in color.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to make sure egg is properly incorporated.  Please don’t rush this step, adding the eggs too soon or too many at one time can cause the mixture to curdle or separate. Add vanilla extract and almond extract to mixture, mix until incorporated. Add fruit mix to wet ingredients and mix well. Add flour to wet ingredients, mix until smooth.  Add caramel to achieve desired color and stir in rum.

Divide equally between the 2 pans. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, test by sticking a toothpick in the center, cake is done if toothpick comes out clean.   Remove from oven and pour about 1 cup of rum on each pan of cake.  When the cake absorbs the rum, add more rum two more times.  Add rum weekly.

Enjoy!

---

• Christmas, Cultural, Pepperpot, Renay Sambach, South America

---