Caribbean cooking musings

Part of my writing project includes re-visiting some traditional meals and methods of cooking. I became intensely nostalgic for some epicurean delights which were once rare but accessible. There are those things we took for granted when we were growing up which are now exotic memories - things like river crayfish and titwee, a tiny river fish which are used to make accra. I loved them but the crunchy eyes used to irk me. Every time I ate one of these accra, I would hope the eyes would not crunch under my teeth. I ate some a few years ago and it was such a pleasure, I actually welcomed the annoying crunch. That fish is so rare now. Not with the state our rivers are in now, with the by-products of mass agriculture seeping into the fresh waters.

I visited my village about a week ago and here are some photos of parts of the river, not quite the formidable force I remember it used to be.

The village is still relatively under-developed in terms of the mass production of food crops. But the river has shrunk. It makes one cringe to think about the rate of deforestation. Anyway, as my nephew says, ‘happy face’ so I’m going to focus on the delightful memories, traditions and culinary delights of that place and time.

I guess that’s how writing can become a wholesome experience, re-connecting one with buried aspects of the individual and community psyche. I spent the last few days looking for Caribbean food blogs and I was mesmerized by the vivid photos evoking the wonderful culinary dimensions of life in the Caribbean. As soon as I get the hang of ‘gadgetting’ this blog I will point you to some of them.

So this weekend I spent some time in the kitchen, experimenting with whatever the cooking muse wanted to conjure. Rita G. Springer’s Caribbean Cookbook was one of the important sidekicks. That cookbook has been in my mother’s kitchen for as long as I can remember and when I did Food and Nutrition at secondary school, lo and behold, I had the required text! If you’re from the Caribbean some of the recipes are already ingrained in your consciousness; regardless it is one of the best additions to a Caribbean kitchen serious about cooking.

Today the muse was really nostalgic and wanted to re-visit the very first recipe I was exposed to at secondary school: Rock cake.

I added a liberal amount of cinnamon, some oats and coconut milk. I even sprinkled some cocoa powder on top.

The perfect accompaniment would have been some local coffee. I mean kind where you get the raw beans,

roast them in a chodye (the iron cooking pot) over coals, in the yard because they smoke a lot and the pot is going to get really black, grind them in a mortar and pestle and brew! It is really time-consuming, but the flavour is worth the effort. I really must take a trip to the market!

In the meantime, take some time to enjoy the flowers, the sunshine,

and if you come across them, a butterfly or two.