Traditional delicacies that characterize the ideal Guyanese Christmas season
It’s good to enjoy the most expensive bottles of champagne, the best selection of wine, cheeses, and even chocolates from the world’s most exotic places. But no Guyanese Christmas is ever complete with the dishes we have come to know and love.
Indeed, a Guyanese Christmas without that lovely peppercorn, freshly baked bread, black rum-infused cake, tantalizing ginger beer and that luxurious garlic pork ethnic flame and the pizazz that pulls us together at the dinner table and covers us with a deep sense of appreciation for our uniqueness.
If you fancy some of these delicious dishes that feature the ideal Guyanese Christmas as part of your celebrations today, here are some easy-to-follow recipes. Happy cooking!
Let’s start things off with the most popular dish of the season, PEPPERPOT.
You will need:
• Beef cuts, although some people choose chicken, duck or wild meat
• 3 cow heels (not always necessary)
• 3-4 pieces of oxide (again, not always needed)
• 8 fl. oz. casareep
• 5 wiring peppers (more or less, depending on how spicy you want)
• 5 nails
• 1 ½ chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• salt
• 1 cup of Demerera Gold brown sugar
• Mixed thyme (slim leaf, broad leaf)
Preparation is simple, follow the step below:
• Wash meat and other meat products thoroughly (cow and oxide heels)
• Put the cow’s heel in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil (If you don’t want to use this, move on to the next step)
• Add all your meats in the pot of boiling water, along with the mixed thyme, onion and garlic. Cover it and let it boil.
• Once the thyme can smell and the meat is cooking a little, add all the other ingredients and cook slowly for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender or the sauce is thick.
When finished, cool and serve with homemade white bread or cassava bread.
Next on our list is GARLIC PORK. However, if pork is not your fancy, you can also use beef, lamb or chicken.
You will need:
• 3 lbs of pork or your meat of choice, tender cuts 1 inch thick
• 12 large cloves of garlic
• ½ cup of fresh thyme leaves or 2 tablespoons of dried thyme
• 8- 10 wiri peppers
• 1 ½ tbsp. salt
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 cups of white vinegar
• 2 cups of boiled water must be at room temperature at the time of use
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 3 frozen garlic cloves
• 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 3 tbsp. canola / soya oil
Once you have it all, you’re ready. Follow the steps below:
• Make sure the meat is clean by wiping with a damp cloth or paper towel.
• Using a sharp knife, cut small stools into the meat on both sides.
• Slice and puree the garlic pepper, thyme and check in a blender / food processor, then pour this seasoning rub into a small bowl.
• Using a butter knife or your fingers spread a large amount on the meat, rubbing it in to fill the small grooves.
• Put salt and pepper on both sides, making sure to keep ½ teaspoon of salt.
• If you have leftovers seasoning, use it and rub it on the meat slices.
• Using a wide glass jar, layering pieces of the seasoned meat, stacking until all meat has been used.
• Mix the vinegar and water together, then carefully pour the meat jar until it is covered by two inches.
• Shake the jar to distribute meat, then place the legs of thyme and cloves in the jar. Add three unpainted cloves of garlic, as part of the garnish.
• Place extra sprigs of thyme on top of the jar, or slide it down the sides.
• Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt, and seal the jar tightly.
• Store in a cool dark place (not your fridge), and let it sit for 3-5 days.
• Once cured, drain the meat on a rack, and discard the liquid. Don’t let the season go to waste.
• In a skillet, pour 3 tbsp. Oil of canola.
• Pan-fry on medium heat, until nicely browned for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Now that you’re done, just let it cool and serve it with crusty bread and any cold drink of your choice.
Now for the best part, everyone’s favorite, GUYANA GOD’S GOD!
You will need:
• 1 lbs raisins
• 1 lb reserved carambola
• ½ pound currant
• 1 tsp brown
• 2 pounds brown sugar
• 1 lbs butter
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 lbs flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spices
• ¼ lbs mixed skin
• ¼ chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla flavor
Once you’ve got all this, you’re ready:
• Wash and dry fruit. Grind and soak with ¾ cup of rum. Store when covered with a glass jar to heal for two weeks or more.
• To make the caramel: Heat 1 pound of the sugar in a heavy bottomed frying pan until melted. Simmer until dark brown.
• Cream the butter and 1 lbs sugar together, after which you gradually add the beaten eggs.
• Continue to mix and add fruit and soak and enough caramel to make it as dark as you like.
• Add sliced flour with baking powder, mixed spice and vanilla flavor. Blend thoroughly.
• Add chopped skin and nuts.
• Pour the mixture into a baking pan. Bake in the slow cooker at 375oF for about 1 ½ hours, or until the toothpick inserted for testing comes out clean.
• Soak the finished cake with more rum and leave to keep.
Enjoy with ginger beer. The recipe for is as follows.
GINGER BEER
You will need:
• 1 lbs of ginger
• 10 cups of water
• 2 cups 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
• glass jars
What’s next:
– Grate the ginger with the fine side of any box crater.
– In a large pot, mix all the ingredients together, except the cinnamon and orange peel (3 × 3) pieces.
– Boil quickly for 10 minutes.
– Remove from heat and stress.
– Using a cheese cloth, remove the ginger pieces.
– Pour into a large glass jug.
– Cut orange peel and cinnamon sticks into pieces; add them to the ginger beer, and bring to room temperature
– Place 12 uncooked rice grains in each glass jar; pour into glass jars and let rest.
– Fermentation for 5-7 days.
– Remove cinnamon sticks and orange peel.
– Serve over crushed ice cubes or ice.
If the heat is too much for you, you can mix it with pineapple juice for a hint of fruity and sweetness.