It’s Christmas and this means that we are almost at the close of the year 2020. Traditionally there are many celebrations during the holiday season but like most things in 2020, we have adapted our gatherings to smaller groups and simpler celebrations than in past years as we observe and practice caution and forms of…
Category: History
Citrus Magic: Lemons, Limes and Sour Oranges
It never ceases to amaze me how flavors come together in food preparation. In my opinion, cooking can be compared to alchemy. Like magic, ingredients and spices marry together to produce wondrous outcomes. A good cook seeks to balance flavors ranging from sweet, savory, spicy and acidic and transforms them into tasty delights. Too much…
Guyana revisited : Memories of my childhood
Every now and again, I find myself reminiscing about my homeland. Although it’s been 33 years now since I left and became a member of the Guyanese diaspora, I still have fond memories of the place where I grew up and spent the first part of my life. I know a trip back to Guyana…
Cassava Coconut Pudding with Rum Raisin Sauce
Cassava is a root tuber which we in the Caribbean know well. It is actually native to this part of the world and has been cultivated in the northern portions of South America, Southern meso America and the Caribbean for ten thousand years. This starch tuber is also known as manioc or yuca. Cassava has…
Portuguese Guyanese Style Shrove Tuesday Pancakes Malasadas
The Lent season which is the 40 day religious period of prayer, reflection and penance in the Christian traditions will begin next Wednesday. The Lent period then officially ends on Easter Sunday. This weekend and the days leading up to Ash Wednesday will be ones of excesses for some, with the Carnival festivals enjoyed in…
The Most Delicious Cheesy Polenta and Ground Beef Gratin
Corn or maize and it’s bi-products are today widely used ingredients in so many products we consume. This common grain is cultivated all over the world now that we may no longer even wonder where it may have originated. If you drive through the Midwest in the USA, you will see acres upon acres of…
Pumpkin Soup or Haïti Independence Soup Joumou
All over the world we celebrates the New Year on January 1st, but in Haïti we have a double commemoration. So many are oblivious to Haiti’s pivotal role in history in the early 19th century. The battle for independence was courageously won by a rebellion of unified people including Blacks, Mulattoes, French, Spanish, Polish, German…
The Positives of Growing up in a Culturally Diverse Society
Can you imagine a world where everyone looked as though they were all from the same family, spoke in exactly the same manner and had no differing opinions on any subject? How boring and monotonous would our existence be if we lived in homogeneous societies lacking diversity and individuality. These days it seems like there…
Haitian Hot Chocolate “Chokola Peyi”
Chocolate has often been referred to as “The food of the Gods.” The Aztecs and Mayas drank a spicy libation made from the cocoa bean during their religious ceremonies and was considered a drink of the elite. Cocoa was a very important commodity in Mesoamerica and was even used as a currency and payment for…
The Best Rice and Beans
In this part of the world, Rice is a staple and eaten at most meals. Growing up in Guyana, white rice was a faithful part of practically every meal; with the exception of days that cookup rice was on the menu. Rice is both comforting and filling. Eating these familiar grains, whether they be brown,…