A reflective Granger reminds us “creole food feeds the soul”

Former President David Granger called for more cooking, eating and teaching of ‘creole cuisine’ on his weekly programme – ‘The Public Interest.’ He explained that ‘creole cuisine’ involves the preparation of food and meals in a typical African-Guyanese style. Those meals usually contain readily-available local ingredients − breadfruit, coconut, fish, pigeon peas, plantains, vegetables such as cassava, dasheen, eddo, tannia, yam, sweet potato and some peppers and seasonings.

Mr. Granger expressed the view that there is enough evidence to indicate that African-Guyanese ‘creole cuisine’ is still popular and has remained a staple in many rural households especially during Emancipation and Christmas festivities. Several ‘creole’ restaurants cater for customers who hanker after such food.

‘Creole cuisine’ closely resembles West African fare and retains some authentic Akan names − Fu-Fu, made from pounded plantain; Kaanki (conkie), a sweet cornmeal-based treat cooked in banana leaves; Kokonté (congotay), a porridge made from the flour of pounded sun-dried plantains; Ku-Ku (cou-cou), made from cornmeal and okra stew and the ever-popular Metemgee, a soup-like dish with ground provisions eaten with fish. African-Guyanese also adopted pepperpot, made from cassareep and meat; and souse, made from pickled pork.

‘Creole cuisine’ is food cooked in a traditional African-Guyanese way with common local ingredients. Cook-up is a one-pot dish made with rice, peas and meat and cooked in coconut milk; eddo soup is made with the eddo tuber, meat and onions (among other ingredients); metemgee is made with coconut milk, dumplings, okra, plantains and tubers (ground provisions) served with fish; and pepperpot, made with cassava cassareep to which other ingredients such as meat are added.

‘Creole cuisine’ can also include imported ingredients. Bake is a kind of bread made from a plain white flour dough lightly-fried (not baked) and served warm, typically with coffee at breakfast; black cake is a rum-soaked cake packed with dried fruit and brown sugar, eaten typically during Christmas festivities; and black pudding, a type of savory boiled ‘blood sausage’ made with highly-seasoned boiled rice, cow’s blood, spices and other ingredients.

The former President felt that the craft of ‘creole cuisine’ could be preserved by introducing teaching in culinary craft in the Home Economics curricula in schools; improving technology to replace laborious kitchen utensils such as the old-time ‘mortar and pestle’ and to make food production more convenient for everyday eating in offices, picnics and schools; and improving infrastructure by constructing farm-to-market roads to increase vegetable farming and marketing.

Mr. Granger argued that ‘creole’ cuisine sustained the African-Guyanese population for over two hundred years; its main ingredients are still easily available, farm-fresh, healthy, wholesome and satisfying. ‘Creole cuisine’, by avoiding canned, processed or imported foods, arguably contributed to the longevity of our fore-parents.

He recalled an African proverb which teaches: ‘A fallen branch cannot bear fruits’ meaning that, if village farming falters, this unique cuisine could collapse. The health benefits of organic foods and authentic ‘creole cuisine,’ however, cannot be understated; it can contribute to healthy living and a good life for everyone, the Former President said.