What kind of food do they eat in Guyana?
Guyanese enjoy a variety of dishes on a regular basis and, as in many countries, food speaks to the country’s past, present and future. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America and is home to Kaieteur Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the world. There is no shortage of friendly people in this country and it is also rich in natural beauty. Some of the foods eaten here are as follows.
pepper pot
Pepper Pot is the country’s national dish and is a dish that came from the Amerindian or indigenous people of the land. This meal is usually prepared on Christmas Eve, or in the early morning hours of Christmas Day. It is then served for breakfast on Christmas morning. It is served with bread, preferably homemade bread and steaming or warm chocolate “tea”. You would dip a piece of bread into the Pepper Shaker and eat and when you have the last piece of bread in your hand you would use it to soak up every drop of this delicious and special dish.
Some of the ingredients of this dish are oxtail, beef, pork, seasoning and casareep. Cassareep is made from cassava root and is a black liquid that is also used in many other dishes here.
Metegee
Metegee is an all-in-one dish, made with ground provisions and “meat”. Cassava, plantain, eddoes and potatoes are some of the ground provisions used and for meat eggs, beef, pork, chicken or fish are chosen. After the meat is cooked, the ground stock is gradually added to the pot, then some coconut milk, which helps thicken the “sauce” in this meal. Of course, if the egg is the only “meat” used, it’s usually added last.
fruits
In this land of many waters, parents do not usually have to fight with their children to eat its fruits. In fact, it is the other way around. They have to tell them to stop eating so much. There are many houses that have at least one fruit tree growing in their patios. It can be a mango, cherry, pear or tamarind, Guyanese also eat guineps, pineapple, banana and the list goes on.
For more information on this topic and to find plenty of recipes, the Carnegie School of Home Economics book What’s Cooking in Guyana is a good place to look.