Guyanese enjoy a variety of dishes on a regular basis and, as in many countries, the food speaks of the country’s past, present and future. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America and is home to the 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 national dish of the country and it is a dish that came from the Amerindians or indigenous people of the land. This meal is usually prepared on Christmas Eve or, in the early hours of the morning, on Christmas Day. It is then served for breakfast on Christmas morning. It is served with bread, preferably homemade bread and steaming hot or warm chocolate “tea”. You would dip a piece of bread in the Pepper Pot and eat and when you hold 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 in this dish are oxtail, veal, pork, seasoning, and casareep. Cassareep is made from yucca root and is a black tick liquid that is used in many other dishes here as well.
Metegee
Metegee is an all-in-one dish, made with a supply of soil and “meat.” Cassava, banana, eddoes and potatoes are some of the ground foods that are used and for the meat, eggs, veal, pork, chicken or fish are chosen. After the meat is cooked, the ground stock is gradually added to the pot, then a little coconut milk, which helps thicken the “sauce” in this meal. Of course, if the egg is the only “meat” used, it is usually added last.
Fruit
In this land of many waters, parents do not often 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 yards. It can be a mango, or a cherry, a pear or a tamarind, Guyanese also eat guineps, pineapple, banana and the list goes on.
For more information on this topic and to find many recipes, the Carnegie School of Home Economics book What’s Cooking in Guyana is a good place to look.