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"Ripe To Tell" >
Out of Many, One People
Out of Many, One People
Oct 21, 2006
“OUT OF MANY, ONE PEOPLE” THE MOTTO OF JAMAICA MEANING UNITY AMONG CULTURES AND RACES. Though this Jamaican motto reflects itself in the cuisine of the Caribbean, I do believe that food knowledge and acceptance among the different island nations has a way to go. Yes, we have integrated the foods of the many different cultures that have graced our shores into our own unique style considered “Grenadian” or “Trinidadian” or “Jamaican” cuisine, but how much do these cuisines really “cross-over” with each other? How unified are we as Caribbean nationals as it pertains to gastronomy? How many Jamaicans really know what “Bhaji” or “Chandon Beni” is? How many Guyanese know what “Run Down” or “Coo Coo” is? I got very annoyed at myself once when an American came into the restaurant and belted out a laundry list of dishes she had the pleasure of consuming on a recent island getaway. I could only decipher five of the ten, and worse, could claim only to have had three of the five. Of course like a true Jamaican, I just lied and said I had them all. Then I retreated to the kitchen and kicked myself in the ass for being so “Caribbean Dum!” Yes, some fruits, veggies and certain dishes are the same and called a different name, but preparation methods tend to differ significantly. There are also a few fruits and veggies that are grown in some islands, but not consumed by the natives. I won’t get into the story about the Jamaican who visited another island and chose his particular hotel because of the fully loaded ackee tree in the backyard that nobody seemed to bother about. A very important contributor to Caribbean cuisine, Guyanese and Trinidadian in particular, who isn’t given their due, is the East Indians. Many of the popular dishes that grace the tables on these islands are full of flavor, depth and spice, yet conform to the diet restrictions of vegetarians without even trying, or touting itself as a “vegetarian” meal. They also contain many spices that scientists are now pushing as the “spices of life” that are full of antioxidants and other healthful benefits. This is because most East Indians that came to these islands followed a strict vegetarian diet, and brought their indigenous spices with them. They learned to modify their cooking to incorporate the vast array of fruits and vegetables available in the islands, and used the spices they brought to make the dish taste like home. I believe that if the Trinidadian and Guyanese restaurants here in the United States made the public more aware of the fact that much of their menu is actually “vegetarian friendly”, they would see far more of the other Caribbean nationals, Rastafarians, and vegetarians in particular, enthusiastically “tearing up” some Tomato Choka, some Bhaji, some Dhal and Roti, etc. Although authentic Indian restaurants have become very popular for this very reason, I don’t believe their flavor profile is anything to match a Caribbean cook that “set dem mind” to the pot, and “put dem foot inna it.” …and a “Scotch Bonnet wid no behavior” doesn’t hurt either. This week-end at Ripe, we will be featuring one of those dishes quite popular in Trinidad and Guyana, called Bhaji. This is actually the name for the green leaf of the Dasheen plant, that is used to prepare the dish. It has another meaning in authentic Indian cooking, but that’s another story. The leaf is similar to Callaloo or Spinach and is stewed with okra, a hint of coconut milk, and other island spices. The preparation can be left that simple, or it can be fortified with seafood of any kind. We chose salt fish and shrimp, and its being served with dhal(yellow split pea puree) and white rice. (you can substitute roti for the rice) We have actually substituted spinach for the bhaji leaf in our preparation, but it still comes quite close to the authentic recipe.
Dreadlocks have no fear; we can cook it without the “scavenger” dem! (no shrimp) THE SPINACH USED TO PREPARE THIS DISH DOES NOT FALL UNDER THE “SPINACH RECALL” THAT WAS ISSUED BACK IN SEPTEMBER.
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