For the Love of Guyanese Pepper Pot: The National Dish of Guyana

My mom says that I have always been a picky eater and that for the first 3 years of my life I would barely eat. My parents were at their wit's end but the pediatrician assured them that I would grow out of it. My father, a university student at the time, would blend everything from fresh fruits to healthy hand picked vegetables in the hopes that I might finally eat more if the baby food was homemade. Alas, I did not. My long veggie free period was akin to Picasso's Blue Period; a difficulty for everyone around me at the time but still spoken about with wonder years later. Then as a toddler I discovered McDonald's french fries.

According to my parents I became passionate about french fries, or "fr-fries" as I called them in baby-speak and wanted nothing else. I am not ashamed to admit that some days this is still true. Strange history I know, for an avid foodie and professional passionista. Then I discovered the other non-fried fruit groups: mangoes and curry and collard greens, oh my!

I am a cultural mutt and my food tastes reflect that. The New York City raised daughter of Afro-Guyanese immigrants, I claim foods from all of these backgrounds as my cultural inheritance. American treats like turkey burgers, french fries and apple pie; classic New York foods like Brooklyn pizza and Buffalo wings, and then of course traditional Guyanese foods, a blend of African, East Indian and Amerindian treats, all are my obsession. Don't even get me started on my adoration of African American soul food.

One of my favorite foods as a child was Guyanese Pepper Pot. Very similar to a beef stew, Pepper Pot is a recipe passed down from the indigenous Amerindian peoples of Guyana. The recipe is a derivative of cassava, a vegetable common to West Africa.

My mother grew up eating Pepper Pot cooked outside in the yard by her grandmother on special family days. Then when she was a young woman in America it was the dish she would cook for us on holidays to introduce her homeland to her new world children. We usually ate Pepper Pot with fresh homemade bread that we used to sop up the tasty mixture of ox tails, turkey, hot and sweet peppers, clove and spicy cinnamon and sauce or white rice. My relatives have their Pepper Pot with plenty of pork and roti instead. Another variation on the dish is "Tuma Pot," made only with chicken or white meat with casareep by Amerindians.

Recently I learned that Pepper Pot is the national dish of Guyana. The smell of Pepper Pot still makes me weak in the knees. In the near future I hope to master this recipe to cook it for my man. One day I also hope to cook Guyanese Pepper Pot for my children. The basis of the dish is casareep, a thick black liquid that confuses my American friends. Casareep is made from the root of the cassava.

My brother, sister and I would stand by ready to indulge whenever my mother made Pepper Pot. We delighted in the interesting "back home" facts of the recipe; such as Pepper Pot must be mixed only with a clean spoon every time or the entire dish will spoil. In Guyana basil is known as "married man pork." Also, in Guyana Pepper Pot is never refrigerated and it must be brought to a full boil for every meal.

Now, my brother and sister are vegetarians. Lucky me. This means that I get to have more of my mom's Pepper Pot all for myself. There's an old wives tale that if a foreigner only tastes Pepper Pot they will become an honorary Guyanese person. You'll have to test this out for yourself.

Guyanese Pepper Pot Recipe
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 Hour on Medium Heat or until meat is tender.

1 lb. of Ox Tails
1 lb. of Turkey Legs
1/2 Cup of Casreep
1 Orange Peel
A Dash of Sugar
A Dash of Salt
2 Stalks of Celery
1 Onion
Cinnamon (to taste)
Cloves (to taste)
Thyme (to taste)
Parsley (to taste)
Rosemary (to taste)
Sage (to taste)
Sweet Pepper (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Basil (to taste)

1. Wash the meat and chicken with lemon and vinegar. My family made pork free Pepper Pot but feel free to add as much pork as you desire.

2. Spice the meats and boil.

3. Add all of the other ingredients one at a time.

4. Boil until the meat is tender.

Serve Guyanese Pepper Pot piping hot with rice, bread or roti. Sorrel drink or Ginger Beer is the best beverage to accompany the dish. This recipe serves 4 to 6 hungry people.

Yum.