Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor
Bahamian Peas and Rice prepared by Barbara Ellington. This is served every Sunday with fried plantain, coleslaw, macaroni cheese and potato salad. - PHOTO BY BARBARA ELLINGTON
This week we continue our journey around the Caribbean in celebration of Black History Month. Last week we focused on dishes that are indigenous to Guyana and Jamaica, and today The Bahamas takes the spotlight. As we travel the food highway, you will notice that the Caribbean islands have many fruits and vegetables in common but we prepare them differently. With the prospects for inter-island travel that will be presented as the CARICOM Single Market (CSM)
takes effect, our palates will be introduced to some of these dishes. Why not try them at home this week?
DISHES
THE TWO dishes we have chosen are Peas and Rice and Guava Duff. The former is to Bahamians what Rice and Peas is to the Jamaican Sunday menu. It is served on Sundays and special occasions with coleslaw, macaroni cheese, potato salad, the meat of choice and always a few slices of fried plantains.
This plate of favourites packs a heavy calorie punch but, according to Bahamian attorney-at-law Sharlyan Wilson-Smith, the weight-conscious islander is now substituting olive oil for the bacon and pork grease traditionally used in peas and rice.
DIFFERENCE
The major difference between Rice and Peas and Peas and Rice is the absence of coconut milk in the latter (see recipe below). She said other Bahamian favourites include: conch in all the ways imaginable - stewed, cracked or curried conch, conch salad and conch fritters; there is also spare ribs (especially Bertha's Ribs) and, of course, home baked bread and rolls.
Bahamian men believe that conch salad can do for them what Irish moss, roots, cow cod soup or raw oysters do for Jamaican men. It is a salad made of diced raw conch, sweet and hot peppers, onions, cucumber, tomatoes, salt to taste, black pepper and lime or lemon juice.
Frequent visitors who have eaten the delicacy and fallen in love with it, usually stop for a cup under the causeway bridge that links Paradise Island and Nassau, the capital. Here the men who make it with freshly caught conch, gleefully remove and eat the 'pistol' (sex organ), before cutting up the meat. The 'pistol' is a thin, transparent jelly-like mass about one eighth the size of a drinking straw and about four inches in length.
BREAD MAKING
"Every Bahamain housewife knows how to make bread; the skill is passed down from one generation to the next but the best comes from the island of Eleuthra at a place called Governor's Harbour," Ms. Wilson-Smith said. Brides and persons holding special events fly large quantities of the bread from Eleuthra to wherever in the island chain they need it. What makes the bread so special is its soft, fluffy texture and the added fresh, dried coconut shavings, raisins and just a hint of sugar. It's like French bread, only much more yummy.
SINFULLY SWEET
Guava Duff, a sinfully sweet treat served as a snack or dessert item, is made in the months leading into summer and beyond. It's not unusual to see children eating a slice with lunch. It is best made with fresh guavas but time can be saved by using canned guavas. A sauce is made from guava puree and some of the fruit is incorporated into the dough over which the yummy sauce is poured. Like Jamaicans, Bahamians living away from home look forward to some Guava Duff when relatives and friends come for a visit.
