Rosemary Parkinson, Gleaner Writer
My mom's souse with Trini Charlie's black pudding. - Contributed photos
THE FRACAS
What a palava with airports. And Mr. Blair is enjoying the Bajan sun, sea and beach while we lowly folk cannot even get on a plane without first letting all know what we carrying in our suitcases. A trip to the airport caused me to take 'een with the vapours. After all, I am no ordinary person. I am a Caribbean woman, and we don't travel light. I had a good few bottles of Grenadian and Bajan rum, Grenadian Nutmeg Syrup and hot and seasoning peppers, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf and bay rum, nutmeg and mace - the latter enough to cause jitters among those sniffing my bags.
Added to this was Trinidad Black Pudding, dozens of Bajan flying fish, a few Guyanese rotis, my favourite Baje 'Try It' lemon seasoning, a bag of mauby sticks (makes a drink that cleanses the system), bottles of Mom's Pepper Jelly and Mango Chutney among other items, such as Earth Botanicals soaps, three ceramic Budhas and one Inca statue with an appendage (all Bajan), a set of wrinkle creams from gel to liquid (Miami), and worst of all 'nuff dirty laundry for all to see? No sah! Not moi.
Not boarding aircraft to sit next to someone who knows my business. Us island people don't allow ordinary 'gypsy' fellow travellers into our private parts - terrorists or no terrorists. No computers, no cameras, not even a scandal bag - it now got to be see-through. Uh uh uh. This is enough to force putting one's belongings in waterproof and rowing across the oceans! So 'twas back to my mother's house to re-pack, re-organise a certain way and wait for all the mass confusion of people's luggage spread all over the tarmac to subside.
THE NEWS
Congratulations are in order for Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados who has once again entered into marital bliss. All I know is that the reception was at Ilaro Court (the official residence of all Prime Ministers). His newly-beloved? His former executive assistant, Julie Price. Mas nada. Nothing more, nothing less. Not what flowers, not what material fi dress, not even who married them or where. Not one to care much about the fineries of fashion and who's who, I have not enquired as to the nitty-gritty but I can imagine, however, that the food served must have been belly-delicious for Mr. Arthur is known for his gastronomical persuasions in true Bajan stylee. In fact if I am to remember rightly, Barbados' top man loves his pudding and souse - his favourite watering hole for that delicacy being Moore's Rum Shop in St. Peter - and indeed this dish brings me to the good news.
GOOD NEWS
Barbados' national dish on a Saturday, Pudding and Souse, is Trinidad's on a Sunday (or so it used to be). St. Vincent, Grenada, Antigua, St. Lucia - even the French islands - all have pudding and souse with every island having its own different way of preparing and its own distinctive taste. Not to be left out, of course, is Guyana - not an island but one o' us nonetheless. Of all the puddings and souses that I have tasted, and there have been many, I love the Bajan souse and the Trinidad pudding best - a reflection, I guess, of my ancestry.
Talking ancestry, I have just discovered that somewhere in the 1700s two Parkinson brothers left the shores of 'Hengland', one settled in Barbados and the other, Jamaica. Mi want mi Jamaican passport now! I knew there had to be a reason I love Jamaica so much, the country is in my blood!
And talking blood, we begin with Trini pudding. Oooops! First let me explain pudding and souse without invoking the ire of islanders who just will not understand that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to Caribbean cuisine. Hello, P.A. Benjamin whose lecture on oil-dong or oil-down, was received and answered accordingly with yes! I am Caribbean and yes! I have many times tasted and made Grenada's oil-down and yes! the patois or local way of pronouncing Grenadian oil-down is oil-dong - not dung. Dung is used to fertilise those provisions or tubers and breadfruit required for these dishes and their equivalent run-down in Jamaica!
BACK TO GOOD NEWS WITH EXTRA
Pudding is pig intestine that has been thoroughly cleaned and filled in long sausage-like manner with a mixture of blood, bread and seasonings in Trinidad, St. Vincent, Grenada, St. Lucia and Antigua - the latter also using sweet potato sometimes. Barbados uses no blood but sweet potato, seasonings and spices and Guyana, blood, rice and seasonings. Souse is 'pig features'. That is tongue, trotters (feet), ears, nose with a little added meat and adjoining fat. These pig features once cooked are doused with pickle or 'prickle' as they say in Bajan linguo. The pickle is diced or grated cucumbers, finely chopped parsley, peppers, scallion, and more lime. Let I tell - there's nothing sweeter.
Now my mix-up family eat Bajan souse with Trini black pudding. I quote a recipe for souse (or souce according to the section called Soups and One Pot Meals) from Caribbean Recipes 'Old and New', a coffee table useful 272-page book by Laurel Ann Morley, The Cove Restaurant, Cattlewash, Barbados. Available by ordering on www.lamorley.com at a price US$50 plus shipping, you can also call (246) 433 9495 for wholesale prices.
The recipes are time-honoured and in Laurel Ann's own words, "It took 12 years of writing and experimenting with food." Recently acclaimed by The London Times, it's worth its weight in gold. By the way in case souse has touched Caribbean spellers, don't waste your time pointing fingers - I spell it s-o-u-s-e and others s-o-u-c-e. At the end of the day, as long as it tastes great ... who cares!
Rosemary Parkinson offers her deepest condolences to Jamaica on the passing of one of its icons - Louise Bennett-Coverley. She will be sadly missed, but her works live on.
