Today’s Spotlight is on Pepperpots.

Pepperpot is an Amerindian-derived dish popular in Guyana. It is traditionally served at Christmas and other special events. Along with chicken curry, and cook-up rice, pepperpot is one of Guyana’s national dishes.

There are two versions of pepperpot:

• Cassareep – A sweet and sour syrup made from bitter and poisonous cassava.
• Callaloo – A dish made from greens that originated in West Africa

 

History

Pepperpot is a thick stew made with beef tripe, vegetables, and spices. It originated in West Africa and the Caribbean. It was brought to North America through the slave trade.  Colonial Black women popularized it as street food in the 1800s.

Pepperpot is the national dish of Guyana.  It’s traditionally served at Christmas and other special events.

It’s often made a few days beforehand so that the flavor can strengthen.  It’s served with bread and butter, or rice. In Philadelphia, pepperpot was a popular emblem. It was sold on the streets and in taverns. According to a widely shared myth, it helped George Washington, and his troops survive a brutal winter and win the Revolutionary War.

 

Here are some fun facts about pepperpot:

• It’s a hybrid of Spanish and West African food traditions.
• It’s often served with cassava bread.
• It’s traditionally made in a large pot and can be reheated and eaten over several days.
• The cassareep starts preserving the meat.
• It’s well known in Barbados.
• The Caribbean version of the stew doesn’t use tripe and has hot peppers as one its main ingredients.
• Versions of the dish are also served in several other countries in the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent and Jamaica.

 

Here is a Pepperpot recipe for you tr try:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds (900g) cow foot, cut into roughly 1- by 2-inch pieces (see note)
• 2 teaspoons (8g) kosher salt, divided
• 2 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon, divided
• 1 1/4 cups (420ml) cassareep, divided
• 21 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
• 24 whole cloves, divided
• 3 cinnamon sticks (about 3 inches each), divided
• 1 pound (450g) oxtail with separated joints
• 1 pound (450g) bone-in beef chuck, cut into roughly 2-inch pieces (see note)
• 6 medium cloves garlic (about 25g), finely minced
• 4 fresh wiri wiri peppers (see note)
• 2 tablespoons (24g) light brown sugar
• One 2 1/2–inch knob fresh ginger (about 30g), peeled and grated
• 1/2 of a whole nutmeg (2g), grated
• One 1-inch strip orange peel, trimmed of excess white pith

 

Instructions:

1. Season cow foot all over with salt and 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon. In a stovetop pressure cooker or electric multicooker (such as an Instant Pot), combine cow foot with 1/2 cup cassareep, 7 sprigs thyme, 8 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, and 4 cups water. Bring to high pressure and cook for 60 minutes. Depressurize the cooker using the rapid release valve, then transfer cow foot and cooking juices into a large pot or Dutch oven and set aside.
2. Season oxtail all over with salt and 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon. Using the same pressure cooker, combine oxtails with 1/2 cup cassareep, 7 sprigs thyme, 8 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, and 2 cups water. Bring to high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. Depressurize the cooker using the rapid release valve, then transfer cooked oxtails and their cooking liquid into the pot with the cow foot.
3. Season beef chuck all over with salt and ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon. Using the same pressure cooker, combine beef chuck with 1/2 cup cassareep, 7 sprigs thyme, 8 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, and 3 cups water. Bring to high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. Depressurize the cooker using the rapid release valve, then transfer cooked beef chuck and its cooking liquid into the pot with the cow foot and oxtails.
4. Add minced garlic, wiri wiri peppers (puncture one or two peppers with a knife first for extra chile heat), brown sugar, grated ginger, nutmeg, orange peel, and the remaining 1/4 cup cassareep and 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon to the pot and stir well. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes; the stew’s sauce should be brothy but with body. Season with salt, if needed.
5. Remove from heat, then skim any fat from the surface. Serve with bread.
6. Enjoy!

 

Here’s some additional information about Pepperpot:

• It’s traditionally served at Christmas and other special events.
• Some Guyanese eat it all year round.
• It can last for many days without refrigeration.
• It’s often eaten with rice, a pound plantain dish, provisions, or bread.

 

Celebrating Pepperpot

Pepperpot day is celebrated on December 29^th each year. Let us know in the comments if you have ever tried this historic dish.