Mettagee

>> Saturday 23 June 2007

This week's column features yet another national dish of Guyana, Mettagee or Mettem. At first I thought that the word was of Amerindian heritage but it is not, the jury is still out on the origin of the word.

Mettagee is thought to have been Portuguese in its origin something they prepared while on the boats from Portugal to Guyana - a one pot dish made with coconut milk but certainly far removed from what we prepare today. As with everything, food changes as we move from one place to another and adapt. However, though believed to be Portuguese in origin, Mettagee is often considered to be an Afro-Guyanese dish.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Root Vegetables or Ground Provisions as we call them grow abundantly here in the Caribbean and we make a variety of dishes with them. Cassava (tapioca), eddoes (taro root), sweet potatoes, yams, tannia can all be had in these parts.

The dish featured here is a true celebration of these root vegetables that are united with plantains, green and ripe, okras, dumplings and cooked with fresh coconut milk. It is traditionally served with salt fish or fried fish.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Versions of this dish are made in other Caribbean countries as well, in Jamaica it's Rundown, in Grenada, St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago, it's known as Oildown.

I encourage you to try making this dish. You will absolutely love it.

To read more in the column, click here.
For the recipe, please email me.
Click here and find out how the dish was enjoyed.

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails

  © Blogger template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009 Modified by Cynthia Nelson

Back to TOP