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.
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.
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.
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Mettagee
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42 comments:
Roots galore!!!! Thats a good starchy meal...... great when you need instant fuel for some quick energy!! :) Amerindian!!!!! Thats new to me!! :)
Wow Cyn, another traditional meal.. absolutely love it... can you please email me the recipe?
Enjoyed your column as usual, and yes, cassava is my favorite root veggie too... :)
Wow. Amazing pics too Cynthia! Sounds like it would be a really good delicious dish, especially with salt fish.
cynthia, we have a similar dish in kerala. the portuguese visited and stayed there too. will post about it soon. your root veggie pic is spectacular.
Looks like avial as we call in South India. Looking at yr pic, I am thinking of using winter root veges available in the US too.. Thx for idea!
Cynthia,living in London for the last two years,I have never been so much acquainted with Afro-carribean culture and cuisine as now.I have seen so many roots and tubers that they traditionally use.And Eddoes is something I love too.We call it "Chama Dumpa" in Telugu,my mothertongue.I somehow like that name,Eddoes:)Got to try this dish too.I am looking to borrow some books about african/carribean dishes so this is a start.:)That picture is beautiful!
the picture looks great. Love all types of root veggies and with fish I can imagine the taste. Lovely.
The still life of the root vegetables is so gorgeous! The earthy colors look beautiful.
I really like the term "ground provisions". Your dish looks wonderful. I so love sweet potatoes, carrots, turnip, and other root vegetables. We eat more of them in the winter than during the hotter days like now.
I love the roots posing for their pictures.....so lovely in all their glory!
I have grown the taro Eddoes...we use the huge leaves to make the very delicious patra with it...I love Cassava roots the best...just plain boiled with some salt, lime juice and chili powder.
It's simple, yet it makes my mouth so very happy!
-trupti
Loved your narration in this week's column.."For a kid, it was a treat to watch the butter melting on the hot sweet potato and as I pressed down with the fork each time, the melted butter would drizzle down into the hot flesh of the potato." B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! And what a superb way to end with a pun !
Shn
Coffee - quick and long energy for sure, ground provisions were also known as the food of the slaves. :(
Sig - the recipe is on it's way and thank you Dear Sig for taking the time to read the column. It is deeply appreciated.
Amanda thanks hon. Most definitely. Should I send you the recipe?
Bee - I'm looking forward to that post. And, thanks!
Suganya - avial, I would like to hear more about that dish, please tell me about it.
Vini - I am so happy to hear of you expanding your culinary horizons. I will send you the recipe.
Indo - it is sooooo good.
Nupur - natural has its own beauty eh?
Betty Jo - always a pleasure to see you sweetie.
Trupti - the leaves are used here also, just as how they would use the regular spinach leaves. Eddo leaves are key in a Trinidadian dish called calaloo.
You are so right, simple is the best way to have cassava.
Shn - your comments always make me smile with such joy. Thank you!
That looks very interesting! I'm sure it tastes good...
Hi there!! I just happened upon your blog. It's WONDERFUL here!! You have some really, really wonderful recipes! I can't wait to try them out on my family! Thank you for sharing these!
His,
Mrs. U
Looks similar to a staple we Irish eat :)
That was truly fascinating and I love your photos! I learn an incredible amount from your posts and write so well :)
Hi Cynthia, This is similar to the one I posted yesterday Sodhi which is also cooked in coconut milk. In Avial we grind coconut and add, but in Sodhi we use only coconut milk but with english veggies and potato. Nice photo indeed. Could imagine the taste. Appreciate posting the recipe. Viji
Cynthia, very evocative column, enjoyed reading it
What a wonderful column and the dish looks so intriguing! Beautiful!
Man i love oildown (done kosher style of course) ... i had a recipe similar to what you are describing once... but i don't think we call it oildown when it has all that other stuff in it like plantain etc... i may be wrong tho... :) I love the starchy sweetness it adds...
Dear Cynthia: Don't you worry for not visiting so often. I hope things are allright with you. Life is not always what we want it to be, but we have to just keep walking (that sounded a little too much "Johnny Walker!!). That bread with no leavining I call it "the emergency bread" it came out one day I had no leavening at home. It is pretty good, just mix the flours you wish (five cups, 1 white flour, and the rest as you wish), add 3/4 cups vegetable oil and baking powder, one tablespoon, don't forget some salt and 1 1/2 cup water is enough. Big hugs!!
Cynthia, this looks right up my alley! I love all root vegetables and I also love coconut milk, though I try to be good and eat it only in moderation :-) . I usually prepare something with coconut milk only when we have guests.
Do you think this recipe would work with whatever root vegetables I can find to substitute for the Caribbean ones? I'll be e-mailing you to get the recipe, thanks!
Yes please. I'd love the recipe! As I said in my e-mail with rain expected for most of next week the Caribbean is going to have to wait but we can play with a few recipes. Shame as we're up for a real change of pace.
Hi Cynthia, I looove root vegetabes, can't get enought of them. But tapioca is harder to find here. Not impossible, I just haven't looked hard enough for it.
p/s: i made the peanut butter cookies you wrote about in your last post. They are amazingly easy to make and I had three in a row when it came out of the oven. Dangerous stuff, I will have to give them away....
that sounds like a delicious combination to any meal cynthia!
I don't think I have cooked with so many root veggies before. Have not even tried cooking cassava.
Would love to taste this sometime. I have never seen a Guyanese restaurant , maybe should look for one
Rosa - yes it does :)
Mrs. U - welcome! and thanks for the compliments. I hope to see you again.
Kelly - an Irish dish, I try to get some more info.
Thank you dear Truffle. You are so kind.
Viji - I'm definitely going to check out your posts.
Sra - thank you dearest.
Thank you dear Meeta
Trinigourmet - as I said, you all have your own version of the dish.
Dearest Pamela - it is always a pleasure to have you visit. Thanks for the bread recipe.
Cheese with a Spoon - I think that substitutes will be just fine. I am sure that you will enjoy the dish. I too take coconut milk in moderation.
Amanda - Recipe on the way hon.
Nora - I had just 1 cookie and I packed up the others and gave them away :)
Mandira - thank you!
Sandeepa - or a Caribbean restaurant. This will not be a regular dish on the menu though, this is one of those rustic kinda dishes and if they do make it, it might be on the weekends only, Friday or Saturday.
Hi cynthia,
This dish is great with all my fave veges.I want the recipe cyn..
The pic is beautiful.
'root provisions': nice way of calling them.
The dish looks delicious.
I learn something new each time I visit your blag.
Hi Cynthia, excellent dish. Can you send me the recipe please? Thanks in advance.
I love the array of root vegs you displayed there Cynthia:))
I tries Cassava,didn't like it much. Oothers I have yet to try.
Dish looks great.I am still on vacation,will see you next week and Wednesday to guess where I am!:D
what a striking similarity with the fod of southern india where a combination of roots and coconut milk is used in abundance!
Hi cynthia, yes but our version is called sancoche -not- oildown ;)
http://recipes.caribseek.com/Trinidad_and_Tobago/sancoche.shtml
Cynthia, I can't help but envying all the root vegetables you have there. Awesome!
I think my grandma used to cook some root vegs with sticky rice, too. It's very simple yet absolutely delicious. We don't eat a lot anymore, what a pity! I really need to re-create her dish!
Are they classified as tubers or roots ? Great pix. Cynthia, especially the last one. U know those baby taro roots, they're so much sweeter. Believe it a not, the chinese used them for praying on the 1st day of the Mid Autumn Festival (Moon Fest). Afterwards, mom would usually steamed them until soften, and dip them with sugar, or eat them plain. Kids just love them. Anyway, on the yams, love them all. Have you tried the purple yams, skinny looking ones? Boy, they're so good in tempuras, you might like to try that sometime :) We have a similar dish like yours, except we do it in a light mild curry dish :)
Hey Cyn, these pics look beautiful!!! Tapioca is my fav too :) can you plz email me the recipes....
that a real healthy , starchy meal. looks so comforting. I like yuca. the pic of all those veggies look so good .
Sena - I've sent you the recipe hon.
The Cooker - Thank you!
Jyothi - Recipe sent and thank you.
Asha - Thanks. Oh man, the guessing games to begin :) Hope you and the family are having a great time.
Nanditha - yeah, thanks to the Portuguese :)
Sarina - duly noted. The info came from a trusted TT website ;)
Anh - I do think that you should try re-creating some of your Gran's dishes - lots of memories in the kitchen.
Melting Wok - both. Sweet taro roots, hmmmm never thought of having them sweet. I have never seen purple yams in these parts. I would love to try them.
Ramya - the recipe is on the way hon. And thank you.
Sharmi - thank you sweetie
We make a similar dish called avial!
I really enjoyed your sweet-potato breakfast story Cynthia- they are quite popular here, too! I tried a Thai (I think it was Thai...hmmm) sweet of sliced, boiled sweet-potatoes served chilled in ginger-syrup: very light, sweet and delicious!
Cassava I've only recently discovered, but I love them (I'm talking of the sweet, not bitter, kind...). I like them MORE than potatoes, as they have such a wonderful, light, delicately-sweet flavour...very good made into pakoras!!! :-D
Pel, I am so glad that you discovered cassava and enjoying it. It is one of my favourites.
You know, for some reason, I do not like sweet potatoes in a sweet dish only savoury ones. Call me crazy.
Cynthia,
This is my firt (but not last) visit to your site. Your website is very colorful and the dishes look very inviting especially to a foodie like me.
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