Can we meet on a plate?

The government of Barbados recently issued a 6-month amnesty for all undocumented Caricom nationals (citizens of the Caribbean), to apply for immigrant status. This move has been met with mixed reactions in Guyana, Barbados and across the region. For sometime now there has been disquiet about Guyanese in Barbados. It is similar to the reactions of Haitians in The Bahamas, Mexicans in the USA and the migration of immigrants from certain European countries into others like Britain and France.

This week's column looks at the coming together of Guyana and Barbados on a plate and about how the food scene has changed here as a result of international migration.

Through migration, many items once not found here are now grown, such as the drumstick. I was surprised and overjoyed when I saw this vegetable in the market. It was another example of my merged space that I now call home. Follow this link to find out more about this vegetable and its health benefits.

Top: Gilbaka (fish) curry with Saijan. Bottom: Saijan curry

Here are some other links with drumstick recipes.

Shn's Drumstick stew in a spicy-coconut broth
Deesha's Drumstick Sambar
Sailu's Mutton-drumstick Curry
Ashwini's Drumstick Dal
Suganya's Stir-fried drumstick leaves

A simple thing like pepper can now be found in many varieties here in Barbados - Thai chilies, Trinbagodian pimento peppers, cubanelle and jalapenos in more than one colour.

Jalapenos stuffed with creamed cheese, wrapped in bacon and baked

For all our differences in this region, we are similar in many ways. Here's a snippet of ingredients and dishes we share with varying degrees of adaptation.

Breadfruit
Blog post. Column

Bakes
Blog post. Column

Callaloo
Blog post. Column

Green Bananas
Blog post. Column

Salt fish
Blog post