The Making Of A Belna (Rolling Pin)

A couple of years ago, whilst on a visit to Guyana, I had a belna (rolling pin) custom-made. I wanted a belna with a longer centre making it easy to roll and flatten large pieces of dough, whether for bread, roti, pastry or pasta. While this rolling pin is a little heavier due to its size and type of wood used, I do not have to exude any sort of pressure when rolling. Finally, it is custom-made to comfortably match the stretch of my arms when extended for rolling. My hands rest evenly and comfortably on the handles.

I took photographs of the process from start to finish to share with you. Enjoy.

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Guyana @ 50 - The Karahi

A Karahi is as important a cooking vessel to Guyanese cuisine as a Wok is to Chinese cuisine. We use it cook curries, stews, deep fry, stir fry, steam, and make certain desserts. They come in various sizes - from small to supersize. The very large ones are used to cook for crowds such as at a wedding, festival or special occasion.

With the cuisine of Guyana drawing influence from India and China, (among others), and both countries having similar types of cooking pots, a Karahi is the perfect hybrid of the two.

Karahi ©Cynthia Nelson

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Guyana @ 50 Food Photo Project

Beginning today, in honour of Guyana's 50th anniversary of Independence, I will be posting 50 photographs (1 daily) of food, food-related scenes, sights, tools or equipment, for 50 days, culminating on Thursday, May 26th, 2016 - the day of Guyana's Independence.

Please feel free to share the posts with your network and if sharing online and on social media, please link back to the site: www.tasteslikehome.org or the post's direct URL.

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