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What’s for dinner?

Friends, I don’t have much time to labrish (chat) this evening as I have a deadline to meet for the presentation I have on Wednesday. Nevertheless, here I am. I was particularly encouraged by the amount of commentary that the mere mention of food had stirred up. Thanks to all contributors. This made me decide to start talking about Jamaican foods which I perhaps will address from time to time. Hence, the title of this posting.

Well, I just finished having my dinner. What was it? Calaloo soup. One of my favourites. Calaloo (spinach) or pepperpot soup is a Caribbean dish that has as its main ingredient, calaloo. This is a leafy vegetable very similar to spinach. The leaves and stalk are cut up into small pieces and boiled. Diced potato, yam and carrots are added. Cho cho, which is a green bland tasting vegetable is also cooked along with it. Cho cho (chayote, as I think they call it in American supermarkets that carry it) essentially takes on the flavour of whatever it is cooked with because it really has no taste of its own. I love it.

Calaloo soup is usually boiled with some diced beef and salted pigstail (yes, the pickled salted tail of a pig). All of this is seasoned with onion, escallion (green onion or spring onion), thyme, and a nice Scotch Bonnett pepper to spice up the pot and add some real heat to the overall dish. I nearly forgot to add the okras. Okra is what is called a mucilaginous vegetable. It is known for producing a lot of slime when cut and has soft seeds inside it. This should be added to the calaloo soup about 10 minutes before the cooking stops. If not it will simply get boiled out in the soup. Traditional Jamaicans have told me that okra “mek you have easy baby” (allows you to deliver a baby easily). I have often contemplated how this could be, but I suppose that perhaps the slime helps to lubricate the birth passage and allows the newborn to slip out easily, who knows? I really don’t think there is any truth in this, perhaps just folklore. Anyway, I’m starting to get niggeritis (a tendency to want to sleep after having had a good meal) and I have more work to do. For those of you who wish to learn something more about Jamaican food, my good friend Mad Bull has written an epistle on breadfruit, something we eat here quite often. You can visit him at The Mad Bull’s Blog, you may find him a pretty interesting guy. Until we next chat, whatever you had for dinner, hope you enjoyed it.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 29th, 2002 at 8:50 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

7 Responses to “What’s for dinner?”

  1. Mad Bull Says:
    April 29th, 2002 at 10:31 pm Mucilaginous! Blood Cleat, is what dat, Doc?
  2. Marc Antony Says:
    April 29th, 2002 at 11:29 pm I must say that this is a very interesting topic! I quite fancy the calalou soup but(sans the okra). If it is not common knowledge, Americans and the American diet tend not to make one regular so the incorporation of calalou would help in that area.
  3. Dr. D. Says:
    April 30th, 2002 at 1:46 am Hail up Marc Antony, sorry you weren’t here for dinner. What you say re. the US diet is so true, it can really make you irregular or shall I say in simple terms, full ‘o shit! The amount of TV commercials advertising laxatives is testimony to the fact. Too much damn fast food. If you’re full of it ask Rufie to cook some, it will definitely get you going bro-in-law. I’m not sure if it’s on her list of favourites though. MB, yes to blood cleat, MUCILAGINOUS indeed, I didn’t make that up mi bredren. More time…..
  4. seven Says:
    April 30th, 2002 at 11:55 am You know, if I am to consider what I really miss about living in my homeland Jamaica, i would say immediately two things - my family!!! And the food - then friends ) :):) - spoken like the true hungrybelly I am, huh… Anyway - I am a serious lover of soup! In Jamaica, in fact, our cutlural tradition is to have soup as our main meal on a Saturday - mind you, this is old time simp’n we a talk -(old time stuff) Saturdays, a big pot of hearty soup would be cooked, either the deicious Callalloo or Pepperpot Soup, Red Pea Soup - another all-time favorite, Gungo Pea Soup (MMMMMM), or Pumpkin Soup (MB can tell you of my strange addiction to pumpkin, so I truly love this one too). Or it might be a hearty beef soup, or chicken soup, or my least personal favorite - fish tea! Anyway, its funny, but during my bout with the flu last week (am getting better now) I reverted to my true self, and had NOTHING but soup all day, all week! A friend came over on the first and worst day, and pulled out my stockpot, and started a pot of Jamaican Cock Soup _i’m going to let the good Dr. explain that one!!!:) with loads of pumpkin, potatos, sweet potato, chicken, and the must-have scotch bonnet peppers. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM - I could live on soup!!!! Anyway… back to work and my diet:(
  5. Rufie Says:
    April 30th, 2002 at 6:42 pm Hail up Seven! I am pleasantly surprised these days with your comments - had no idea you were so much of a yardie! You seem to have a real leaning towards the common food. Dare I ask, does Sir Midas share your affinity for the food of the J’can commoners? Glad to see your comments though! Really good to hear from you.
  6. Dr. D. Says:
    April 30th, 2002 at 10:28 pm Seven, I knew that you would have to post a comment. I must agree with you, gungo peas soup is excellent, even better when it’s cooked with the ham bone leftover from Christmas. Glad to hear that you are feeling better, the soup diet may well have helped you along. Yes Rufie, she really seems to have become a yardie for true. Take care of yourselves over there in ‘foreign.’
  7. Natshia Says:
    January 9th, 2004 at 5:15 pm Would you say the Jamaican yam would be considered as Carbohydrate?