TOV Furniture Catalog

TOV LIFESTYLE | 93 | heritage A R T I C L E Embracing My Roots In Jamaica, cooking is one of the most important parts of our culture. Many of the old Jamaican dishes that I learned to make from my mother and grandmother have sadly been forgotten. Recently, I have been reflecting on this and have dedicated time to write down some of my favorite Jamaican recipes. My sincere intentions are to pass on my heritage to the younger generation in my family and keep our traditions alive. Saturday soup got its name from the fact that cows were slaughtered on Friday and soup bones would spoil quickly. Consequently, soup was prepared on Saturday along with fresh vegetables form the market. Saturday was always a busy day in our household with all the various tasks to be accomplished in readiness for Sunday and it was nearly impossible to cook much more than a one pot's worth of soup. Beef soup was my family's personal favorite for the Saturday meal. As soon as breakfast was through my mother or grandmother would begin the preparations for what would be the main meal for the day. In Jamaica, a young girl growing up into womanhood had to learn how to cook a good beef soup. Ingredients were always as fresh as possible (never frozen) and we'd take a trip to the butcher to get fresh beef and beef bones, followed by a trip to the local farmer's market for fresh vegetables, root products, herbs and spices for seasoning. Once we returned home the pot was set on the fire. As soon as the water boiled, the beef bones were added and the pot was left to simmer on a low flame for about one to two hours. They would then add the pumpkin, yam, potatoes, carrots and corn. Once all ingredients were almost cooked through, they would then add the spinners (dumplings). Next to be added were seasonings, scallions, thyme, pimento (Allspice) , two cloves of garlic, fresh hot pepper and salt to taste. During the winter months on Saturdays I like to cook what I call my "Jamerican" version of this dish. My trip of course is to the local supermarket and I improvise based on the ingredients that I find. I make a huge pot, enough to feed the household and my extended family that drop in to visit as they know they will always find a hot meat ready and waiting. Featured Content by: Maxine Martin Sales

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