And on a Culinary Note…

I purchased a lovely tea towel for my mother-in-law in Grenada. I love tea towel gifts, myself. I fold them up carefully and put them in a drawer, never to be used.

Anyway, this one contained a recipe, which I found interesting. Partly because of the name, “Oil Down.” This reminds me of the Jamaican “Rundown,” and the cooking technique seems similar in a way. Now, oil-down is Grenada’s National Dish, the equivalent of Jamaica’s Ackee and Saltfish. The Government of Grenada‘s website describes it as a “simple, delicious and robust dish.” But then, their version of it has slightly different ingredients; I suppose it varies depending on availability. Breadfruit, though, is a must. And how I love breadfruit!

Somehow it reminds me of the French cassoulet – a classic dish in which all kinds of meat and other stuff are thrown into the pot and cooked down. I recall that my dear brother, after eating a dishful at a restaurant in Carcassonne during a family holiday in France, immediately retired to bed on returning home, emerging hours later. Not that I expect Oil Down to have the same effect… I would love to hear more about the origin of the Grenadian dish, however.

Anyway, here’s the recipe. I suppose you could do a vegetarian version, but then it wouldn’t be oily. Why not give it a try?

Breadfruit Oil Down

250 grams salt meat

250 grams saltfish

2 small breadfruit

2 chives

2 sprigs thyme

1 whole chilli

1 stick celery

1 whole pepper

1.5 liters coconut milk

1/8 tsp salt

Soak fish and meat overnight in cold water. Drain. Remove the breadfruit core, peel and slice. In a saucepan, put alternate layers of breadfruit, meat and saltfish. Tie chilli, thyme, chive and add to the pan with celery and coconut milk. Cover tightly and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until everything is cooked and tender. When cooked, the liquid should all be absorbed and the stew should be oily.

P.S. In case you are wondering, my culinary skills are absolute zero. I try to avoid kitchens (including my own). However I can boil an egg, and make a nice salad. My coffee and tea-making skills are also exemplary. (And I’m not being overly modest; my husband agrees with this assessment; but did just point out that I can actually boil more than one egg at a time).

Related articles

http://www.gov.gd/articles/grenada_oil_down.html Oil down – National Dish of Grenada: http://www.gov.gd

Bird conservation-climate change conference a success! (petchary.wordpress.com)

The Breadfruit, Bligh’s Gift to Jamaica and the Mutiny it Caused (insidejourneys.com)