CHRISTMAS is in the air! In Guyana, celebrating this season is hand in hand with certain delicious foods. Christmas is not Christmas if one doesn’t wake up to the smell of pepperpot in the morning. It is a rich meat stew that has been handed down to us from our Amerindian ancestors, traditionally eaten with homemade bread. While it is usually made with beef, it can also be made with pork, chicken or wild meats.

PEPPERPOT
If you want to prepare this dish for Christmas,
you will need:
– Beef chunks (any cheap cut will do)
– 3 cow-heels to make it gooey
– 3 or 4 chunks of oxtail (optional)
– 1 Cup Cassareep
– 1 scotch bonnet pepper
– A couple of cloves
– A few cloves of garlic
– 1 stick cinnamon spice
-Salt to taste
-Black pepper
-A dash of brown sugar

Method
– Wash your meat. Place the cow-heels into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil.
– Once the scum rises to the top, skim and let it simmer for a while (an hour-and-a- half or so).
– Now, add all your other meats and hot water to cover.
– Once it boils, add your spices and seasoning, and cook gently for about two hours, or until the meat is tender, and the sauce is quite thick.