USING a meal that is a Guyanese tradition for most households, especially at Christmas time, one visionary will make this Christmas a memorable one by creating an event around the dish.
Guyana’s traditional Pepperpot will be showcased at a festival which will be one of the events to commence Christmas celebrations in Guyana.

The event, dubbed the “Pepperpot Festival Taste Off,” will feature Guyanese from all walks of life showcasing their skills at making this traditional dish.
The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with the coordinator of the event, Andrea Bryan-Garner, who underscored the importance of the event and stated that its main purpose is to keep this festival and this delicacy alive.

“It actually started with a dream I had, a little [dream] I had last year at the end of 2021. After the dream, I realised that this is a great initiative to become a reality. It is done in an effort to showcase a tradition in Guyana.” Bryan-Garner said. “Its purpose is to celebrate our Guyanese tradition of making Pepperpot in the hope of being a lot more appreciative of what we have here in Guyana.”

Just as other delicacies, the dish pepperpot has evolved over the years and many persons are likely to bring their own twist to the competition. The entrepreneur is super excited about the event, since this is the first of its kind in Guyana.

“We will put pepperpot on a pedestal where it really belongs. We probably take it for granted, especially at Christmas time or you eat for breakfast throughout the year. In other parts of the world, there are festivals for various foods such as corn and the like, but as Guyanese, we can celebrate our own and appreciate [it] even more,” Bryan-Garner told the Pepperpot Magazine.
The entrepreneur noted that in addition to the Pepperpot Festival, there will be a Christmas Village.

“There will be on display booths for small businesses at affordable prices. The public will be able to benefit in a manner that is beneficiary[sic] to them. It is there that they will be able to get Christmas accessories for a reasonable cost quite earlier,” Andrea delightedly said to the Pepperpot Magazine.
According to Bryan, this event is unlike any other and will include public sampling of the tasty Pepperpot dishes made from traditional meat, mixed meat and vegetarian for the folks who aren’t meat eaters.

“It is such an amazing dish that you don’t have to refrigerate, cassareep in itself,” Bryan noted during her interview.
Benefits for the average Guyanese

Shoppers and Guyanese in general can expect to find all their goodies for the Christmas with the Christmas market booth, which is geared to help your Christmas shopping easier.
“The public could benefit where you have small businesses who will be plying their wares and folks can do their shopping for the holidays a little earlier than usual,” she told the Pepperpot Magazine.

Garner posited that since this is the inaugural festival, she believes that this would eventually become an annual event, particularly to usher in the Christmas season.

“The idea is to attract persons and even tourists visiting Guyana for the Christmas holidays, also to celebrate the origins of cassareep and much more of the Indigenous peoples, inclusive of the origins of pepperpot. I must say thank you to our indigenous peoples who have mastered the art of preserving meat without refrigeration,” Garner added during her interview.