One Guyanese cook and the significance of food during the holidays

DECORATIONS, carols and Christmas trees are all a part of Christmas, but food and family, especially in Guyana, are what Christmas is about, as, across the country, dishes like pepperpot, garlic pork and the unforgettable black cake, are prepared days in advance.

Throughout the nation, people are preparing for Christmas. From Berbice to the West Bank and from Linden to Essequibo, Guyanese are getting onto the Christmas energy. But Andrea Durant has a lot to do this Christmas. As a cook in the Corentyne, Andrea believes that food brings families together and shapes memories for years to come. She hopes to give those memories to so many other families this Christmas.

Andrea Durant has called the village of Lancaster home for over four years. She and her family of three call the community and the rest of the Corentyne a peaceful place. “Lancaster is a nice and quiet place,” Andrea shared. This quiet village is located just a few villages after Rose Hall. Home to just around 300 diverse people, Lancaster is a welcoming community in the Corentyne countryside.

Andrea has always called Berbice her home. Having been born in Skeldon, she has been living along the Corentyne for most of her life. Andrea’s upbringing was a rocky one. She lost both her parents as a child. “My parents died when I was small, only about seven years old. So different families and people took care of us, my siblings,” Andrea shared. Although it was difficult having to go from relative to relative and from home to home, it has built the emphasis she places on family today.

Family values are something that Andrea greatly values. She expressed, as so many others do, that over time, families drift apart due to all that happens in life. But occasions like Christmas are opportunities to slow down and reunite with loved ones by reigniting those good old Guyanese traditions. “For my family now, everybody is on their own. We just call them and see how they are doing,” said Andrea.

Andrea has been a part of the culinary arts for almost two decades, having begun her career at a restaurant in Rose Hall more than 17 years ago. “Cooking is the only work I have ever done. I love cooking bad. I do not know why, but I just really like the job,” Andrea stated. Andrea is like so many Guyanese in that she is happy to cook for others.

Whether the occasion is a birthday party, Christmas dinner, or a simple lunch, cooking brings Andrea great joy. “I like it when people come in and order for a school party, birthday party or wedding. Cheese straw, patties and finger food, I love doing everything. And my pastry shop is open every day except Sunday,” she shared.

Opened four years ago, around the time she moved into Lancaster, Andrea started her pastry shop in the neighbouring village of Liverpool. Since its opening, the shop has been well received. Andrea sees people coming from all edges of the Corentyne to enjoy her home-cooked Guyanese dishes and specialty pastries.

There are foods that come to mind when someone thinks about Christmas, but Andrea believes that the holidays are a time to enjoy whatever foods the family calls for. “At Christmas, I do any food that people order, anything that they want, I cook. If it’s fried rice or Spanish rice or anything.” She stated.

When asked about what makes her dishes stand out among the rest, Andrea says it is perhaps because of the care she takes in cooking. The variety of fresh seasoning from across the country and the homemade pastries that come hot from her Lancaster kitchen make all Guyanese food standout. “My fried rice is what people like the most. I put more ingredients, like corn and more vegetables, and especially sweet pepper makes the food show up,” she shared.

Across the nation and the rest of the world, every year during the holidays, family members travel across states, countries and continents to be together on Christmas. And as Guyanese, getting together means food. This is what Andrea believes, and also why she says food is important to family and the holidays.

As Andrea told the Pepperpot Magazine, “Most of the families visit Guyana for Christmas. Some of them have not come in a long time, and some who have never come home. And Christmas is a special time. People prepare their pepperpot and start baking for Christmas.”

During the holidays, communities like Lancaster and other villages still capture the authentic atmosphere of Christmas. Although Christmas trees and American carols can be heard in Rose Hall, traditions like masquerade bands Christmas cleaning and Guyanese Christmas tunes from Slingshot are still alive and well as they and the rest of Guyana celebrate a Guyanaese Christmas.