Pepperpot from Guyana

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg beef, pork or mutton
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 carnations
• 2 chili peppers
• 150 g syrup (cassareep, cassava syrup)
• 150 g brown sugar
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 30 g salt
• 30 g pepper
• 1 liter of water
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

the Christmas dinner of the Caribbean

First, cut the meat into cubes approximately 4 x 4 cm in size. The lower-quality meat, the better. Suitable meats include beef, heavily marbled pork neck, hock, oxtail, and mutton. Brown the meat in a deep pot with oil until crispy all over. Peel and halve the onions. Peel, halve, and crush the garlic. Add all ingredients and water to the meat and bring to a boil. Add chili peppers according to your desired spice level. Gradually remove the curdled egg whites from the meat. Simmer uncovered for 3 hours until the liquid has completely evaporated and a very thick sauce forms. Add more water during the cooking time if necessary. This dish tastes best with rice and when prepared and reheated a day in advance. Pepperpot is a classic Christmas dish in Guyana and the Caribbean. Cassareep is a spiced syrup made from the cassava tuber, which is only available in Germany from a few online retailers (e.g., eBay). My first attempt was to use beet molasses, more pepper, and Asia 5 spice, which came pretty close to the desired result. However, I made the mistake of simply using beef and pork goulash, and the meat ended up bone-dry. The higher the fat content of the meat, the better the result!