Cassava Pone
UH BELLY FULL! ISLAND CUISINE
Grandma’ s Kitchen!
Watching my grandmother prepare meal after meal was the reason I grew up to love cooking. She made every meal seem‘ Oh So Easy’. A sprinkle of this, a dash of that and in no time at all the meal was prepared. One of our favourites and a popular dessert for many Bajans is Cassava Pone.
I must admit that if Granny ever tried to give me cassava as a child, my nose would crinkle, my eyes well up with tears, I’ d stick my tongue out and run off to hide at the utter thought of having to eat the monstrosity. Fortunately as a child I never quite put together that pone was made with the ingredient that I dreaded so, and it was a good thing too or I might have missed out on this popular treat.
Cassava is a tuberous, starchy root or ground provision and it is the third largest food carbohydrate source in the tropics used to make a wide range of products from alcohol to flour. Granny would purchase the root whole but today the cassava can be bought ready done, grated or prepared as flour – Just another readymade luxury that would have stolen quality time from me and my granny.
Cassava Pone
Ingredients
4 lbs peeled and grated cassava 1 lb sugar 1 tsp salt 1 small grated coconut 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp grated nutmeg 2 tsp vanilla essence ¼ lb raisins ½ lb butter ¼ lb shortening milk
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Grease loaf pans.
3. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, adding enough milk to moisten but not soak the mixture.
4. Allow mixture to sit for 15 minutes, then pour into greased pans and bake for 1¼ hours.
5. The bread is finished if when stuck with a match stick or fork the end comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool, then slice.
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