What’s on your table? Antiguan Christmas staples

What’s on your table? Antiguan Christmas staples

Loop Caribbean News
By Latrishka Thomas

There are a few ingredients you need to have a holly jolly Christmas and one of them is a warm home-cooked meal.
In every culture, that plate may look a little different but in Antigua and Barbuda, there are some things that you will see on every table.

HAM
Your Christmas isn’t ‘Christmasing’ if you don't have ham-no matter your cultural upbringing.
In Antigua and Barbuda, it is commonly paired with bread for breakfast or placed on the side of a full meal.
But different households have their preferred way of preparing ham.
It can be boiled, baked or roasted but often with fresh seasonings such as thyme, cloves and scallions.
It is then glazed and garnished. For many locals, a pineapple glaze is the top pick.

BLACK CAKE
Black cake is famous for its uniquely dense texture, dark colour, rich taste and that special ingredient which gives it a kick- rum.  
It may look like chocolate cake, but this highly revered holiday treat gets its colour from dried fruits such as raisins, prunes and cherries which are soaked in dark rum for months or years.
The blended fruit mixture is added to the cake batter along with aromatic flavourings and warm spices.  
 
SORREL
Sorrel juice is a centerpiece on most tables in Antigua and Barbuda every Christmas.
It is a seasonal favourite due to the time of the year. Its primary ingredient, the blossoms of the hibiscus plant, were originally harvested and cultivated in the Caribbean.
Sorrel flowers are made to boil with grated ginger and spices. The mixture is then cooled and steeped. The liquid is then strained using a fine-mesh strainer and that liquid is then sweetened.
Rum is often added to give the juice an extra kick.

December 2023