Callaloo


Callaloo is a plant used in popular dishes in many Caribbean countries, while for other Caribbean countries, a stew made with the plant is called. Cuisines, including the plant or dishes called, vary throughout the Caribbean. In countries such as Trinidad and Tobago or Grenada, the dish itself is called and uses taro leaves or Xanthosoma leaves.
It is a remnant of West African and Taino cuisine.

Etymology

There are two possible etymological origins for the word, with stronger claims for the first. The first etymology from on ground research states that it is from Kimbundu kalulú referring to okra, or an Angolan vegetable dish, similar to the present use of the word in Haitian Creole and São Tomean Portuguese. The other claim is deriving from Tupi caárurú, meaning thick leaf.

Cooking variations

, Grenadians, and Dominicans primarily use taro/ dasheen bush for, although Dominicans also use water spinach. Jamaicans, Belizeans, St. Lucians, and Guyanese, on the other hand, use the name callaloo to refer to an indigenous variation of amaranth, and use it in a plethora of dishes and as a drink. The "" made in Jamaica is different from the "" made in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and the rest of the Caribbean in terms of the main ingredient and other ingredients included.
Jamaicans tend to steam leaf with garlic, carrots, local powdered seasoning, tomatoes, salt, Scotch bonnet peppers, onions, scallions, thyme, sweet pepper, pimento, with or without salt fish or other meats and even in rice or their famous patty pastries. Trinidadians and Saint Lucians, however, use dasheen bush, okra, coconut milk, pumpkin, onions, bell peppers, local seasonings, and spices, along with crabs or pigtails.
"Callaloo" in Trinidad is found in a variety of dishes, including soup or "oil down". Callaloo is one of the national dishes of Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica, although this soup can be found all around the Caribbean as one of the regional cuisine's "foodie favorites".

Plant sources for

  • Taro, also called dasheen in the West Indies, the leaves of this root crop are used in the Trinidadian version of the dish
  • Tannia or malanga also called calalu or "yautía" in Puerto Rico
  • Amaranth species include Amaranthus spinosus used in the West Indies; Amaranthus flavus is a yellow variety used in Brazil and known as caruru; Amaranthus viridis in Jamaica; Amaranthus tricolor in the Caribbean
  • Okra, where in Haiti the plant is called Kalalou. Often prepared in a beef stew dish called sos béf ak kalalou, or tomtom ak kalalou.
  • Pokeweed species, Phytolacca octandra or "West Indian foxglove"
  • Nightshade species, Solanum americanum
  • Water spinach

    Callaloo recipes

Callaloo in Trinidad and Tobago and other eastern Caribbean countries is generally made with okra and dasheen or water spinach Ipomoea aquatica. There are many variations of which may include coconut milk, crab, conch, Caribbean lobster, meats, pumpkin, chili peppers, and other seasonings such as chopped onions and garlic. The ingredients are added and simmered down to a somewhat stew-like consistency. When done, is dark green in colour and is served as a side dish which may be used as a gravy for other food.
Callaloo is widely known throughout the Caribbean and has a distinctively Caribbean origin, using indigenous plants and modified with African influences, such as okra. Trinidadians have embraced this dish from their ancestors and over time have added ingredients such as coconut milk to modify its flavour. Callaloo is mostly served as a side dish; for Trinidadians, Bajans, and Grenadians it usually accompanies rice, macaroni pie, and a meat of choice. In Guyana it is made in various ways without okra.
In Jamaica, is often combined with saltfish or other meats, and is usually seasoned with garlic, carrots, local powdered seasoning, tomatoes, salt, scotch bonnet peppers, onions, scallions, thyme, sweet pepper, pimento and steamed. It is often eaten as a side dish with a full course meal, or as either breakfast or dinner with roasted breadfruit, boiled green bananas and dumplings, or bread. It is a popular and versatile dish that is even added to Jamaican patties, called vegetable/vegie/vagan patties, seasoned rice, as well as Fritters
In Grenada, is steamed with garlic, onion and coconut milk and often eaten as a side dish. Grenadians also stir or blend the mixture until it has a smooth consistent texture. Callaloo soup comprising, okra, dumplings, ground provision like yam, potato chicken and beef is traditionally eaten on Saturdays. It is also one of the most important ingredients in oil down, the island's national dish comprising steamed breadfruit,, dumplings, ground provision, carrot and several varieties of meat—salt fish, chicken, and pork. All of this is steamed in coconut milk and saffron powder.
In the Virgin Islands, is served with a dish of fungee on the side.
In Guadeloupe, calalou au crabe is a traditional Easter dish.
In St. Lucia, crab is also popular especially as part of the country's Creole day celebrations.
Martinique and Guadeloupe also have a variety served with Creole rice and salt cod salad.
A similar variation is the recipe called laing which is popular in the Philippines, mainly the Bicol region.

In popular culture

The Costa Rican calypso musician Walter Ferguson has written a song celebrating callaloo’s flavour, popularity, and health effects.