Guyanese Recipes

Guyanese cooking draws on African, Amerindian, Indian, Portuguese, Chinese and British traditions, and the table shows it. Rice is central, cooked plain or as cook-up rice, a one-pot dish of rice, beans and meat in coconut milk. Curries come with roti and dhal puri, and pepperpot, a dark stew flavored with cassareep (a bittersweet cassava syrup), is the dish of Christmas morning. Chow mein and fried rice are everyday favorites. Fresh hot peppers such as wiri wiri, thyme, garlic and cumin flavor many dishes, alongside coconut milk, ground provisions (starchy roots and plantain) and salted fish. Street stalls sell snacks such as pholourie, fried split-pea balls served with a tangy sauce. Fruit like mango, pineapple and tamarind goes into sauces, pickles and sweets. Weekends mean cook-up or a big pot of soup, and Christmas brings black cake soaked in rum, garlic pork and sorrel, a red drink made from hibiscus.

Staple ingredients

• rice
• coconut milk
• cassareep (cassava syrup)
• wiri wiri and Scotch bonnet peppers
• ground provisions (cassava, yam, plantain)
• salted fish
• split peas
• curry spices (cumin, turmeric, masala)

• Main Dishes 4
• Breads 1
• Desserts 1
• Snacks 1
• Drinks 1

Main Dishes

• Pepperpot (Guyanese Cassareep Meat Stew)GY3 h 10 minMedium
• Chicken Curry (Guyanese-Style with Potatoes and Geera)GY1 h 15 minEasy
• Cook-Up Rice (Guyanese One-Pot Rice with Black-Eyed Peas and Coconut)GY2 h 10 minEasy
• Garlic Pork (Guyanese Christmas Pork Steeped in Vinegar and Garlic)GY1 h 40 minEasy

Breads

• Dhal Puri (Guyanese Split Pea Stuffed Flatbread)GY1 h 45 minChallenging

Desserts

• Black Cake (Guyanese Rum-Soaked Fruit Christmas Cake)GY3 h 10 minMedium

Snacks

• Pholourie (Guyanese Split Pea Fritters with Tamarind Sauce)GY50 minMedium

Drinks

• Sorrel Drink (Guyanese Spiced Hibiscus Christmas Drink)GY30 minEasy