Pepperpot
Guyana's dark, sweet-spicy Christmas stew
Think of it as: Like a pot roast braised in spiced molasses
Black stew, cooked in tamed cassava juice.
What does it taste like?
Sweet, slightly bitter and peppery, with warm cinnamon. Deep and dark.
SweetSpicySourSaltyFunkSmellTextureFall-apart tender
What is it?
Beef, pork or oxtail simmered for hours in cassareep — a black syrup made by boiling down cassava juice — with cinnamon and hot peppers. Rooted in Indigenous cooking, it's Guyana's Christmas morning tradition.Source: Wikipedia
How locals eat it
Eaten on Christmas morning with bread to mop up the sauce. Some families keep reheating it for days.
Watch it
EnglishTap to play (YouTube)Where is it from?
🇬🇾Guyana
CapitalGeorgetown
Populationabout 840,000estimate (unverified)
IndustriesOil, Gold and bauxite, Sugar and rice
Famous peopleClive LloydLegendary captain of the West Indies cricket team
HelloHello (English)
CurrencyGuyanese dollar
Fun factThe only English-speaking country in South America, home to Kaieteur Falls, a single drop of over 200 m.
The flag🇬🇾 "The Golden Arrowhead": green for forest, gold for mineral wealth, red for zeal.
From Tokyoabout 14,940 kmstraight line, Tokyo to Georgetown
Getting thereAbout 24+ hours (with connections)rough guide
✈ Check cheap flights Best timeFebruary to April and September to November, the drier spells. Also tryCurry with rotiMetemgee (root and coconut stew)Chow mein
✈ Check cheap flights Best timeFebruary to April and September to November, the drier spells. Also tryCurry with rotiMetemgee (root and coconut stew)Chow mein
🇬🇾 Sounds & life in Guyana
HelloHello（Hello (English)）
Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
Right now…
AnthemDear Land of Guyana, of River and Plain
MusicChutney music Indo-Caribbean songs over Caribbean rhythms
Listen on YouTube SportCricket
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (cricket, famously stubborn batter) National animalHoatzin (national bird) National flowerVictoria amazonica (giant water lily) FestivalMashramani (around Feb 23, Republic Day festival)
MusicChutney music Indo-Caribbean songs over Caribbean rhythms
Listen on YouTube SportCricket
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (cricket, famously stubborn batter) National animalHoatzin (national bird) National flowerVictoria amazonica (giant water lily) FestivalMashramani (around Feb 23, Republic Day festival)
Ingredients
- Beef shin, pork and oxtail 1 kg
- Cassareep 1/2 cup
- Cinnamon stick 1
- Hot peppers 2
- Cloves 4
- Brown sugar 2 tbsp
- Onion 1
- Garlic 4 cloves
Can't find it? Cassareep is hard to find; molasses with a splash of soy sauce mimics the color and sweetness.
How to make it (one way)
- Cut the meat into large pieces and parboil
- Put meat, onion, garlic and water in a pot
- Add cassareep, cinnamon, cloves, peppers and sugar
- Simmer gently for 3+ hours until falling apart
- Even better the next day. Serve with bread
⚠️ Cassareep is made from cassava juice that is poisonous raw and must be boiled for a long time — buy it ready-made rather than making it yourself.
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cassareepAmazon