There will always be Conkies
On Tuesday, November 30, Barbados will officially become a Republic. November 30 is also Barbados’ Independence Day and this year marks 55 years of selfgovernment. As expected there has been much talk and debate about the move to the island becoming a Republic. Most people want to know what changes there will be. Will the country be called the Republic of Barbados? What, if any, would be the name changes of many institutions and organisations such as the police force (Royal Barbados Police Force) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital? There are no planned name changes. The transition to becoming a Republic is about self-identity and the confidence to control and manage the country’s affairs, its destiny. While there are those who have mixed emotions about the move, one thing is for sure, there will always be Conkies, and they will always be tied to the celebration of Independence.
Conkies are a sweet treat made primarily with cornmeal, pumpkin, sugar, and spices; they are wrapped and steamed in banana leaves. The dish is African in origin and throughout the Caribbean each country has its own version of this dish. However, in Barbados, Conkies are particularly associated with Independence. In other words, Independence is Conkie season. And from this year, forward, the celebration will be doubled Independence and Republic.
No one knows exactly where the custom of making Conkies originated. According to the A-Z of Barbadian Heritage, the Ghanaian “kenkey” is probably the origin of the local word, Conkie. In Ghana, kenkey refers to similarly prepared corn meal dishes. Prior to its Independence, the eating of Conkies in Barbados was associated with November 5 – Guy Fawkes night.
The first time I made Conkies was in 2008. Back in
Guyana, I have only vague memories of my late Auntie Betty making Conkies; all I can remember, is unwrapping the banana-leaf parcel, seeing a square-shaped orange pudding, and smelling that wonderful aroma I get every time I open a heated Conkie - cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
Conkie is a food that is a perfect example of cooking by instinct and personal taste - trusting your inner chef. From varying the quantities of ingredients, to modifying the combination of those ingredients, to adjusting the cooking time and, finally, to deciding what is a perfect Conkie, all of these are a matter of personal taste. Oh yes, we cannot leave out the debate about Conkies with or without raisins. These are serious matters, yuh hear. Most people I know who make Conkies do so from memory and observation – “I try to do it the way my mother did it,” they say, or how my aunt, my wife or how some other member of the family did it.
In any dish there’s always a star ingredient. For many Barbadians the star in the Bajan Conkie is the pumpkin, though for others it’s the cornmeal (also called Indian corn or meal corn), the spices or the raisins. The two main ingredients – pumpkin and cornmeal vary in quantity because it’s based on an individual taste. Still, most people talk about having more pumpkin because of the smooth texture when eating instead of a gritty one from having too much cornmeal. The other ingredients are coconut, sweet potatoes (this singles out a Bajan Conkie), sugar, salt, butter or margarine, vegetable shortening, flour, essence (mixed or vanilla) milk, water, eggs (yes, some people add eggs), cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, and raisins. Some people use all these ingredients, and some don’t. The best recipe is your own - the one passed down to you or the one you got from someone and tweaked.
Once the ingredients are assembled, the hard work really begins – grating. A large box grater is the best tool for the job. In these modern times we think of turning to the food processor - don’t. You see, all the ingredients need to be the consistency of a very fine grind and using a food processor will only make a very fine chop, or, you would have to add water when using the food processor to give the desired consistency and that can ruin your recipe because it would mean that there is more liquid than required. It is very important to get the consistency right because all the ingredients have to cook at the same time, evenly. A Conkie is ultimately about the texture of the banana-leaf-wrapped steamed pudding.
It is hard work, all that grating, mixing, spooning, and folding. But the end result is almost indescribable. You gently but urgently unwrap the parcel and let the aroma waft over your entire face as you take a deep breath. The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg tingle your nose; you gaze longingly at that smooth, thick, warm, square of condensed pumpkin, cornmeal, coconut. Take a bite and immediately your mouth is full of sweet deliciousness. You rub some of it against the roof of your mouth with your tongue all the while savouring the smooth texture of the perfectly cooked ingredients. You chew and smile as you bite into a raisin, a little surprise that is sweet and a little tart at the same time. You take another bite, then another and before you know it, it’s all gone. You’ve just eaten your first Conkie of the season.
Conkies are a treat at any time. They are a labour of love.