Keeping it local

WHAT’S not to love about pone? The ubiquitous Caribbean pudding, dense, sweet, flavourful and full of nutrients. History dictates that the Amerindians here in TT used the excess cassava to create this sweet delicacy. It’s a simple recipe with the main ingredients being cassava, coconut and pumpkin sweetened with cane sugar, enriched with butter and spiced up with nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper, sometimes a splash of Angostura bitters and some raisins (I prefer not to add raisins), finishes the dish. Sweet potato pone is a variation on the classic cassava pone, which utilises a mixture of sweet potato and cassava.

Pone is mostly available from vendors at the weekly markets and at some bakeries scattered across the country. However, nothing comes close to a delightful, sticky, dense cassava pone baked on the fireside, or dirt oven. Dark yellow in colour with burnt edges which tastes more caramelised than burnt and which gives that characteristic chewy texture at the edges.

There are a few secrets to making a smooth and moist pone, the cassava and coconut must be finely grated, the liquid added and stirred vigorously to combine all the ingredients well.

If it seems dry, add more water to make it moist but not "sloppy" in texture. I prefer to use water and not milk when making my pone, for me, the taste is somewhat cleaner and adding milk will accelerate spoilage as well.

No need to get it retail, make it yourself in your home, soon.

Sticky cassava pone

To get a gorgeous, yellow pone, use the most orange pumpkin you can find.

1 lb cassava

1 dried coconut meat only

¼ lb pumpkin, grated

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tbs butter

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp nutmeg

⅛ tsp black pepper

1 tsp bitters

¼ cup water (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Peel cassava and grate finely.

Finely grate coconut.

Combine cassava with coconut then add pumpkin.

Add sugar and stir.

Rub in butter then add spices.

Stir together well.

Add bitters and stir.

If mixture seems a little dry add water, just to moisten.

Mixture should be very thick but not slack in consistency.

Press into a well-greased 9x9-inch baking tin.

Bake for about 30 minutes until golden.

Makes one pone.

Sweet potato and cassava pone

½ lb cassava

½ lb sweet potato

1 dried coconut meat only

¼ lb pumpkin, grated

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tbs butter

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp grated orange zest

⅛ tsp black pepper

1 tsp bitters

¼ cup water (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Peel cassava and sweet potato and grate finely.

Finely grate coconut.

Combine cassava and sweet potato with coconut, then add pumpkin.

Add sugar and stir.

Rub in butter then add spices.

Stir together well.

Add bitters and stir.

If mixture seems a little dry add more water, just to moisten.

Mixture should be very thick but not slack in consistency.

Press into a well-greased 9x9-inch baking tin.

Bake for about 30 minutes until golden.

Makes one pone.

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