Bammy

Bammy is a traditional Jamaican cassava flatbread descended from the simple flatbread called ''casabe'', eaten by the Arawaks / Taínos, Jamaica's indigenous people. Variations of ''bammy'' exist throughout the Americas. It is produced in many rural communities and sold in stores and by street vendors in Jamaica and abroad.

History

Origin

''Bammies'' have existed since pre-Columbian times, and they originated from the native Arawak / Taíno people. They are made with cassava (also called ''yuca'' or ''manioc'') indigenous to Mesoamerica, and was a staple crop of the Arawaks / Taínos, which they cultivated in ''conucos''. Cassava was also integral to their existence, as it featured prominently in their worship. Yúcahu, a major Taíno god, whose name has been translated to ''‘spirit of the cassava’'', was the ''god of cassava'' and the sea. A minor Taíno god related to growing cassava, the process of life, creation and death, ''Baibrama'', was worshipped for his assistance in growing cassava and curing people from its poisonous juice.

Arawak / Taíno's traditional method

According to the curator of the ''Jamaica National Heritage Trust'', Ann-Marie Howard Brown, the Arawaks / Taínos used a small, sharp, flat stone (''celt'') to peel and cut the cassava, which they would then grate on a ''guaio / guayo'', a wooden frame embedded with small stones and pieces of coral or a stone grater, until it was reduced to a pulp. They would then place the pulp in a large funnel-shaped basket called a ''matapi'', which was hung from a tree for extraction of the juice. Once the desired consistency was achieved, the mixture was placed on a stone structure called a ''metate'', and a smaller ground stone called a '' mano'', was used like a modern rolling pin to grind to the consistency of cassava flour. This would then be moulded to circles in the desired size, and baked on earthenware griddles called '' buréns''.

The Arawaks / Taínos passed on this tradition to the enslaved Africans, and some aspects of the original method of preparing ''bammy'' are still practised in parts of St Elizabeth and South East Manchester today.

File:Stone Celt MET hz1994 35 421.jpg, ''Stone celt (knife), used to peel and cut the cassava''
File:Santo Domingo - Museo de las Casas Reales 0068.JPG, ''Stone guayo, used to grate cassava''
File:Metate. Museo del Chocolate de Astorga.jpg, ''Metate and mano, used to grind the cassava''
File:Tropenmuseum Royal Tropical Institute Objectnumber 1556-5d Model van een gevlochten cassavepers.jpg, ''Matapi, used to extract the cassava juice''
File:Santo Domingo - Museo de las Casas Reales 0148.JPG, ''Burén, used to cook bammies and flatbreads''

Preservation and production of Bammy

For centuries, it was the bread staple for rural Jamaicans until the cheaper, imported wheat flour breads became popular in the post-World War II era.

In the 1990s, the United Nations and the Jamaican government established a program to revive ''bammy'' production and to market it as a modern, convenient food product.Bammy bread bounces back. ''Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations''
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''Bammies'' are currently produced and sold in supermarkets across Jamaica. They are also prepared and served in many restaurants, especially seafood or beachside restaurants in Jamaica.

Preparation

''Bammy'' is made from bitter cassava. Traditionally, the cassava is grated and placed in a press bag (woven with thatch leaves) and placed in an outdoor press where heavy stones are loaded on. Once completely drained, but still a bit moist, the cassava is beaten in a mortar then sieved to a fine flour texture. Salt is then added to taste.

The actual baking of ''bammies'' varies across Jamaican communities. Traditionally, it is made by spreading a handful of the flour evenly in a baking ring, on a flat iron griddle on the open fire, or in a ''Dutch pot''.
While baking, the top of the ''bammy'' is patted with a flat board and then turned over. The baking process takes about 3 minutes, and the final product is a thin, foldable bread about 10" in diameter. This is similar to traditional tortillas of Mesoamerican cultures. It can then be eaten with whatever fillings are desired.

The more modern (and popular) approach is to bake thicker ''bammies'' about 6" in diameter. These are often mass-produced in factories. When home-baked, the flour may be store-bought or made by hand-pressing. The ''bammy'' can be baked on griddles or in baking pans on a stove top. Some choose to bake it inside an oven, and to add butter and other spices before baking. Baking takes longer due to the thickness, and the final product is then cut into halves or wedges for freezing. When ready to eat, the wedges are soaked in coconut milk and then fried until golden brown or steamed, and served with meat, fish, seafood, avocado, or other side dishes. ''Bammies'', like festivals, wheat bread and tortillas, are served anytime or consumed as a snack.

Variations

Several variations of cassava bread and fried cassava are eaten in other islands like Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti— where UNESCO has recently recognised cassava bread as an ''Intangible Heritage of Humanity''. Fried cassava and cassava breads are common snacks in Brazil, where they are called tapioca, and ''casabe'' in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and several Central American countries including Panama, Belize, Honduras et al. In St Vincent, cassava bread is called ''bambam'' or ''areba'' (the Garifuna word for "cassava-eaters"), and in Dominica, several types of cassava breads were made by the Kalinagos (another Arawakan subgroup).

See also

* Pre-Columbian Jamaica
* Taínos
*Arawaks
*Tapioca / Cassava
*Coco bread
*Hard dough bread
* Bulla cakes
*Jamaican cuisine
* List of Jamaican dishes

References

Jamaican cuisine
Flatbreads
Jamaican breads
Cassava dishes
Indigenous cuisine
Native American cuisine

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