"We were in sight of two small and low islands,full of tortoises (turtles) as was all the sea about, inasmuchthat they looked like little rocks, for which reason these islandswere called Tortugas." - From the journal of Ferdinand Columbus.Profile
Tastes & Tales of Cayman:
Why Cayman's National Dish is Turtle Stew instead of Lechon Asado
"We were in sight of two small and low islands,full of tortoises (turtles) as was all the sea about, inasmuchthat they looked like little rocks, for which reason these islandswere called Tortugas." - From the journal of Ferdinand Columbus.
This year we celebrate Discovery Day onMonday, 21 May, but Columbus actually sighted the Sister Islandson 10 May, 1503, during the last leg of his ill-fated fourth andfinal New World voyage. But he was pooped from a disastrous stopin Panama. Columbus was left with only the remnants of his expeditionand desperate to reach Santo Domingo before his derelict caravelsfell apart.
The man who in 1492 launched the first goldrush in the history of the western world was now mining only time,destined to an ignominious end. He was simply too tired to botherexploring and exploiting these flat little limestone mountaintops.
Lucky for us Columbus kept on going.
Considering what the original Spanish conquistadorsdid to the rest of the New World, we're fortunate Cayman's coastlineappeared so desolate. They exploited every natural and human resourceencountered, either as personal comforts or as souvenirs shippedback to Spain to placate their Royal Spanish patrons. That includedhundreds of Taino Indians sent as slaves in 1498.
There probably would have been few wildedible creatures, land or sea, left in these tiny little islands.Under Spanish rule, unique Caymanian dishes like fish rundown,stew conch with sea pie and fry lobster Cayman style might neverhave happened. Tomatoes, garlic and more garlic, cilantro, oregano,olive oil and pork would have replaced coconuts, scallions, sweetpeppers, scotch bonnets, conch and turtle. The national dish ofthe Cayman Islands might have been Lechon Asado instead of TurtleStew and would we ever have tasted those old time simple favoriteslike baked boxfish "cake", stewed whelks, steam oldwife or fry turbot?
Now this is pure speculation of course,but when you study the early history of the Caribbean, that simpledeliberate oversight by Columbus in 1503 raises food for thought.Instead of becoming a Spanish territory, this country's rootslay in a mix of rugged individuals (and maybe a few rogues too)from the British Isles and their slaves who "founded it uponthe seas" 200 years later. The Caymanians became famous notonly for their seafaring skills, but also resourcefulness andindomitable spirit of "can do, if we make do." Caymanwould be a better place today if we saw more of that "wastenothing" lifestyle of our forefathers.
From the late 1700's until the mid-20thcentury, turtling was critical to Cayman's economy and these islandsproduced some of the Caribbean's finest turtle fishermen-and shipbuilders. Our intrepid seamen sailed hundreds of miles in locallybuilt schooners, as far away as Nicaragua and Cuba, in searchof green turtles. Today Cayman is one of the few places you canstill find turtle on both local chalkboards and four-star restaurantmenus. It's important to make clear that turtle served in localrestaurants comes only from the Cayman Turtle Farm, formerly MaricultureLtd, Turtle meat is also available to the community in limitedquantities year-round.
Steak or Stew?
Turtle Stew is considered Cayman's nationaldish. Caymanians love a good turtle stew, which is made from amix of cheaper cuts of meat, including the bone, green jelly-likefat and menabolins (organ meats, flippers, callopy and other parts.)This combination can be very strong tasting.
I realize this is heresy, but I haven'tlearned to like turtle stew. I admitted this to Caymanian friendsrecently, who suggested I had probably gotten an introductorymouthful of menabolins with too much liver or lights -or perhapsit was the gooey fat. They agreed there is an art to making properturtle stew that eludes many otherwise outstanding local cooks."It's not like making stew beef-real Caymanian turtle stewis a whole different thing," one explained. "It hasto be done right. Even the seasonings have to be a certain proportion."
I could offer a Cayman turtle stew recipe"cooked by eye," I was given years ago and have interpreted.But without knowing those Caymanian secrets, that are the realkey to this dish, it's not an authentic recipe. I don't know theright combination of turtle meat and vegetables. I'm not sureabout the amount of seasonings. Perhaps a recipe for Caymanianturtle stew can't accurately be put into writing-because it requiresan immeasurable quantity of culinary intuition that is innateto Caymanian born cooks.
I'm sure the Cayman Turtle Farm's ManagingDirector Mr. Kenneth Hydes knows where to find the best turtlestew in these Islands. I plan to stop by and ask him sometimesoon. In the meantime, if you would like to vote for your favoritechef, cook or restaurant serving turtle, please use old fashionedtechnology and corner me on the street, call me at home or dropa note to PO Box 283 GT. I'd like to hear from you.
If, like me, you're too timid to attemptour national dish, try turtle steak instead. It has a delicious,rich flavor some compare to veal-not at all gamey or fishy. Someturtle meat is as tender as choice beef. The prime cuts are thesteaks, called the mongershares and come from the shoulder. The"filet" or light steak meat is as tender as beef tenderloin.Sliced against the grain, this steak needs no tenderizing beforecooking. But it's hard to come by. Other cuts of steak are easierto find, but need to be pounded with a meat mallet and cookedslowly, usually braised, to make them tender
What about all the references to "Spanish food" in Caymantoday? Don't be confused. Today, the "Spanish" influenceon Caymanian cookery has nothing to do with Columbus or the Ageof Exploration and the word "Spaniard" here means mainlandLa Ceiba or Tegucigalpa, or stretching that, other neighboringCentral American countries-but definitely not Seville or Madrid.Today the "local food" on Cayman's eclectic roadsidechalkboard menus reflects those contributions to our melting potsociety.
Honduran, Nicaraguan and Cuban dishes arepopular in Cayman--and we love a well-seasoned, falling apartroast pork. But that will never replace turtle as a national passion,any more than chicarrones can substitute for Island Taste's 27-yearold Cayman patties as the national snack. Cuban Moros Y Cristianos(black beans and rice) or Congri (red beans and rice) will neverreplace our own coconut-milk base rice n peas as comfort food.
In honor of the upcoming holiday, DiscoveryDay, I propose that all Caymanians petition our elected representativesin Government to make farmed Cayman green turtle the OfficialNational Dish of the Cayman Islands. In the meantime, thanks toGovernment's Cayman Turtle Farm, turtle meat is available to usyear-round. We can celebrate Cayman's heritage and enjoy turtlealmost anytime. Here is the recipe that was my own discovery ofturtle many years ago.
Recipe
Buccaneer'sTurtle Steak, Cayman Brac Style
I learned how to cook turtle steak fromMrs. Rita Scott in Cayman Brac, 25 years ago, by pestering herand watching her in the kitchen of the old Buccaneer's Inn. There,she and fellow cook, Mrs. Eloise Scott, created wonderful Caymaniandishes that fed hoards of voracious divers. But it was turtlesteak that was the Buccaneer's Inn's signature dish, served onSundays back then, if turtle was available, it was broughtin on Saturdays. Many guests ate and relished this delicious seafood(which most thought was fine veal) before they discovered whatit was. But after tasting turtle, they couldn't resist. Exceptfor prime cuts of "fillet," which are not easy to comeby, turtle steak must be well tenderized before cooking-like beefround steak. Use the toothed side of a meat mallet and pound bothsides, breaking all sinews, until each piece is only about aninch thick.
2 pounds turtle steak, cut into 4 to 6 pieces
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
1 large sweet green pepper, seeded, cored & sliced
1 seasoning pepper, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 large sprig fresh thyme
2 14.5 ounce cans stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons SeasonAll or seasoning salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons Pickapeppa Sauce
2 tablespoons Tortuga Gold Rum
Tenderize the turtle steak, pounding both sides well with a meatmallet, until pieces are only about an inch thick. Sprinkle withlime juice, 2 teaspoons garlic powder and black pepper and refrigeratefor an hour. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large heavy skilletor Dutch oven until hot and brown the turtle steak on each side.Add onions and sweet peppers and cook until vegetables start tosoften, stirring frequently so they don't scorch. Add remainingingredients and stir well, reduce heat to low and simmering andcover. Cook for an hour or until turtle is fork tender and sauceis reduced and thickened. Serve with hot white rice or rice n'peas. Makes four to 6 servings.
® Barbara Currie Dailey is the authorof Tortuga Rum Fever & Caribbean Party Cookbook.