Molasses and Salt Cod are common on the plates and palettes of many people in Newfoundland and Labrador. But they are also the traditional food of the much warmer islands of the Caribbean.
Unearthed’s latest work describes the complex culinary connections between food and the region and class conflicts.
Sonja Boon, a professor of gender studies at the Memorial University, said Newfoundland has a type of dried cod called “not the finest” or “Jamaica cod.” “The better the grade, the more it was sent to Europe and the Mediterranean.
The worst cod seeds came to the island, but we still loved it. They have become part of the national cuisine. From an early age, Newfoundland has been in my mind about our food, “she said.
She heard the word “garbage fish”, which means poor quality fish. It didn’t sell in the Portuguese market. That’s what you throw into the Caribbean … slave owners want cheap food so they can feed their slaves. ”
Series contributor and narrator Xaiver Campbell bake ginger molasses biscuits in the kitchen. And he questions the potential dark side of sweet treats.
“Think of all the hands of white and black, Newfoundland and the Caribbean, with the addition of fish, rum and molasses. Poor hands, enslave hands, hands working in dangerous environments, cutting sugar cane. I touched my hand and stirred the molasses tub, “Campbell said.
Halifax-based black historian, writer, and artist Afua Cooper said it was important to be more aware of something that might look as harmless as baking.
“So when you use this molasses for biscuits, think about where it came from. What is the current sugar cane production in the Caribbean? People who are still growing sugar cane in the Caribbean Who are they? How are they paid? “She said. “We need to think about how this is generated. And there is a terrible story behind this work, and we need to deal with that story.
Read More: Slavery in Newfoundland and Labrador Episode 3: Of salt cod and lassie buns | CBC News
