"Fish eggs": caviar of the Caribbean?
Not quite. Egg masses of many female fish unrelated to the sturgeon have their culinary uses, too. They can be pickled, fried gently or brusquely, served over pasta, or prepared in myriad other ways. At this annual celebration of Creole language and culture, roe sacs were featured in a piquant, tasty preparation that — like a pair of robust Jamaican dishes, manish water and cow cod soup — is said to invigorate men of a certain age. Fish eggs of two species were employed: I have no issue with the tuna, but, for the intended purpose, I have my doubts about the flounder.
Also shown: the national dish of St. Lucia, "fig" (the local lingo for green banana) and saltfish; a half-calabash of stewed pork with provisions (a common Caribbean term for assorted root crops); and lababad, a stiff coconut cookie. By midafternoon the small side yard of the community center was crowded, helping to muffle the thumping bass of the sound system but restricting easy circulation. To take a gander at paime, crab and callaloo, lambi, plum jam, and turtle stew, wait till next year.
St. Lucia House Foundation Jounen Kwéyòl
The St. Lucia Community Center, 438 East 49th St. (Church-Snyder Aves.), East Flatbush, Brooklyn
(The 2014 Jounen Kwéyòl was held on October 26)
