Metemgee

Metemgee is a Guyanese Creole “Stew” of mixed meat, salt fish, and dumplings with coconut milk, cassava, yam, plantains, okra, onions, thyme, and hot pepper sauce. The dish is a one-pot dish. It’s similar to Jamaica’s ‘rundown’ and ‘oildown’ from other Caribbean islands such as Grenada and Trinidad.

When the Africans were brought as slaves to Guyana, they added this tasteful dish to Guyana’s cuisine culture. The word Metemgee in the African Twi language is translated to “and plantains make it good” according to Candace Goucher. This is probably true as Metemgee is definitely not Metemgee without plantains. They are also added because they cook quickly.

This dish is usually cooked on a Sunday and eaten with the family. The meal is meant to be both satisfying and nutritious because of its starchy root vegetables which are rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Metemgee garnishes vary depending on where you live/d in Guyana. For instance, most Guyanese eat metemgee with fried fish and duff. Others have it with fried fish, duff and boiled egg.