Holidays in British Colonial America
Courtesy of the New York Public Library
In British colonial North America and the Caribbean migrants appropriated the tradition of celebrating English holidays like Christmas for their own special occasions. They “greatly plundered” their masters’ supplies of “poultry,” for holiday meals. A nineteenth-century diary entry describes how one slave brought a turkey, another brought a pie and pudding.
Sweet Potato Pudding (Jamaica)
Ingredients:
2 lbs sweet potato, grated
¼ lb. yam grated
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup flour
½ cup. raisins
½ tin evaporated milk
4 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 oz. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup cherries
Preparation
1. Peel and grate the sweet potatoes and yam.
2. Preheat oven to 325° F
3. Mix grated potato, yam, flour, raisins, cherries and baking powder.
4. Mix evaporated milk, coconut milk, vanilla, nutmeg, butter, sugar and salt .
5. Add milk mixture into potato mixture and beat until smooth.
6. Pour into a greased baking pan.
7. Rest mixture about 20 minutes.
8. Bake at 325° F about 1 ½ hours until centre is set.