December 2: Traditional Bermudian Christmas Fayre

As a regular visitor to Bermuda over the Festive Season, I have been getting used to the local culinary specialities that appear at this time of year. One of those is Cassava Pie.  To be honest, it strikes me as more of a sweet savoury cake than a pie, but to many of the locals, it spells Christmas, with half of it put in the freezer to eat at Easter. When you have read the quantities used to make the pie, you will understand why half of it is put away for Easter! 

According to an article in the local media, Bernews, in 2010, a local Bermudian historian, William Zuill thinks that cassava arrived in Bermuda around 1612, when the first black and Native American inhabitants arrived and the islands were permanently settled.

There are many variations in recipes I have seen for Cassava Pie, but they are broadly aligned in terms of quantities, ingredients and cooking time.  I have managed to persuade my boyfriend’s family to share his grandmother’s recipe for Cassava Pie which must date back to the 1930s or 1940s – with the original handwritten recipe still in family hands.

Go on, try it, I dare you!

Cassava Pie

These quantities make 2 large pies – beware, they are not light on calories or cholesterol!

The filling

Prepare the filling the day before:-

• 5 lbs chicken thighs

• 5 lbs boneless pork loin (used raw when the “pie” is put together before going in the oven)

1. Simmer chicken with salt, pepper & thyme (add a few garlic cloves if you wish) in a small amount of water until the meat can be removed from the bones

2. Put bones back in the liquid and simmer for an hour

3. Strain the liquid and pour over chicken meat

The mix

• 10 lbs grated cassava – the easiest way is to buy grated cassava & drain and squeeze it in a muslin towel (or tea towel) to remove as much liquid as possible

• 1 lb sugar

• 2 tablespoons salt

• 5 tablespoons flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 teaspoons grated nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon pepper

Mix all the above ingredients together and then add

• 18 eggs (yes, you read that right, 18!)

• 1 large can evaporated milk

• 1 lb melted butter

The mixture should be soggy (moist) at this point.

Putting it together & cooking

1. Butter and flour 2 deep roasting style pans (or large metal bread pans).

2. Put layer of cassava mix in bottom of pan

3. Slice raw pork loin into half inch slices and arrange over cassava mix.  Cover with the jellied chicken

4. Cover with the remaining cassava mixture – leaving a hole in the centre.  Do not fill pan to top or the mixture will boil over in oven

5. Place in the oven at 300F for 5-7 hours

6. Place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven for the first 2 hours cooking

7. Check the pie regularly and if it seems dry, baste it with the chicken broth that you made earlier with the filling

8. Cover the pies with a damp cloth after removing from the oven, this will keep the crust from hardening

This recipe freezes well and if you are looking to use it after freezing, defrost overnight and leave foil over the top while reheating.