Montserrat - The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean By Sharmen Frith-Hemmings A people that prides themselves on their cooking ability produces some of the tastiest dishes that your palate will ever experience. Our pride and joy Montserrat’s national dish is ‘Goat Water’. Don’t let the name fool you, this smooth tasting brown stew made of goat meat and exotic spices, served with fresh baked bread rolls or rice is not to be confused with the Jamaican Manish water. One taste of this culinary masterpiece will have your taste buds screaming for more. The smell calls you from a mile off and as the meat melts in your mouth you cannot resist the call for seconds.
Above: Sharmen wearing the Montserrat Madras
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T
he words of Rick Tyson in his song Nature Lovers Fantasy, takes me on an imaginary journey of pure niceness.
“Let’s take a cruise lets enjoy a vacation, leaving the hustle and the bustle behind, it’s the warmth of a tropical island. Come on and share that delightful sensation of being surrounded by the sand and the sea, in an atmosphere of tranquillity. There’s a beautiful unspoiled gem of creation, the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, Its Montserrat come and see, a nature lovers’ fantasy…” As the sweet sultry tones of the music continues to surround me, I can’t help but remember the beautiful beaches, the rolling mountains and the relaxed way of life that I grew up in. I am reminded of the friendly and respectful way we great each other, the sound of our own dialect a language that means so much to me. Montserrat in all its royal beauty gave me a culture that played one of the greatest influences in my life.
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I remember the large pans cooking away on a wood fire on every special event that I attended from fêtes to weddings. No occasion would be complete without Miss Mono’s Goat water, she was our village (Salem) Queen of cooking Goat water. This dish is made authentically from the meat of a ram (male) goat and includes spices such as ‘erbs and chibble, (the local names for thyme and spring onions), scotch bonnet and cloves. In addition to the spices, the smoke from the wood helps to give this culinary creation its unique taste. Traditionally this dish can be difficult to cook as it requires a certain consistency that is neither too thick or thin and the colour that is just right.
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
Above: Goat Water
In looking back the historic influences clearly shows the fusion of our African and Irish ancestry. The stew bares some semblance of the Irish stew but is heavily influenced by the African spicy flavour. Goat water is not the only thing that is unique to Montserrat. We also have national dress made from the Montserrat
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