The Essence of.....Guyana An exploration of the world through food and drink

Essence -ial Information UK Tourist Office 3 Palace Court Bayswater Rd London W2 4LP Currency Guyanese Dollar Capital Georgetown Language English Main Airlines Delta Flying Time from UK 9hrs 30mins Visa No

PROFILE Guyana or the Co-operative republic of Guyana is a state in the Northern part of South America. Guyana is one of a few mainland territories that is considered to be a part of the Caribbean region. The food is diverse and includes dishes such as curry, roti and cookup rice (a one-pot meal of rice with beans or peas sometimes a combination of both accompanied by chicken or salt fish). The food reflects the ethnic makeup of the country and its colonial history, and includes African and Creole, East Indian, Amerindian, Chinese and European (mostly British, French and Portuguese) dishes. The most important cooking styles have been adopted from the East Indian, Caribbean, African and Chinese cuisines, but there are also many European influences, as Guyana is basically a harmonic blend of these all. Most of these cuisines are based on seafood and fish dishes which include the traditional stew called pepper pot, which contains cassava juice, meat, hot pepper and various seasonings. Meat is one of the main elements of most Guyanese dishes and cured and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes. Guyana is a major producer of sugar cane and rum is one of its many by-products. Needless to say it is a very popular alcoholic drink, which can either be enjoyed as a stand alone drink or mixed with a variety of fruit extracts to create rum punch and many other delicious and refreshing drinks. Mubey is another popular drink made from the bark of the Carob tree (scientific name Colubrine Reclinata).