Duckanoo

Duckunoo or duckanoo, also referred to as tie-a-leaf, blue drawers (draws), dokonon (in French Guiana), and dukunou (in Haiti), is a dessert in Jamaica, Belize, Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent, French Guiana and some other islands in the Lesser Antilles. It is a variation of tamale, which originated in Mesoamerica as early as 8000 to 5000 BC. The Caribbean dish, which has Amerindian and African influences, is typically made from sweet potato, coconut, cornmeal, spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, brown sugar and vanilla, all tied up in a banana leaf, and then cooked in boiling water. Recipes vary across the region.

History

Duckanoo originated in the Caribbean, and is closely related to the Mesoamerican tamale de dulce or tamal dulce ('sweet tamale'), a popular indigenous dessert in the Americas, especially in Mexico. It is the sweet variation of the more popular savoury tamale, which may date from around 100 AD, according to archaeologists Karl Taube, William Saturno, and David Stuart. The dish was adapted and influenced by West Africans who were brought to the Americas during slavery and indentureship— particularly the Maroons and Garifunas, who intermingled with the Amerindians.

In Belize, the dish is rooted in Mayan and African traditions.

Corn and sweet potato, which are native to the Americas, were staples of Mesoamericans, and the indigenous Amerindians, the Arawaks, cultivated them in the Caribbean, which could explain their use as key ingredients.

Etymology

In Ghana, there is a dish known as dokono or Odokono in the Twi language, which is made from fermented corn dough. Though this dish is different from the Caribbean dessert, variations of its name have been adopted regionally.