Guyanese cuisine

Guyanese cuisine is a fusion of indigenous, African, Indian, Portuguese, Chinese, and European (primarily British) culinary traditions, reflecting the country's multicultural heritage. This diverse blend results from centuries of migration and colonization, yielding a repertoire of dishes, ingredients, and cooking techniques. Staples include one-pot meals, richly spiced stews, curries with roti, and a variety of fried breads and pastries, all enlivened by the use of local herbs and hot peppers.^[1]

Main meals

Breakfast dishes

A typical Guyanese breakfast may feature bakes (fried breads) served with saltfish, known locally as bake and saltfish. Other options include fried rice or Guaynese chow mein, especially as leftovers. On Christmas mornings, families enjoy pepperpot with homemade bread. The key ingredient in pepperpot is cassareep, a syrup made from bitter cassava that also serves as a preservative.^[1]

A jar of commercially-produced cassareep

Indo-Guyanese options include sada roti with fried eggs or dal. Porridges made from cornmeal or oats and dishes like plantain and eggs are common.^[1]

Lunch/dinner

Lunches and dinners commonly feature curry and roti, such as dhalpuri, oil roti, and aloo roti. Curries are made with garlic, cumin, garam masala, and other spices.^[1]

Creole dishes include cook-up rice, a one-pot meal of rice, beans, coconut milk, and meats such as pig tail or salted beef. Metemgee—a stew of root vegetables, plantains, coconut milk, and dumplings—is rooted in African and Amerindian traditions.^[1]

Chinese influences are seen in Guyanese fried rice and Guyanese chow mein, adapted with Caribbean spices and ingredients.^[1] Lo mein and other stir-fries are also popular. Colonial legacies include macaroni pie, baked meats, souse, and black pudding.^[1]

Street foods and snacks

Common street foods include pholourie, egg ball, cassava ball, saltfish cakes, and doubles. Chinese-style snacks such as wontons and egg rolls are sold by roadside vendors.^[1]

Festive foods

Guyanese pepperpot, a traditional Christmas dish

Christmas dishes include Guyanese pepperpot, Garlic pork (of Portuguese origin), and Black cake. During Eid al-Fitr, Diwali, and Phagwah, Indo-Guyanese communities prepare sweets such as sawine, gulab jamun, mithai, and parsad. Cook-up rice and soups are prepared for Emancipation Day and Old Year's Night.^[1]

Sweets and pastries

Desserts include Salara, pine tart, cheese rolls, and cassava pone. Chinese cake, a variation of mooncake made with black-eyed peas, reflects Chinese heritage. British-style cakes like pound cake and Victoria sponge are also common.^[1]

Beverages

Popular drinks include Mauby, sorrel drink, ginger beer, peanut punch, and lime wash. El Dorado rum—produced by Demera Distillers Ltd—is internationally acclaimed. Banks Beer, Casiri, and Parakari (indigenous cassava-based alcohols) are popular.^[1]

See also

• Guyanese pepperpot
• Cassareep
• Pholourie
• Dhalpuri
• Guyanese chow mein
• Salara
• Chinese cake (Guyanese)
• Pine tart
• El Dorado Rum
• List of Caribbean cuisines
• Trinidad and Tobago cuisine
• Indo-Caribbean cuisine
• Caribbean Chinese cuisine