Pepper Pot & Pig's Feet

Antigua and Barbuda are located in the Eastern Caribbean. They are part of what is known as the Leeward Islands. Most of their food is imported, however they are well known for the growth of the "Antigua black pineapple", which is thought to be the sweetest pineapple in the world.

The dish I decided to cook, sadly, does not include pineapple. It is the national dish of the region and it is called Pepper Pot Soup. Many Caribbean islands have their own version of pepper pot soup, but the Antiguan version is certainly distinct. The most unique aspect of the recipe (to me, anyway) is that it calls for salt pork, pig feet, and pig snout. I really didn't think this cooking adventure would bring me quite so far out of my comfort zone in the kitchen, but I feel like it would be cheating if I went with a "safe" dish in order to avoid the purchase of swine appendages.

I could not find pig snout in my grocery store, but luckily the recipe offered a substitution: one tablespoon of ketchup. (You might want to tuck that piece of info away just in case you're ever in a pinch!) Salt pork is exactly what you would think: a big slab of fatty meat that is covered in salt. I could barely cut into it with our biggest knife, let alone take a bite of it. The pig feet didn't offer much meat, they were mostly bone and cartilage. The recipe I used was not very explicit about how to handle the meat. The directions said to fry until cooked, then set aside, then return again at the end. Ted and I are somewhat daring eaters, so if there had been a chance to take a bite out of a pig foot, we would have. But we ultimately determined that these meat products were best used for seasoning the soup, and not for consuming. Thank goodness!

Pork products aside, there is much that sounds very appetizing about pepper pot soup. After frying the meat, you add a wonderful selection of chopped vegetables to the pot; squash, pumpkin, spinach, onions, okra, tomatoes, eggplant, and peas. They are simmered until soft and then mashed. But I just could not overlook the fact that the vegetables simmered in a pot that had first been home to salt pork and pig's feet, so the juices from these helped to form the soup's broth.

The recipe also called for "meat scraps", so some fried beef did add more substance to the mashed veggies. It was finally finished off with some fresh chives, thyme, and salt and pepper. Ted seemed to really enjoy the pepper pot. I took a few obligatory bites and dug into the fridge for leftovers.

Though I think Antigua & Barbuda would be a fabulous vacation destination, and we probably would not have to eat a bite of pepper pot soup if we visited, the meal still gets a 1.25.