This Thing Called Bakes

A class of bakes

Hi Everyone, I have an obsession with bakes. Not exclusively with the eating of bakes but with the cultural and historical significance of this food of fried dough found across the length and breath of Guyana, and indeed, up and down the entire Caribbean.

As I have said before, here and in other forums, my interest in food lies way beyond consumption whether for survival or pleasure. I particularly like to know my food contextually. One of the things I’m interested in is how foods that once marked someone as being poor or having very little – foods once scorned or shunned –20130824cynthia are now proudly celebrated as embracing one’s culture. We make them proudly and set them on fine tableware adorning starched linen-covered tables to welcome one and all, even the most important of guests. Good ole Bajan bakes is one such food.

The ole time, or should I say the traditional, Bajan bakes are made of flour, water sugar and salt mixed together to make a batter of dropping consistency and fried in oil. Back in the day, they were fried in lard oil. According to Barbadian author, Austin Clarke, bakes are the cheapest meal in the world to make. He called these bakes “poor man’s bakes.” When cooked, they would be about ½-inch thick and 2-inches in diameter. Thick, with a good chew that filled the belly. I have made and enjoyed poor man’s bakes many times.

However, in Clarke’s book, Pigtails ‘n Breadfruit, he also described “middle and upper-class bakes”. He said the middle and upper-middle class bakes contained other ingredients that reflected a person’s status in society. The better the ingredients in the bakes, the higher those ingredients could lift you, even beyond the class to which you already belonged. Clarke’s comments reminded me of what University of Guyana Lecturer, Alim Hosein and UG grads Rhonda Lam-Singh and Renee Spencer found in their research into the food culture of Guyana. Among the many types of bakes they discovered, they found such a thing in Guyana as “teacher-girl bakes.” The teacher-girl bake is so called because the teacher-girls did not want to mess up their hands when making bakes so they would mix the batter for the bakes with a spoon and then drop it by portions in to the hot oil. You see… socio-economic class and cultural status.

the ‘other’ class of Bajan bakes (Photo by  Cynthia Nelson)
the ‘other’ class of Bajan bakes
(Photo by
Cynthia Nelson)

When I had finished reading Clarke’s chapter on bakes in his fascinating book Pigtails ‘n Breadfruit, I went into the kitchen to make his version of middle and upper middle-class bakes. The ingredients for this version of Barbadian Bakes went far beyond flour, water, sugar and salt. They contained baking powder, butter, spices, eggs and essence for additional flavour. Indeed the taste, texture and flavour were markedly different. These upper class bakes were light and tender.

I stood at the kitchen counter staring down at the basket of Clarke’s middle/ upper-middle class bakes I had just made. I stood there for a very long time thinking – of the ole time Bajan bakes I had made and eaten the day before.  Two versions of bakes that I like very much, each with its own story and history. My mind flashed back to something else Clarke wrote: “Complexion of skin and social status, and the lightness of bakes go hand in hand.” I found myself whispering: “What is my complexion? What is my social status?”

The “Other” kind of Bajan Bakes

 

Yield: 24

 

INGREDIENTS

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons cold butter (salted or unsalted)

¼ teaspoon table salt (fine salt)

4 tablespoons white/brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Water

Oil for shallow frying

 

DIRECTIONS

1.  Add flour and baking powder to medium-sized bowl and mix well.

2.  Rub butter into the flour.

3.  Add the salt, sugar and spices to the flour mixture and toss to mix.

4.  Beat egg and essence together and add to flour along with enough water to make a thick batter. The batter should be a little thicker than regular pancake batter, it should not be watery, nor should it run off of the spoon quickly. When you lift the batter with the spoon, it should slide off heavily.

5.  Now, at this stage you can fry the bakes right away or do I like did which was to let the batter rest, covered for at least 20 minutes. The longer the batter rests, the higher the bakes will rise.

6.  Heat oil in pan on medium heat – if you are using a skillet, you will get flat, puffed bakes but if you use a karahi or a rounded bottom pot, the bakes will puff up even more and be round.

7.  Drop the batter in tablespoons – about 5 – 6 at a time depending on the size of your pan. Fry until puffed up and brown, flip and cook the other side. Drain on paper towels; repeat until the batter is done.

 

NOTE

● To make the more traditional Bajan bakes, the ole time bakes, leave out the following ingredients: baking powder, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg and essence.

 

Cynthia

Cynthia@tasteslikehome.org

www.tasteslikehome.org