Pudding and Souse

Steeped in tradition, souse in Barbados is usually made with pig’s head and trotters. However pork chops, with the skin on, are easier to find and cook and make an excellent, less fatty, very tasty souse. Pudding and souse is made and sold throughout Barbados every Saturday. Although generally eaten as a main course dish with pudding and pickled breadfruit, soused pork chops make an excellent canapé or appetizer.

Ingredients

Pudding:‍

2-3 lbs/1-1.5kg sweet potato

2-3 green topped spring onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons fresh marjoram

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves

1 very hot bonnet or chilli pepper 1-2 tablespoons flour (optional)

‍

‍Souse:

For the boiling the meat

1/2 pig’s head or 2kg of pork chops with the skin

3 cups 24floz/725ml water

1 whole onion roughly cut into pieces

Bunch of herbs thyme and marjoram

Pepper sauce

black pepper and salt to taste

1 chicken stock cube (optional)

‍For the pickle

2 cups peeled cucumbers, finely chopped - choose cucumbers with as few seeds as possible

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup lime juice (juice of 2 or 3 limes, enough to give the pickle a good twang)

1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste

Small bunch parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon hot pepper, very finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce -adjust to taste

To garnish: sweet pepper rings and parsley

Method

Pudding:

  1. Peel and grate the sweet potato on the side of the grater that gives the finest texture.
  2. Mix the grated sweet potato with the herbs, butter, sugar, cloves and minced hot pepper. Add enough hot water to make a soft but not runny texture. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons flour if the sweet potatoes are not very starchy and the mixture is too runny.
  3. Pour into a pyrex or metal steaming bowl and steam over boiling water for an hour or until an inserted scewer comes out clean.

Souse:

  1. Wash and clean the pig’s head and place in a saucepan with water, onion, herbs, pepper sauce, pepper, salt and stock cube if using. It is said, “de sweeter de souse water, de sweeter de souse”. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 1/2 hour or until the pork is tender.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the pickle of cucumber, onion, lime juice, salt, parsley and hot pepper and refrigerate.
  3. When pig’s head is cooked, strain off the liquid, reserving a little and allow to cool. Remove meat from the bone and cut into strips crossways (each slice should have skin, fat and meat and be about 1” thick).
  4. Add the sliced pork to the pickle and mix well. Souse should be eaten within 6 or 8 hours of being made, as the pickle tends to deteriorate after that.
  5. Serve garnished with parsley and sweet pepper rings.

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