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 tablespoons fresh thyme

2 tablespoons fresh marjoram

2-3 spring onions, finely chopped

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

½ teaspoon powdered cloves

1 very hot scotch bonnet or chilli pepper, minced

1-2 tablespoons flour (optional)

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Pork

½ pig’s head • 2lbs • 1kg

3 cups • 24floz • 710ml water

1 onion

Bunch thyme, marjoram, bay leaves, spring onions

Pepper sauce, black pepper and salt to taste

1 chicken stock cube (optional)

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Souse Water

3 cups • 24oz • 710ml of water

1 scotch bonnet pepper

1/3 cup • 2.5 floz • 80ml freshly
squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium onion

1 chicken stock cube (optional)

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Pickle

2 cups • 3-6 peeled cucumbers, deseeded and finely chopped

½ cup • ½ medium onion, finely chopped

Small bunch parsley, finely chopped

scotch bonnet pepper to taste, finely chopped

¹⁄3 cup • 2.5 floz • 80ml freshly squeezed lime juice

To garnish: Sweet or flavour pepper rings and parsley

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Method

Pudding:

  1. Peel and grate the sweet potato on the very fine but bumpy 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 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 skewer comes out clean.

Souse:

  1. Wash and clean the pig’s head and place in a saucepan with water, onion, herbs, pepper sauce, black 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 half an hour or until the pork is tender.
  2. Meanwhile, boil 2 cups of water, chicken stock cube, onions and salt. Remove from the heat, add sliced scotch bonnet pepper. When cool add lime juice. Prepare the pickle of cucumber, onion, lime juice, salt, parsley and scotch bonnet pepper and refrigerate.
  3. When pig’s head is cooked, strain off the liquid and allow to cool enough to handle. Remove meat from the bone and cut into strips crossways (each slice should have skin, fat and meat and be about 1” thick). Place in the souse water and allow to marinate until ready to serve.
  4. When ready to serve add the sliced pork to the pickle and mix well.
  5. Serve with the garnish of parsley and sweet pepper or flavour pepper rings.

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