Hi Everyone,
There are many old time foods that we can make today using the most modern of appliances and techniques, but Conkies (aka sweet dumplings) is not one of them. To get the right flavour and texture of Conkies we need to keep it ‘ole school’.
Though wax paper, parchment paper and aluminium foil are readily available, the best wrapper for Conkies is still the banana leaf. The banana leaves have the right degree of thickness to secure the mixture and keep it moist during the long steaming. Imparting its subtle flavour, banana leaves give Conkie its signature taste.
The food processor has come to our aid to puree, shred, chop, grate and grind many things, but it cannot rival the extremely fine shredding of a coconut that a box grater gives, or the smoothness of pumpkin that has been vigorously rubbed against the many tiny sharp bumps of a box grater. No, it can’t. Conkies is all about the texture when cooked and the only tool, after all these years, that is still capable of producing such fine work (pun intended) is a box grater.
Tomorrow marks Barbados’s 48th anniversary of Independence and the number one food item that will be made and eaten in abundance is Conkies.
Conkie, a mixture of grated pumpkin, corn flour, coconut, sugar and spices, wrapped and cooked in banana leaves, is a food that can be found throughout the Caribbean. Here in Barbados, it is particularly associated with Independence even though there is no direct relation between the two. Prior to Independence, Barbadians 
would make and eat Conkies to coincide with Guy Fawkes Night November 5.
I don’t make Conkies every year but this year, since the beginning of October, some of my friends have been dropping big hints, trying to butter me up with comments like, “You spoil me, I don’t eat no other Conkies but yours.”
I issued an invitation to 5 of them to come over this weekend for me to teach them how to make Conkies. My one request is that they each walk with a box grater. One of them, let’s call her G, looked at her well lacquered and manicured nails when the invitation and request was issued and wondered if we couldn’t use the food processor. You know in Guyana we talk about ‘cut eye’? Well I am not ashamed to tell you that I cut my eye on she! It’s amazing how some expressions and gestures are understood regardless of where you are from. She got the message and quickly said, “Alright, I’ll just have my nails clipped and buffed.” I think it’s going to be more fun for me than them. Can’t wait to set them each with a bowl and grater with some coconut and pumpkin.
Conkies ‘ole-school’ making has to do not only with how the ingredients are prepared but also the amount of time it takes to grate all the ingredients. The actual mixing up of the batter is done in about 5 minutes or less. The other part of Conkie-making that is time consuming is the singe-ing and cleaning of the banana leaves. This is followed by carefully removing the flap-like leaves from the stems to then tear them into pieces to wrap and make parcels.
Long ribbons from the leaves are torn to form the ‘string’ to tie the wrapped parcels. The stems are not discarded; they are cut into lengths to fit the size of the pot being used to cook the Conkies.
Just like the grater versus the food processor, we are yet to create a steaming rack with the height and heft that can take the weight of a couple dozen of Conkies as they cook and become heavy.
The cut banana-leaf stems are arranged crisscrossed at the bottom of the pot with a height of about 5 inches. This depth allows for enough water to be boiling in the pot but not be touching the Conkies, truly steaming them.
Talking about pots, it is not like you can’t use one of your regular pots to steam the Conkies, you can, but you will have to do so in batches and you might have to keep adding boiling water given the time is takes to cook the Conkies. If you don’t have a large stockpot, check your relatives and friends of an older generation, you might be in luck.
Once cooked, there is nothing quite like unwrapping your first Conkie. The scent of cinnamon mixed with almond and nutmeg is like aromatherapy. The Conkie lies there glistening and smooth, it is a texture thing I tell you.
One bite and you are a goner. Chew on the smoothness and smile as you bite into a rum-plumped raisin; it’s a little surprise. Take another bite… and another. Don’t worry; there’s more. Have another Conkie.
Cynthia
