By Brigid Ransome Washington, The New York Times
Most condiments understand their role: Uplift but never upstage. But in Trinidad and Tobago, the show can’t go on without chow chow, a citrine-colored, spice-laced and veggie-packed relish.
With mustard at its core, chow chow combines fruit, vegetables and aromatics — carrots, bell peppers, bitter melon, pineapple, mangoes, papaya, ginger, cloves, onions and garlic — into an assertive yet nuanced topping for baked ham. Scotch bonnet chiles give it fire.
The custom of eating it on Christmas morning has been diligently passed down across generations.
Growing up in Trinidad, chef Osei Blackett of Ariapita, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, recalls a dozen or more loved ones at his grandmother’s house, where she’d make a spread of clove-studded ham, hops bread (a buttery, slightly sweet and ethereally airy extra large dinner roll) and, of course, chow chow.
“We couldn’t have Christmas breakfast without it,” he said.
Natasha Laggan, a Trinidadian cook who posts on social media as @TriniCookingWithNatasha, says she teaches her 8-year-old son, AJ, that chow chow always goes with ham, “because it’s tradition,” she said. “How could I not?”
Despite chow chow’s prevalence, its genesis is uncertain, as is how it became the quintessential condiment of Trinbagonian Christmas. It is widely believed to be a descendant of English piccalilli, which is an Anglicized adaptation of the fragrant, acidic and flavor-packed pickles found throughout South Asia.
Elizabeth Raffald, an 18th-century homemaker and entrepreneur who was regarded as “England’s most influential housekeeper,” wrote about the process of making piccalilli in her 1769 book, “The Experienced English Housekeeper.” That condiment proliferated throughout England and ultimately through the West Indies over centuries of British rule, becoming an indispensable part of Trinidad and Tobago and how its people celebrate Christmas. The inclusion of tropical fruits, aromatics and vegetables makes chow chow unapologetically Caribbean.
For Blackett, it made for an unforgettable holiday spread. “The combination of the warm freshly baked bread, thick slice of salty ham and sharp, sweet chow chow was just incredible,” he said of his grandmother’s feast, adding, “When it was finished, we all knew that we had to wait until next year to enjoy it again.”
Recipe: Pineapple Chow Chow
This piquant pickled relish is widely believed to be descendant from English piccalilli. In Trinidad and Tobago, chow chow is a staple during the holiday season and is often served with baked ham and hops bread on Christmas morning. Typically, Trinidadian chow chow is made by soaking a bevy of fruits and vegetables such as Chinese long beans and green papaya overnight in a salty-sweet brine. This quicker stovetop adaptation nixes the need for a nightlong soak, and incorporates canned pineapple to add both sweetness and heft to its bright and assertive mustard base.
By Brigid Ransome Washington
Yield: About 3 1/2 cups
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 (14-ounce) can pineapple slices, juice and fruit separated, fruit roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 knob ginger (about 2 inches), peeled and minced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 habanero chile, deveined, seeded and minced (about 1/4 teaspoon)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 cup minced cauliflower florets
- 1/2 white onion, cut into small dice (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into small dice
- 4 ounces green beans (about 25), finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Preparation
1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk to combine the vinegar, pineapple juice, sugar, salt, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon and cloves. Add the ginger, minced garlic and habanero along with the carrot, cauliflower and onion. Bring to a simmer and allow the vegetables to cook until they are slightly tender, stirring occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the bell pepper, green beans, chopped pineapple and both mustards, and allow to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water together until well-blended and add it to the pot. Reduce heat to low and allow the chow chow to cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, until the mixture has slightly thickened. Serve at room temperature. Chow chow can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.