Back to Gillian’s great grandmother’s place in Asia District. Her great grandmother had a self-sufficient farm lot. She raised livestock and grew her own provisions. Numbered among her provisions were cocoa and many other fruit, vegetables and herbs. Amongst the livestock she reared were chicken, goats and pigs. Back in those days, her great grandmother would make her own corned pork. As “Corned Pork” was always in her pantry and “Saltfish” being more of a luxury item, her great grandmother, like most of her neighbours in Asia District and its environs added a super tantalizingly savoury twist to the Jamaican national dish. “Ackee and Corned Pork” is one of the secret dishes of Asia District.
Gillian recalled salivating in those days while the seasoning, “Ackee and Corned Pork” would sauté in the freshly made oil from milk extracted from hand grated coconuts. The coconut milk was boiled out in the yard over a wooden fire until the milk became oil. No meal of “Ackee and Corned Pork” was ever complete without boiled soft yam and dumplings. Other times, this would be complemented with fried dumplings or bammies (a cassava cake or bread). I could just hear the excitement and the longingness in Gillian’s voice for some “Ackee and Corned Pork”. The evil side of me had to tempt her more. I had to encourage her to satisfy her wants.
It did not take much for me to encourage her to journey outside of her normal routine. She quickly agreed to cook her favourite dish and to send us photos for this article. No sooner had we ended the interview that she got on the phone to ask her mom to get some of the best ackees in Jamaica. Her mom went to the largest and well-known market in Jamaica, located in the heart of downtown Kingston and named ‘Coronation Market’. There Gillian’s mom handpicked the freshest and best ackees for this article. Gillian had originally planned to cook the dish on the Sunday after our interview. But although Gillian is someone who is never easily tempted, very focused and strong willed – she was no match for “Ackee and Corned Pork”. The photos came before the planned day.
I was surprised when Gillian sent me the photos of her handy work well ahead of her scheduled cooking date. She confessed that she had to take that journey through culinary time and space. She had to acquiesce. She had to give in. She needed her heart to dance again. So, it was a most timely and fitting reason to get into the kitchen and work her magic. For her children – Kristian and Ashley, they too were longing for their hearts to dance. For them, Christmas could not have come soon enough. A midsummer’s Christmas was just what the doctor had ordered. For Gillian, you cannot visit central Jamaica whether it is Asia on the Clarendon side or Porus on the Manchester side and not request a hearty serving of “Ackee and Corned Pork”. So, when you visit Jamaica, stay with a Jamaican or dine at a Jamaican eatery, ask for “Ackee and Corned Pork”, please. Until next time, walk good, and stay safe.
Author and Interviewer: Radcliffe Lennox
Translator: Shiho Owada
アジア地区のジリアンの曾祖母の場所に戻ります。曾祖母は自給自足の農地を持っていました。家畜を育て、自分で食料を育てていました。彼女の食料の中には、ココア、その他多くの果物、野菜、ハーブなどがありました。家畜の中には、鶏、ヤギ、豚などがいました。その頃、曾祖母は自分でコンビーフを作っていました。コンビーフポークはいつも彼女の食料庫にあったし、ソルトフィッシュはもっと贅沢なものだったので、彼女の曾祖母はアジア地区とその周辺地域の多くの隣人たちと同様に、ジャマイカの国民的料理であるコンビーフに風味豊かなひねりを加えたのです。アキーとコンビーフはアジア地区の代表的な料理です。
ジリアンは当時、調味料やアキー、コンビーフを手ですりおろしたココナッツから抽出したミルクで作った出来立てのオイルでソテーしながら、唾を飲み込んでいたことを思い出しました。ココナッツミルクは庭先で木の火でオイルになるまで煮出していました。アキーとコンビーフの食事には、茹でたヤムとダンプリングが欠かせませんでした。他にも、揚げダンプリングやバミー（キャッサバのパン）を添えて食べることもありました。彼女はすぐに彼女の好きな料理を作りこの記事のために私たちに写真を送ることを約束してくれました。
予定していた日よりもかなり前に、ジリアンから写真が送られてきてびっくりしました。彼女の子供たち、クリスティアンとアシュリーのために、彼らもまた、彼らの心が踊ることを待ち望んでいました。彼らにとって、クリスマスはすぐには来ないものでした。
ジリアンにとって、クラレンドン側のアジアにしてもマンチェスター側のポーラスにしても、ジャマイカの中心部を訪れたときにアキーとコンビーフを食べないわけにはいかないと思っています。ジャマイカを訪れる際には、ジャマイカ人と一緒に滞在するか、ジャマイカ料理店で食事をして、アキーとコンポークを頼みましょう。
著者＆インタビュアー：ラドクリフ レノックス
翻訳：大和田志保