Acting Principal Sharmaine Marshall and a team of cooks and other staff
The Carnegie School of Home Economics is set to make history with the publishing of Guyana’s first-ever recipe book of Indigenous cuisines.
Acting Principal of Carnegie School of Home Economics, Sharmaine Marshall shared that this initiative was birthed through a financing arrangement with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for a six-year project named the Hinterland Environmentally Sustainable Agricultural Development (HESAD) Project.
The project recently developed a Nutrition Strategy and playbook that outlined the nutritional problems of the beneficiaries of the HESAD Project in Regions One and Nine, with the aim of making awareness interventions in nutrition, especially in relation to women, youth, and children.
“The purpose of it is to document the history of the…Indigenous recipes in Guyana, particularly from Region One and Nine. That is what the project is about, so we would have gathered these recipes from various Indigenous nations in Guyana, and we would have conducted…a test kitchen. Because the recipes submitted are from different formatting…what we wanted to do was to standardise it into a form where anyone can pick up this book and use it,” Marshall explained.
Marshall shared that the taste test kitchen event, which was hosted for a three-day period at the Carnegie School, saw tremendous support as people came out in their numbers to sample these foods.
“We have…overwhelming support. We have gained much traction, and what I find is that people are anxious on the third day, persons are coming in way before the time, so I would say it’s a huge success, we have gained traction, especially from the Indigenous communities as well,” Marshall said cheerily.
Meanwhile, Cook Supervisor Michael Patterson shared that a lot of people have been coming to sample the tuma. According to Patterson, he is elated to be part of such a historic event.
“It’s interesting to be a part of history and this is so rich, it’s really Guyanese unique culture and we’re just topping it right here. It’s great being a part of such a historic project and historic event, and this is the…promotion and preservation of Indigenous culture, especially with the food,” Patterson remarked.
“The tuma food, that’s a big rush about it, of course, we have other options…farine, farine cake, cassava roll, starch bread, a variety of appetizer, drinks…the black potato wine [and more],” Patterson boasted.
The US$11.15 million HESAD project aims to improve livelihood resilience through income generation, access to assets, improved nutrition, and adaptation to climate variability and change. The lead agency for the implementation of the HESAD Project is the Agriculture Ministry, through its Agriculture Sector Development Unit (ASDU).
The historical recipe book, which will feature 50 recipes, will be designed and printed by Carnegie and will be available free of cost. A total of 300 copies are expected to be printed and handed over to the National Toshaos Council, who will distribute them to various communities across the country.
