Culture Corner is the place to find the things that remind you of your homeland. Every week, we highlight items — such as traditional dishes and ingredients, books and movies, and fashion apparel and accessories — that are of cultural significance to our many nationalities in South Florida and are available locally.
What: Dutch pot
For many in South Florida, the Dutch pot is a must.
This cast-iron pot is used to prepare traditional Jamaican and West Indian dishes and is available in different diameters, with rounded bottoms or oval, flatter bottoms.
Sue Ramnath, a native of Trinidad, said not just any pot can be used to prepare fare such as curried chicken.
“It’s like a wok. If you cooked Chinese food in a frying pan, you would never get the same taste,” she said.
She has fond memories of her grandparents, who were vegetarians, using the heavy pots to prepare meals.
“They made a lot of fried vegetables,” she said. “They would put the pot on the stove, cut up garlic, onions and hot peppers and then place it into the hot oil on the bottom.”
She and husband Bobby Ramnath co-own the Caribbean Fish Market in Miramar, which carries the pots.
The most crucial element to any Dutch pot, she said, is that it be made of cast-iron. “The heavier the pot, the better it cooks,” she said.
There’s a saying in Trinidadian kitchens, her husband said, that a mineral in the iron used to make the pots goes into the food and gives the meal a special kick that can’t be duplicated with other cookware.
“The West Indian people mostly cook food on a high flame,” Bobby Ramnath said. “And they need a pot that can stand the heat.”
Where:
These are some places in South Florida where this may be found.
Bedessee East-West Indian Grocery
4000 NW 12th St., Lauderhill
954-583-3700
Caribbean Fish Market
6315 Miramar Parkway, Miramar
954-965-2920
FA&M; West Indian/American Grocery
18400 NW Second Ave., Miami
305-653-2384
Pines West Indian Products
8943 Taft St., Pembroke Pines
954-431-6599
Cost:
Dutch pots, varying in size from 6 to 18 inches in diameter, can cost $5.99 to $24.99.
If there are any items you would like to see featured in Culture Corner, or know of a business that offers them, contact Beth Feinstein-Bartl at . We can provide only a sample of South Florida locations.
