Duckunoo or duckanoo, also referred to as tie-a-leaf, blue drawers (draws), dokonon (in French Guiana), and dukunou (in Haiti) is a dessert in Jamaica, Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, St Vincent, French Guiana and some other islands in the Lesser Antilles. It is a variation of tamale, which originated in Mesoamerica as early as 8000 to 5000 BC.[Breton, Father Raymond: 1665. Dictionnaire, Caraibe-Francois. Gilles Bouquet, Auxerre, France. Chambers, Mr. Walter: 1995. Personal communication.][Jane, Charles: 1982. Antigua Black - A Pineapple of the Gods. Museum Library, ref: P-10.][Little & Wadsworth: 1964. The Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, US Department of Agriculture, Puerto Rico.][Martin, F.W. & Rubert, Ruth M.: 1979. Edible Leaves of the Tropics, US Dept. of Agriculture, Puerto Rico.]
History
Duckunoo originated in the Caribbean and is closely related to the
Mesoamerican 'tamale de dulce' or 'tamal dulce' (
sweet tamale),
which is a popular indigenous dessert in the
Americas, especially in
Mexico.
It is the sweet variation of the more popular savoury
tamale, which may date from around 100 AD, according to archaeologists
Karl Taube,
William Saturno, and David Stuart. It was adopted by Africans who were brought to the Americas during slavery and indentureship— particularly the
Maroons,
who intermingled with the Amerindians.
Corn and
sweet potato which are native to the Americas were staples of Mesoamericans, and the indigenous
Amerindians, the
Arawaks, cultivated them in the
Caribbean,
which could explain their use as key ingredients.
Etymology
In
Ghana, there is a dish known as
dokono or
Odokono in the
Twi language,
which is made from fermented corn dough. Though this dish is different from the Caribbean dessert, variations of its name have been adopted regionally.
Variations and similar dishes
Caribbean
Lesser Antilles
In Antigua and Barbuda,
[Luffman, John: 1788. A Brief Account of Antigua ... In Oliver’s History, 1898.] ingredients such as eddoe /
dasheen is used, and
ducana is often served with okra, eggplant, vegetables and
bonavista bean— a popular meal during
Easter.
Sometimes, other islanders use
pumpkin, plantain-flour or regular
flour as a substitute for
cornmeal,
butter and
raisins. The dish is called
paime, in Trinidad and Tobago, which is eaten especially at
Christmas.
The more savoury version is called
pastelle— also prepared in
Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and
Colombia, and is similar to tamale,
hallaca (from
Venezuela) or
ayaka (from
Aruba,
Bonaire and Curaçao).
In
St Lucia,
paime also called
penmi, is typically eaten on Jounen Kwéyòl or
Creole Day.
Greater Antilles and Belize
In
Jamaica, it is common to add grated
green banana,
coconut, sweet potato and/or cornmeal with
coconut milk, brown sugar,
mixed spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and
anise) and vanilla— raisins are optional.
It can be served with an orange sauce.
is eaten as a dessert or snack, but is typically seen at cultural or heritage celebrations.
Doukounou is considered to be a sweet and/or savoury dish eaten as a breakfast or dessert, in Haiti. It is made with cornmeal, milk, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, vanilla extract and eggs, and is served with a sweet sauce.
There is a similar dish called guanime dulce in Puerto Rico, which is prepared with cornmeal or corn flour, coconut milk and sugar / honey or molasses.
In Belize, the dish is called dukunu, tamalito or ducunu which is said to be the Garifuna word for 'boiled corn'.
Latin America
Central America
In
Latin America, particularly
Mexico, there are a variety of sweet
and
tamalitos which are made in different colours and flavours, with
masa instead of cornmeal, and cooked in corn husks. Ingredients include sugar, cinnamon, raisins, nuts, fruits or
fruit preserves like
pineapple,
strawberry and
peach,
cajeta or dulce de leche and
chocolate. They are typically eaten on
Candlemas, during Christmas and other holidays, and as a common street food.
In
Oaxaca, Mexico, they are eaten for breakfast. A similar dish called
uchepos or
uchepo from the Tierra Caliente region (Michoacán and
Guerrero), is made with corn, milk, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, butter and/or crème fraîche.
It may be served with green
tomatillo salsa,
queso fresco or covered in sweetened condensed milk.
It is typically eaten during the summer.
Similarly, in
Guatemala,
tamales or tamalitos de elote are made with corn instead of masa, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and/or cheese, cream and raisins.
is another traditional dessert usually prepared for special occasions and Christmas. It is made with raisins, almonds or prunes,
pink sugar or colouring, margarine and masa with cinnamon or anise water.
is also made in
Honduras, and it is a popular street food.
Ingredients include corn, sugar, salt and milk, with butter and/or cheese.
Nicaraguan sweet tamale or yoltamal can be made with masa, corn, evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and fruits / fruit preserves.
In Costa Rica, a variation called tamal dulce de elote or tamalitos de elote
South America
In
Brazil,
are made with grated or ground corn, sugar, coconut milk, butter, cinnamon and/or coconut, and then boiled in corn husks or banana leaves. They are indigenous to the
Nordeste,
and can be found in
Minas Gerais, Goiás,
Mato Grosso, Rondônia, São Paulo, Paraná and
Tocantins. In some regions, the dish resembles a corn cake wrapped in banana leaves, later dissolved in sugar and water when served, hence the name
garapa de pamonha.
Pamonhas are widely consumed during
Festas Juninas, a festival which coincides with Brazil’s harvest of corn and the end of the rainy season.
They are sold in shops or by street vendors as a sweet snack or dessert. The name “
pamonha” comes from the indigenous
Tupi-Guarani word
pa'muna meaning 'sticky',
which might describe the dish's consistency.
There are many other variations of sweet tamales, humitas ( humintas) or ( envueltos), similar to
duckunoo and the other regional variations mentioned, which are made in Panama, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. In the central Andes region, sweet humitas
, in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico]]
envueltos / bollos made with corn]]
dish— sweet and spicy humitas]]
humintas made with corn, anise, sugar, cinnamon and a little oil]]
See also
