Oh you’ve never heard of Montserrat? Good. Me, neither!
The Montserrat I know is a mountain with a monastery on it in Spain. But apparently it is also the name of a tiny island in the Caribbean. It is technically a territory of the United Kingdom, but is self-governing. It has an area of only 39 square miles, and a population of about 4,600 people. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t find a lot of recipes to choose from for this country.
But I did find that the national dish of Montserrat is Goat Water.
Basically, goat water a brown soup made with goat meat, often served at special occasions.
It was actually pretty easy to make. I bought the goat meat at the Mediterranean Mart in Fayetteville. They’ve got a good selection of frozen halal meats including good quality lamb, veal, and goat which are hard to find at the regular grocery store.
To prepare the soup, first wash the goat meat in saltwater and then set it in a pot with water to boil. Once it’s boiled for a few minutes, add all the ingredients including onions, herbs, and fragrant spices and just let it cook. The final step is to thicken it, being careful not to make it too thin or too thick. I’ve gotten pretty good in the art of thickening soups and I believe I achieved the right consistency for this one. I used about a cup of flour with 2-3 cups of water. Mix it together well and then pour it slowly into the pot while stirring, until it looks right. Very scientific advice, I know.
Find the full recipe here.
The results: To be honest this was my least favorite meal so far. I just didn’t like it much. It wasn’t BAD, just a little strange for my tastes. And I’m usually not picky. It might be the nutmeg. I used nutmeg in place of mace (they come from the same plant), and I used the amount that the recipe called for. But typically when I cook something that has nutmeg in the recipe, I leave it out entirely or only put an itty-bitty dash.
Younes, on the other hand, really liked the goat water. While I only had one bowl, he had probably three or four! He loved the consistency of it and the flavor. For soup he said it was very good. Like a 7 or 8 out of 10 on the soup scale. The only critique he had is that it doesn’t stand well as a meal on its own. It would be better as an appetizer than an entree, and I think I agree.
Now, for the BONUS:
Hummingbird cake. This is actually a Jamaican recipe that made its way into popularity in the American South. I came across the recipe on accident, but wanted to try it since this our Caribbean entry and it was difficult to find recipes for Montserrat. So yeah, I’m taking liberties here and jumbling up my island nations.
But it turned out amazing. It has a light, tropical vibe with the pineapple and bananas. And I absolutely love that rich cream cheese frosting!! I highly recommend making this cake for yourself.
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