The Moreish Podcast: Caribbean History, Culture, and Cuisine

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Exploring Bahamian History: From Indigenous Roots to Modern Identity

In this episode, Hema and Sasha Wells, a PhD student in Caribbean History at Florida International University, delve into the rich history of The Bahamas. The discussion spans multiple eras, from the indigenous Lucayan people, the effects of European colonization, the cultural and racial dynamics influenced by loyalist migration, and the eventual road to independence from the British Crown in 1973.

Sasha highlights the ongoing social and cultural challenges, including the remnants of colonialism and the importance of preserving Bahamian history through both academic and public history projects. The episode provides a comprehensive look at how historical events have shaped Bahamian culture and identity.

Connect with Sasha Instagram + Tiktok

Resources

Untold Stories of the Atlantic World

Runaways - Open Access Primary Source Dataset (prototype)

What to Know About the History of Junkanoo, One of the Caribbean's Biggest Holiday Celebrations - Made By History, Time Magazine

Episodes referenced

Slave Voyages with Dr. Gregory O'Malley and Dr. Nafees M. Khan

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We’re back with another Caribbean folktale, told by Kesha Christie.

In this episode, Kesha shares an Indo-Caribbean folktale from Trinidad titled 'Kadoo Ki Beti' or 'The Pumpkin Daughter.' The story, which dates back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, revolves around Mama Savitri, an old woman who desperately wishes for a child. Through prayers and a magical pumpkin, her wish is partially granted. This folktale has themes of spirituality, cultural cues, and community. 

Hema and Kesha discuss the importance of preserving these oral traditions and  nuanced differences between Indo-Caribbean and Indian cultures. 

Listen to more Caribbean folklore episodes

Exploring Caribbean Folklore with Kesha Christie
Trickster Tales
Anansi's Antics in Antigua & Barbuda
The Power of Pataki Stories in Cuba
A Lizard's Lesson
Making a Deal with Death
The Lady and Her Three Sons

Episodes referenced

Exploring Caribbean Folklore with Kesha Christie
Caribbean Food History with Dr. Candice Goucher
The Irish-Caribbean Connection with Dr. Ellen Howley

References

Dr. Amina Blackwood-Meeks

Connect with Kesha

To learn more about Kesha and her work, visit http://www.talkintales.ca
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
Walk Good podcast

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Guyanese Culinary Traditions 

From Guyana’s six peoples to the impact of Guyana’s new wealth, and the national dish of pepperpot, Hema and Dr. Geoffrey Giddings discuss the ever-evolving foodways in Guyana. 

Geoffrey, an expert in African American studies and a passionate advocate for Guyanese food culture, delves into the rich history of Guyana, known as the land of six peoples, highlighting the culinary influences from Indigenous, European, African, Indian, Portuguese, and Chinese heritages. He shares personal stories from his early years growing up with his grandmother in Guyana, moving to New York, and his time spent amongst the Imbotero in the Barima-Waini region during his Fulbright research. 

Articles by Dr. Giddings

Food in the “Great Land of Guyana” - Stabroek News
Time to Forge a National Cuisine - Stabroek News
Guyanese Cuisine Culture - Stabroek News
What’s really cooking in Guyana? - Stabroek News

Resources

History of Pepperpot
Dictionary of Caribbean English - Richard Allsopp

More episodes
Exploring Guyana’s Historical Roots with Melissa Goolsarran Ramnauth
WestIndianDiplomacy.com: An interview with Melissa, West Indian historian

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The History of Guyana with Melissa, West Indian Diplomacy

Melissa Goolcharran Ramnauth, Editor-in-Chief of West Indian Diplomacy, shares her knowledge of the history of Guyana on this episode of the podcast. 

From the early Indigenous peoples to the colonial power struggles between the Dutch and the British, Hema and Melissa dive into key historical moments in Guyanese history: the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade taking enslaved African people to Guyana to work on plantations, the abolition of slavery leading to indentured labourers from India, China and Portugal, to modern history including the declaration of independence from the Crown, and why the United States interfered in the early elections between the two main political parties.

Melissa’s passion for researching the history of Guyana comes through in all of her work, including her petition to digitize the records of enslaved Africans and Indian indentured servants in Guyana.

Resources

CARICOM

Gladstone Coolies

Coolie Woman by Gaitura Bahadur

The Last Ship: Repatriation from British Guiana to India, Nalini Mohabir

Historical Database Suriname and the Caribbean

How to find Indian Indentured Ancestors that went to Guyana and Trinidad

Connect with Melissa

West Indian Diplomacy

Instagram

Facebook

More episodes to listen to

Djamil Ninsoo, Afro-Indo Jamaican Cultural Advocate

West Indian Diplomacy with Melissa

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Exploring Caribbean Culture through Foodways with Dr. Candice Goucher

In this episode Hema chats with guest Dr. Candice Goucher, author of "Congotay! Congotay! A Global History of Caribbean Food," about the dynamic and fraught history of Caribbean food and culture.

From the reconstruction of Caribbean culture, the contributions of Indigenous, African, Indian, Chinese, and European peoples to Caribbean culture & cuisine, and the significant role of food in preserving history and culture, Hema and Dr. Goucher discuss the concept of creolization, the impact of European colonization, and the importance of everyday cooks in the Caribbean narrative.

The period of colonization had a lasting impact on the food and culture of the Caribbean, and in her book Dr. Goucher shares the impact that the Caribbean nations had on global culture & cuisine.

Listen to this episode for the survival and adaptation of food traditions amidst historical adversities, how these have contributed to the culinary landscape, and insights into how food history can reveal complex cultural exchanges that shaped the Caribbean.

Dr. Goucher provides insights into Caribbean foodways and history from her perspective as an African historian and archaeologist, Professor Emerita of History at Washington State University, and author of many books on Africa, the Caribbean, and world history. She is a recipient of the World History Association's Pioneers in World History Award for lifetime achievement. Her books on food have won Gourmand awards, including Congotay! Congotay! A Global History of Caribbean Food (2014) and Picnics and Porcupines: Eating in the Wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (2024). 

Resources

Candice Goucher, Congotay! Congotay! A Global History of Caribbean Food (Routledge, 2014). 

Sharika D. Crawford, The Last Turtlemen of the Caribbean: Waterscapes of Labor, Conservation, and Boundary Making, (University of North Carolina Press, 2020).

Alyssa Sperry, 'Just a Dash of Salt:' Salt and Identity Formation in Historical and Contemporary Jamaica," (M.A. Thesis, University of Oregon, 2021). 

Candice Goucher, "Recipes for Resistance: Gourmet Gods at African-Caribbean Tables," Eaten no. 1 (2017): 88-93.

Candice Goucher, "Caribbean Ice Queens," Eaten no.9  (2020): 6-17. 

Referenced Episodes

Exploring Caribbean Culinary History with Dr. Keja Valens

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If you are enjoying the podcast, consider supporting the show to help us continue to make great content.

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A Folktale from Grenada with Kesha Christie 

Welcome to Season 3 of The Moreish Podcast! We kick off with Toronto-based storyteller and podcaster Kesha Christie’s rendition of a humorous Grenadian folktale, 'The Lady and Her Three Sons,' which highlights the Caribbean tradition of descriptive nicknames. 

Hema and Kesha chat about the cultural significance of nicknames, superstitions, and community spirit within the Caribbean diaspora, and they share their thoughts on why these stories and traditions are essential to preserving their heritage.

Through the conversation, we get a bonus tale as Kesha also shares a personal story about discovering her mother's nickname.

Listen in for an engaging folktale from Grenada told by Kesha Christie, and a lively discussion about Caribbean stories.

Connect with Kesha Christie

Website
Instagram
TikTok
Walk Good Podcast
Watch her TEDx Talk: Learning through the wisdom of folktales

Listen to more Caribbean folklore episodes:
Exploring Caribbean Folklore with Kesha Christie
Trickster Tales
Anansi's Antics in Antigua & Barbuda
The Power of Pataki Stories in Cuba
A Lizard's Lesson
Making a Deal with Death

Support the show

What is moreish? | more·​ish ˈmōrish | informal, of food, causing a desire for more

If you are enjoying the podcast, consider supporting the show to help us continue to make great content.

Join us on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to continue the conversation.

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Exploring the Legacy of the Slave Voyages Database

In the final episode of season two of The Moreish Podcast, Hema wraps up with an encore episode featuring Dr. Nafees M. Khan and historian Dr. Gregory O'Malley from the Slave Voyages Consortium. The conversation delves deep into the Slave Voyages database, a comprehensive online resource documenting the transatlantic and intra-American slave trades through shipping records and other historical documents. With a focus on the Caribbean, the experts discuss the role this database plays in understanding the cultural impact on the African diaspora. We dive into the history of the database, which European countries were complicit in the slave trade, and the existing circumstances of communities and tribes within Africa at the time.

Listen to the full episode: https://youtu.be/Vg9Gn-1Q-ck?si=lcRB6YTvFl5vQPxy

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One Caribbean: Exploring Dominican Folklore and Storytelling

In this final folklore episode of this season of The Moreish Podcast, Kesha and Hema celebrate the interconnectedness of Caribbean culture through stories. The episode features a bit of a dark folktale from the Dominican Republic about Joe, a lazy young man who makes a deal with Death to become rich. The story's undertones reflect the island's religious beliefs, and the discussion delves into how such tales highlight the shared yet diverse heritage of the Caribbean. They conclude by reflecting on the deep-rooted cultural ties that make the Caribbean a unique and shared historical experience.

More Caribbean folktales:

A Lizard's Lesson

Pataki Stories from Cuba

Anansi's Antics in Antigua & Barbuda

Trickster Tales

More episodes:

2/3 of Hispaniola: Dominican Republic

Land of High Mountains: Haiti

To learn more about Kesha and her work:

Website

Instagram

TikTok

Walk Good Podcast

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Debunking the Irish-Caribbean Connection: Unravelling Myths and Historical Realities

Dr. Ellen Howley joins Hema to discuss the complex and nuanced history between Ireland and the Caribbean.

In the context of Irish history from the 17th century, the British Empire, and the forced migration under Cromwell, Dr. Howley shares the complexity of some Irish people being sent to the Caribbean as indentured servants, while others chose to go and even prospered under the British Empire.

The Irish presence in the Caribbean, particularly on islands like Montserrat and Barbados, remains today, including the ongoing St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Montserrat.

Dr. Ellen Howley is an assistant professor at Dublin City University's School of English. Her book Oceanic Connections: The Sea in Irish and Caribbean Poetry will be published by Syracuse University Press later this year. The book examines how anglophone poets from Ireland and the Caribbean write about the sea. She completed her PhD in 2020 and has published work in academic journals and online publications.

Website

Article: Entangled Islands exhibition explores the history of the Irish people in the Caribbean - an expert review

Resources

• Entangled Islands - Ireland and the Caribbean YouTube video
• Donald Harman Akenson, If the Irish Ran the World: Montserrat, 1630-1730
• Sean O'Callaghan, To Hell or Barbados
• Finola O'Kane and Ciaran O'Neill (eds.) Ireland, Slavery and the Caribbean
• Jerome S. Handler; Matthew C. Reilly, "Contesting "White Slavery" in the Caribbean: Enslaved Africans and European Indentured Servants in Seventeenth Century Barbados"
• Alison Donnell, Maria McGarrity, Evelyn O'Callaghan (eds) Caribbean Irish Connections: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
• Liam Hogan's work on the "Irish Slave" meme
• Liam Hogan, Laura McAtackney and Matthew Reilly. "The Irish in the Anglo-Caribbean: Servants or Slaves?"
• M. M. O'Connor, Caribbean Slave Owners & Other Lesser Known Histories of County Mayo
• Karst de Jong, The Irish in Jamaica during the long eighteenth century (1698-1836)
• Nini Rogers, Ireland, Slavery and Anti-slavery
• Michael Malouf, Transatlantic Solidarities: Irish Nationalism and Caribbean Poetics
• Walter Rodney, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa

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Why the Ground Lizard Doesn't Sleep in Trees Anymore - A St. Martin / Sint Maarten Story

Hema and Kesha continue to delve into the fascinating, fun and informative folktales from the Caribbean. This week Kesha shares a story from St. Martin/St. Maarten that explains why ground lizards no longer sleep in trees. Through this short folk story, we learn about Sammy, the ground lizard, tamarind trees and the twin island of St. Martin / Sint Maarten. This one small Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles is divided into two, with one side belonging to the French Republic and the other side belonging to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Alongside the tale, the hosts discuss the cultural blend of Dutch and French influences on the island, emphasizing the richness of Caribbean folklore and traditions. They also touch on the significance of tamarind and other regional linguistic variations, while reflecting on the broader historical impact of colonization on the Caribbean islands.

More Caribbean folktales:

Pataki Stories from Cuba

Anansi's Antics in Antigua & Barbuda

Trickster Tales

More episodes: One island, two countries: St. Martin & Sint Maarten

Papiamentu: The Language of Curaçao with Sheedia Jansen explores another Caribbean nation that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

To learn more about Kesha and her work:

Website

Instagram

Walk Good Podcast

What is moreish? | more·​ish ˈmōrish | informal, of food, causing a desire for more

Join us on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to continue the conversation.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!) https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/jerk-sauce