Heavenly taste of pudding

Jody-Anne Lawrence, Gleaner Writer

It is hard to believe that, as a Jamaican, I did not know what was Hell a top, Hell a bottom and hallelujah in the middle. So, on Monday, off I went to Glengoffe, St Catherine, to be educated. I knew I was going to experience something that not many young people know of, and that most have forgotten.

The hilly terrain of Glengoffe was surrounded by lush greenery that even the air tasted fresh. We had set out on a journey to see the traditional way of making potato pudding - the way our grand and great-grandparents made it before there was electric or gas stoves.

Just before we arrived in Glengoffe, we were greeted by the rain. Having been told that the experience had to be outdoors, I hoped I would still be able to enjoy it.

Arriving at the cosy abode of Leletha Ivy, her grandson Kirk Bolton directed us around the back where we were greeted by a woman small in stature but with a huge heart-warming smile. She explained that because of the rain we would indeed have to change location to a little shed in the back of her yard.

"Moving the things because of the rain," she said simply,with the smile that never left her face.

She hustled about moving wood from outside to the shed. She moved about more like a woman in her teens than someone who is actually 82 years old. When chided by her granddaughter-in-law for not accepting help she said, "I will live longer man."

makeshift stand

Two building blocks and two long pieces of steel were used to form a rectangle and a makeshift stand for the baking tins that would later be placed on it. "I use orange wood, star apple and mango wood to make the coal," she explained while getting the fire started.

Before we arrived, she had already grated seven pounds of sweet potato and two pounds of yam. All the ingredients she needed were provided by the Diet Centre Jamaica.

"You have to use a little yam in the potato pudding because the potato on its own does not have enough starch to give the pudding the right texture," Ivy explained when asked about the yam.

Having demonstrated how the coconuts were grated, she added several cups of water to the grated coconut before running the mixture through a strainer to get the coconut milk to which she added some nutmeg.

With all her ingredients gathered, she added the flour to the potato and yam. As she combined them, the mixture began to look like clay.

After Ivy was satisfied with the mixture, she added the coconut milk and the other ingredients. These included mixed spice and vanilla, salt, and sugar. "Usually, we just throw it in and do it to taste, no measuring," she said. She told Food that they did not even have measuring cups in her youth.

When she was satisfied with the mixture, she then greased three baking tins with the assistance of her granddaughter-in-law (after much persuasion).

With the mixture divided among the tins, she added her last ingredient, which was raisins, and sprinkled them on top of the mixture before sinking them with a spoon. "You can't leave them at the top because they will dry out and burn," she explained, adding, "When you put it in the batter, what happens is some places get it then another don't. When you do it like this then you are guaranteed that it gets everywhere."

She then placed the baking tins on the coal, then a piece of zinc with flaming coals over each tin which was when I learned what was, "Hell a top, Hell a bottom and hallelujah in the middle".

The pudding took approximately one and a half hours to be baked. It usually takes an hour to cool, but we got it within minutes. It was delicious and warm.

This journey into food was one that I will remember and definitely appreciate. Though I might never make the pudding on coals, I definitely look forward to trying the recipe on my own.