A popular delicacy in Barbados is black and white pudding. This is made with sweet potato and herbs, served with soused pig heads and feet and called Pudding and Souse.
It is pickled in cucumber, onion and lime juice. In Barbados, it is primarily served on Saturdays and consumed by the young and not so young. To get a black pudding the blood of the pig should be included. However, in modern times browning can be substituted for the pig's blood. Bank holidays and Saturdays have traditionally been the days for slaughtering animals.
Some persons in Barbados just prefer the pudding so it can be baked by itself and called steam pudding. Steam pudding eats well with eclipse biscuits made right here in Barbados at the West India Biscuit Company Limited. So popular is our pudding and souse that in Barbados there is a souse factory located in Cliff Land in the beautiful parish of St. John.
In operation from 1987 the Souse Factory has been producing some of the best souse in Barbados. The Souse Factory doesn't only offer pudding and souse but a variety of pork products inclusive of ham cutters, pork cutters, fried pork mingled with other items like chicken steppers (chicken feet), salt fish and barbecue chicken to name a few.
Persons from all parishes of Barbados travel from as early as 6 o'clock in the morning on Saturdays to the Souse Factory to be guaranteed a portion of this delicacy.
Preparing Pudding and Souse
To make the pudding you have to thoroughly clean the intestine of the pig with soap and water and then salt water. After soaking it for about an hour in lime and salt, then grate the sweet potatoes, add thyme, red pepper, sugar, spices and salt to taste in a bowl. Add water to make mixture of a loose consistency. Fill the skins with the mixture and tie a knot at each end and cook slowly in boiling water.
As for the Souse, separate the pig head in two to remove the brain and boil the head in salted water. Cut off the meat and drop it into a bowl of pickle. Pickle is made from lime juice, water and cucumber. Let it remain for several hours and then garnish it with parsley.
An excellent way to spend your Saturdays is by taking a nice car ride to the Souse Factory for some pork and never ending supply of rum and drinks. Pudding and souse is also available at some rum shops across Barbados.
