Jamaican Cuisine Codexery

Bammy

Traditional Jamaican cassava flatbread from Taíno origins.

Last updated

Bammy

Richard Sutcliffe · CC BY-SA 2.0

Bammy is a traditional Jamaican flatbread made from bitter cassava, descended from the Taíno casabe.[1][2] Cassava bread variations are found across the Americas, for instance in Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil.[1][3]

Key facts and history

Bammies have existed since pre-Columbian times and originated from the Taíno people.[4] The Taínos passed the tradition of making bammy to the Spanish, British, enslaved and free Africans and Creoles.[5] The Taíno people grew cassava as a primary food source, using conucos for cultivation and including it in their religious practices.[4] Baibrama, a lesser Taíno deity, was called upon for help in cultivating cassava and for healing people affected by its toxic sap.[4]

Spanish and later British soldiers and settlers relied on bammies as a dietary staple because the bread remained edible for several months.[6] In present-day St Elizabeth and South East Manchester, many steps of the original Taíno bammy-making process continue to be used.[5]

What the cited sources add

A 2009 Gleaner article describes witnessing bammy-making in a factory operated by Omroy Anderson and Ronald Barnes in the Charles Town Maroons village.[7] A Grace recipe states that a regular bammy should be at least 6 inches or 15 cm in diameter.[8] The same recipe says each bammy should cook in 10 minutes.[8] UNESCO recognised cassava bread as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024, based on a proposal by the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela.[9]

After one side of the bammy has finished baking, it is taken out of the pot and turned so the unbaked side is against the pot's bottom.[7]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Bammy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Traditional Food Preparation in Jamaica: Tools & Methods", Jamaica Information Service (JIS), 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Bammy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "How bammies are made", Jamaica Gleaner, 2009-03-26; "The art of processing cassava", Jamaica Gleaner, 2013-06-02; "The art of processing cassava", Jamaica Gleaner, 2013-06-02 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Bammy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "UNESCO recognises cassava bread as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity", Jamaica Observer, 2024-12-09; "UNESCO recognises cassava bread as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity", Jamaica Observer, 2024-12-09; "UNESCO recognises cassava bread as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity", Jamaica Observer, 2024-12-09; "How Cassava Bread Defied an Empire", 2021-02-02; "How Cassava Bread Defied an Empire", 2021-02-02 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Bammy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Atkinson, "The Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the Jamaican Taíno", University of the West Indies Press, 2006; Rogoziński, "A Brief History of the Caribbean", Facts On File, 1999; Rogoziński, "A Brief History of the Caribbean", Facts On File, 1999; "Unveiling the mystique of Taino gods", Jamaica Gleaner, 2024-03-10; "The art of processing cassava", Jamaica Gleaner, 2013-06-02; "The art of processing cassava", Jamaica Gleaner, 2013-06-02; "The art of processing cassava", Jamaica Gleaner, 2013-06-02 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Bammy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Culinary Heritage:Our Rich Food Heritage", Jamaica55.gov.jm, 7 June 2017; "The art of processing cassava", Jamaica Gleaner, 2013-06-02 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Bammy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Culinary Heritage:Our Rich Food Heritage", Jamaica55.gov.jm, 7 June 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. "How bammies are made", Jamaica Gleaner, 2009-03-26. facts only, no text reused. old.jamaica-gleaner.com
  8. "Bammy", Grace. facts only, no text reused. gracefoods.com
  9. "UNESCO recognises cassava bread as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity", Jamaica Observer, 2024-12-09. facts only, no text reused. jamaicaobserver.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Bammy (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Jamaican cuisine

CassavaCoco breadCooking bananaCorn soupDuckanooEscabecheGoat curryHard dough breadItalJamaican pepperpot soupJerk (cooking)Johnnycake

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →