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Ainsley's Taste Of The Bahamas - Season 1 Episode 8 - Roots And Rhythm: Afro-Caribbean Soul
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00:08Ainsley's Taste of the Bahamas, brought to you by Nassau and Paradise Island.
00:19The best way to experience the true flavor of a place is through its food.
00:24So, I'm off on my culinary travels again.
00:30I'm looking for dishes with a story to tell.
00:33It's an aphrodisiac.
00:38Traditions passed down through generations.
00:44And the freshest and ziniest of ingredients, from land and sea.
00:49So, here I am in the Bahamas, exploring islands of white sands, turquoise seas, and food that is as vibrant
00:57as its people.
00:59From hidden beach shacks and fish fries, to fine dining with a Caribbean twist.
01:08It's out in this world.
01:09Scoop it up.
01:11This is the last bottle known to man.
01:14Wow.
01:15I'm diving headfirst into the flavors, the colors, and the rhythms of island life.
01:23So, come on.
01:24Grab a plate.
01:25Loosen that belt.
01:26And join me in my quest as I search for a little bit of island zest.
01:31Welcome.
01:32Taste of the Bahamas.
01:34Yeah.
01:42The Bahamas is a chain of hundreds of islands and coral shallows in the warm Atlantic Ocean.
01:48Just a short hop from Florida.
01:51And right at the heart of it all, our Nassau and Paradise Island, my Bahamian base.
01:56Today, I'm digging into island traditions and getting a feel for the flavors that have stood the test of time.
02:03I'll be meeting a local chef who loves cooking with heritage ingredients.
02:08And this recipe, I cook this from technique, memory, because I'm allergic to crap.
02:15Tasting herbal concoctions that islanders have been taking for generations.
02:20Well, my mother is about 180 years old.
02:22Mama, are you all right?
02:23All right.
02:24And stirring some classic Caribbean ingredients into my one pot that you wonder.
02:30Sometimes when you get to this stage, you've got to stir it up.
02:37But first, I'm taking 66 steps back into Bahamian history.
02:48This immense staircase was chiseled out of the rock by enslaved Africans in the 1790s.
02:55When slavery was abolished, it was named in honor of Queen Victoria.
02:59And today, the Queen's Staircase stands as a quiet tribute to the people who built it.
03:05Nassau and Paradise Island are steeped in history.
03:09And to think that this staircase was hand-carved through solid limestone almost 200 years ago is just quite incredible.
03:19The staircase opens into a giant stone corridor.
03:24This former limestone quarry formed a shortcut between Fort Fincastle above and the town and harbor below.
03:32It really is a true man-made wonder.
03:37That same hard labor went into building the forts that guarded Nassau.
03:42And the biggest of them all was Fort Charlotte, built in the late 1700s when British forces feared attacks from
03:50Spain, France and the newly independent United States.
03:53With more than 100 cannons pointing out to sea, the message was simple.
03:58Think twice before you attack this place.
04:01Today, I'm walking in unopposed to meet historian Bobby Pinder from the Bahamas Antiquities Monuments and Museums Corporation.
04:10This is actually chiseled limestone that you will find here in the Bahamas.
04:15And they've created blocks out of limestone.
04:17And when you go throughout the forts in its entirety, you'd see dungeons, you'd see tunnels, you'd actually see places
04:24where the soldiers would have had for their sleeping quarters as well.
04:28And places where they would have used to cook as well.
04:31There was plenty of storage for barrels of gunpowder here too, and the equally important barrels of rum.
04:37The sheer scale and firepower of this place worked, because Fort Charlotte was such an effective deterrent, it never fired
04:45a single shot in anger.
04:47Must have been so boring for the soldiers though.
04:50You know, there you are, transported out here to the Bahamas, to Nassau, to protect the island, to protect the
04:57nation.
04:58Nothing's happening.
04:59So, what do the soldiers do to while away those long hours?
05:03Well, some of them decided to make their mark with a little graffiti, ships, dates, names.
05:09You know what?
05:10I have a feeling just like these carvings, I've only just scratched the surface of the history here.
05:17I always tell people that every island has a different story.
05:21Every island of the Bahamas has 700 islands, and every island has a different relation to its pristineness, to its
05:28cultural history, and to its historical heritage as well.
05:32Well, there's a reason there's places here, there's a reason that life continues, and the reason we should be proud
05:37of what we've got here.
05:38Definitely.
05:39What a pleasure talking to you.
05:40Thank you so much, Bobby.
05:42My pleasure.
05:42It was lovely.
05:45Bahamian cooking, like its history, is a combination of African, European, and Caribbean influences, mixed with the unique spirit of
05:53the islands themselves.
05:54And when you talk about the story of food here, Simeon Hall, Jr. is the man, a chef who loves
06:00cooking good old island recipes, using hearty heritage ingredients.
06:06We're talking about keeping traditions alive here, what are you going to cook for me?
06:09Well, I'm going to do a Bahamian Crab and Rice.
06:13Mm-hmm.
06:13Not the real deal, the absolute real deal with South Andres Crab and really, really fragrant rice and everything that
06:22you need to make this an absolutely amazing dish.
06:25I can tell.
06:25What do you need to put in here to bring it alive now?
06:27Well, you know, what we're going to do is just put in a little bit of oil.
06:31Yeah.
06:31Okay.
06:31Don't skimp on the oil.
06:32Oil carries flavor.
06:33And then this is crushed tomatoes.
06:36Mm-hmm.
06:37So.
06:38How much of this you want in there?
06:39About half.
06:40Beautiful.
06:42Mm.
06:43Good to go.
06:45Lovely, lovely, lovely.
06:47So this is the type of stuff that you cook at home, is it?
06:49Yeah, for sure.
06:50For sure.
06:51When I cook in for me, I cook in.
06:53You know, I'm playing around.
06:55When I cook in for me, I cook in.
06:59Because this is what we call a pilaw.
07:01A pilaw is a cook-up.
07:03Yeah.
07:03Meaning that it's all sorts of different ingredients brought together.
07:07And it used to come from different houses.
07:09So you had the rice, I had the crab, you had the tomatoes.
07:12We came together and we would cook together.
07:15Simeon's love of all recipes like this was passed on to him by his grandmother.
07:20So what was it like growing up with a grandmother who was so passionate about cooking?
07:25Because, I mean, when did you start?
07:27Age seven or something you started?
07:28Well, I got my first paycheck at age seven.
07:31But I started cooking at four.
07:33I made an omelette with my grandmother.
07:35When I became a professional chef, I realised it wasn't an omelette.
07:38It was burnt eggs.
07:39But for a better story, I tell everybody it was an omelette.
07:43I love that, my first paycheck at seven.
07:46Yeah.
07:46I've got a 30-odd-year-old and I'm trying to get him to work.
07:52Land crabs are a real island staple, but they don't all taste the same.
07:57The black ones give you a rich, earthy flavour, whilst the white ones are lovely and sweet.
08:02So you can see, look at the shell, totally different, size, colour, it's totally different.
08:07That's your white crab, this is what we call a black crab.
08:10Yeah, beautiful.
08:10And these are the claws.
08:13So in the Bahamas, of course, we put everything in there.
08:16Now, here's the trick.
08:19I use green gold peppers.
08:22This is the heirloom version of habaneros or scotch bonnets.
08:27Yeah, okay.
08:27So I use a green one for the flavor and I use a ripe one for the kick.
08:31And I put it in there, halved and not chopped, so that you can kind of fish it out at
08:37the end.
08:38Okay, beautiful.
08:39And this recipe, to be honest, I cook this from technique, memory, and everything else because I'm allergic to crap.
08:51But, you know, my grandmother taught me, I'm going off of the scent, the sizzle.
08:55I can look at the oil and see that it's starting to separate, so I know it's time for the
09:00rest.
09:00Yeah.
09:01My grandfather, who was also a very passionate cook, he used to say, grab the steam and smell it.
09:07Yeah, of course.
09:07You know what I mean?
09:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:08So it gives you to, and have a little bit of a smell.
09:10That's wonderful.
09:11All different techniques that just make us more passionate about cooking, make us enjoy it more.
09:17Do you know what I mean, Simeon?
09:18Yes, 100%.
09:20Food for me is the way that we tell stories.
09:23I tell people all the time, your plate is your flight.
09:27What you put on your plate says so much about you.
09:30It can introduce a stranger to who you are.
09:33So when you eat this, I want you to know who I am.
09:36OK.
09:37Except you don't eat crab.
09:39Yeah, but, you know...
09:43How amazing is that?
09:44He can never eat this dish, and yet he can probably cook it better than anybody else.
09:50What about these?
09:51What about these?
09:51This right here.
09:52This is the baby right here.
09:53This came from my yard.
09:54You grow avocados in your yard.
09:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:56We call it pear in the Bahamas.
09:58If you say avocado in the Bahamas, people relate that to store-bought avocados.
10:04When you say pear, then you're talking like buenos.
10:06OK.
10:07So that's what I want you to call it.
10:08This pear, OK?
10:09In the garden of the Pierre.
10:11Exactly.
10:11Exactly.
10:13And we're going to turn that pear into something Simeon calls a relish.
10:17Beautiful.
10:18It smells good.
10:19Let me just season this up a little bit.
10:22There you go.
10:23And now, our dish is ready.
10:26My grandmother would be proud of me.
10:28Yeah.
10:28So this is definitely right where we want this to be.
10:31The crab is all of that fat is really, really coated, all of those grains of rice.
10:37It's nice and singular.
10:39This crab and rice.
10:41This crab and rice.
10:42I'm so glad I'm allergic to crab.
10:45You look like you was one of us.
10:47Yeah, well, I like a good portion.
10:50I love it.
10:52Can I try it?
10:53Of course, please.
10:55Oh, that's delicious.
10:56Yeah.
10:57It's hard to believe that this hearty crab and rice dish is normally served as a side,
11:02especially when Simeon has made such a massive pot just for me.
11:07In our culture, when we love you, we cook in abundance.
11:12So doing this and then doing some other dishes as well is how we express love.
11:17And so that is what we would do.
11:19Thank you so much.
11:20What is it?
11:22What is it?
11:22Brilliant.
11:23Lovely.
11:26Coming up, I taste a tea that might take a few years off me.
11:31So now you want to live for 150 years.
11:35And stir timeless ingredients into a time-saving one-pot wonder.
11:40It's a taste of the Bahamas in one pot.
11:50Ainsley's Taste of the Bahamas, brought to you by Nassau and Paradise Island.
12:09Welcome back to the Bahamas.
12:12Today I'm stepping back into history.
12:14You look at the panels and walls of history.
12:17We've been able to tell our story.
12:19And tasting dishes that have been enjoyed here for generations.
12:22When I cook them for me, I cook them.
12:25You know, I'm playing around.
12:27And now it's time for an all-time favourite island tradition.
12:30A really good cup of tea.
12:34We all like a cuppa, don't we?
12:36But here in the Bahamas, it's all about bush tea.
12:40It's not just a drink.
12:41It's a remedy.
12:42It's a ritual.
12:43It's a part of their tradition.
12:45And I tell you what, each root and each leaf has a purpose and a story.
12:50And I'm about to find out more.
12:54Long before pharmacies and health supplements came along,
12:57Bahamian families were using bush tea as a form of medicine.
13:01And the family here at Tasty Teas...
13:05Hi, welcome to Tasty Teas.
13:07...is keeping that tradition alive.
13:10This is the strong back, one of my personal favourites.
13:12JJ Forbes grew up drinking bush tea every morning and he swears by it.
13:18Now, over here is the life leaf.
13:21Listen, any respiratory issues, asthma,
13:24anything to do with respiratory sicknesses, this is your best friend.
13:28OK.
13:29Wonderful.
13:29Yes, absolutely.
13:30People here really believe in these plants, JJ included.
13:34But herbal remedies aren't regulated like medicines.
13:37So, quality can vary.
13:39And if you're ever unsure, have a quick chat with your healthcare professional.
13:43It's always a good idea.
13:45So, right now we've got the Sweet Margaret, which is one of my personal favourites.
13:49It's only grown in the Bahamas.
13:51OK.
13:52And Sweet Margaret is traditionally used for memory.
13:55If you're forgetful, that's the tea for you.
13:57Yeah.
13:57I think that's going to sell well, didn't you?
13:59That'll do the right trick.
14:00OK.
14:00So, next we've got the hibiscus flowers.
14:03It's full of vitamin C, great for nerve function.
14:07According to JJ, every leaf and herb here is good for something.
14:11Now, bay lavender, only grown in the Bahamas as well.
14:15Traditionally used for arthritis and joint pains, OK?
14:18So care this for your Grammy.
14:19What about this little bad boy here then?
14:21Now, hold on.
14:22This is my favourite.
14:22You guys call it lemongrass in the UK.
14:25Yeah.
14:26And in other parts of the world.
14:27But in the Bahamas, we call it fever grass.
14:29Say fever grass.
14:30Fever grass.
14:31Oh, you sound good.
14:32Yeah, my.
14:33I've been there too long, I've been.
14:35Yes, sir.
14:36That is traditionally used for fevers, colds, blues.
14:38Can I have a little smell?
14:39Listen, go ahead.
14:40Take a whiff.
14:41How it smells?
14:42Like lemongrass.
14:43Fever grass!
14:47I'm getting the hang of the accent now.
14:49And more importantly, I'm getting a cup of tea too.
14:52As JJ gets her fever grass and ginger brew going.
14:55Well.
14:56I find out more about JJ's family.
14:59So mum and grandmother, everyone still kicking?
15:02Well, my mother's about 180 years old.
15:04You know.
15:07She's looking so good.
15:09She's up with her mouth.
15:11All I heard, what?
15:13Mum, are you all right?
15:15All right.
15:17Oh, lovely.
15:19JJ's mum, Hilda, set up the family tea business
15:22after she recovered from a serious illness.
15:25She's convinced bush tea saved her.
15:27And I'm not going to argue with a 180-year-old woman.
15:3076 yards long.
15:32All right.
15:34Apparently, the secret to a life-enhancing brew
15:37is drying your herbs in the sun.
15:39You get the best purity out of it when it's nice and dry, you know?
15:44So even the bees are joining us.
15:45They know the good stuff.
15:46Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:47I like that.
15:48Yeah.
15:48Come and join us.
15:49Absolutely.
15:50Now JJ pops in the ginger, pours in the hot water,
15:54adds a dash of lemon and some nectar for sweetness.
16:01Oh, yeah.
16:03It is delicious.
16:04Yeah.
16:04It's light.
16:05It's light.
16:05I just love it.
16:06On a hot day like today, there's nothing more refreshing
16:09than a bit of fever grass, lemon and ginger tea.
16:13Yes, sir.
16:13Absolutely.
16:14Any time, any day.
16:15Drink it hot, drink it cold.
16:17I can't feel myself getting any younger yet,
16:20but I'm definitely refreshed.
16:23And before I go, JJ's got one final bit of tree medicine
16:26for me to try, the seeds from the legendary moringa tree,
16:30which are packed with vitamins and nutrients.
16:33So this is our moringa tree.
16:36So let me look for a good one.
16:38I think this is a good one.
16:39I'm a little shorter than you.
16:41OK.
16:42Let me lift you up.
16:45You got it?
16:49There you go.
16:50Oh, wow.
16:51And how do we open this up then?
16:52So we just crack that right open.
16:54Yeah.
16:56And it's like a nut inside.
16:58But you're going to eat, OK?
17:00Let's chew it.
17:02And it's going to be...
17:04I didn't expect it to be so soft.
17:07Yeah.
17:07It's a bit licorice-y, isn't it?
17:09I usually take three in the morning and three when I'm going to bed.
17:13Ah, it's been lovely having tea with JJ.
17:15He's so enthusiastic about the herbs, the seeds and the leaves,
17:19and it looks like they're doing him the power of good.
17:21So I think I'll keep on taking the moringa and see what happens.
17:26So now you're going to live for 150 years?
17:28Like my mother.
17:31Just like Mama.
17:36It's a hard life, isn't it?
17:38After all that afternoon tea and now I've got to cook in my Sea View kitchen.
17:43Look at that.
17:45So I'm going to go easy on myself and make a one-pot wonder my island veggie stew.
17:52It's lovely.
17:53Incorporates all the beautiful flavours that we get here in the Bahamas into one pot.
17:59Let's crack on, shall we?
18:01First of all, get your oil.
18:03All right, we've got the celery, onion and peppers.
18:07You don't want a high heat on this, okay?
18:09We're just kind of sweating it off a little bit.
18:13Then it's in with some ginger.
18:14Already aromatic.
18:16Lovely.
18:17A little bit of that chopped garlic.
18:19Now the great thing about a veggie pot, of course, is that everything just goes into one pot.
18:26Full of glorious flavours and includes all the lovely veggies or, as they refer to them here, provisions.
18:34I love that, didn't you?
18:36So a quick stir of my provisions.
18:39And then a little bit of stock to keep things from cooking too quickly.
18:43You can add a little bit of water if you want, just to slow it down.
18:47Then that will evaporate.
18:50And then in a couple of minutes, you're back to where you were before.
18:54Okay, let's crack on.
18:56Fresh thyme, look at that.
18:58And the bay leaf going in there, that's lovely.
19:01Bit of lemongrass, fever grass.
19:04Still smells like lemon to me though.
19:06Gonna give that a bit of a bash.
19:10In that goes.
19:11Just give that a little bit of a stir there.
19:15Now let's get a little bit chunky with my potatoes, sweet potatoes and some butternut squash.
19:22I like the flavour of that texture.
19:26This whole idea of this actual stew is that it really is nice and chunky.
19:33And healthy too.
19:36What about you as I get older?
19:38I like me veggies a bit more.
19:41Keeps me regular.
19:45Too much information, Aids.
19:47Get on with the tomatoes.
19:49Let's get some spices into our food.
19:52Bit of curry powder going in there.
19:56And I've also got some turmeric here.
19:58Not much, about a quarter of a teaspoon there.
20:01And next to it, I've got these bad boys.
20:03Okay, the allspice.
20:05You can crush a few of them if you like.
20:07Or a few of them whole.
20:08Just put them straight in.
20:09They are so lovely and fragrant.
20:13Toast that off now.
20:14You can see the colour change, can't you?
20:17Next, in with my chopped vegetables and my stock.
20:21Let that cook down, I'd say, for a good 10 or 15 minutes.
20:26Then I'll come back and I'll add my carne and my acra.
20:31With a bit of lime.
20:33Put the quokka nut in there.
20:35Stir it round.
20:37But I've got 10 minutes.
20:40Why not?
20:42You know what?
20:43There aren't too many kitchens in the world with a view like this, are there?
20:47Sometimes you've just got to stop and take it all in.
20:53Now, for the final touches.
20:56I've got a scotch bonnet pepper here that I'm going to drop straight into my pot.
21:01I have put that in whole.
21:02The idea is that it releases all that lovely flavour without the seeds, which are a bit spicy.
21:08Alright?
21:09And hey, look at this.
21:10I've got some okra here.
21:12Let's just chop these up.
21:16And all of that can go in.
21:20Next, for the ingredients that really bring this dish all together.
21:24Look at this.
21:25It's just big pieces of corn on the cob.
21:29And then it's time for my usual island suspects.
21:33Lime zest, lime juice, some coconut milk and some seasoning.
21:39I'm sure you've heard it many, many times before, but sometimes when you get to this stage, you've got to
21:45stir it up.
21:50Yeah.
21:52This is a proper Afro-Caribbean soul food.
21:56It's hearty.
21:56It's spicy.
21:58And now it's ready.
22:02There you have it, guys.
22:03A taste of the Bahamas in one pot.
22:06We're talking serious provisions.
22:09Accompanied by a liquor bitter, Johnny Kierke.
22:12We're here.
22:13I'd say that's pretty historic, wouldn't you?
22:16What a day.
22:18Nassau is steeped in history and heritage and brought home to me by Simeon's wonderful dishes and JJ's teas.
22:25It's been a wonderful, wonderful experience.
22:28Join me next time for Ainslie's Taste of the Bahamas.
22:55Ainslie's Taste of the Bahamas, brought to you by Nassau and Paradise Island.
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