In the section called ‘The Sisters and aunt Winnie’ of Albert Chong’s short essay, “Double Exposures,” we briefly get to explore the stories behind the artists’ reimagining of his complex and mysterious family history via rephotographs of his family’s photo album. In the piece, he delves into intimate family stories of interpersonal trauma, death, centering his Afro-Asian heritage. Chong tells the story of his ‘Aunt Winnie’, who “had to carry heavy baskets of fried fritters and food to deliver to the people who worked on the wharf, while her sister Peggy carried the money.” The mention of fried fritters led me to inquire about the possible Afro-Asian origins of fried fritters and it’s relevance in Jamaican culture.
Fried fritters, also known as sailfish fritters or Stamp and Go, are crunchy fried fish-filled pancake enjoyed by many in Jamaica, and in various forms throughout the Caribbean. The food’s main ingredient is saltfish (salted cod, which is found in many Jamaican dishes, such as ackee and saltfish and saltfish patty. It is considered one of the original fast foods in Jamaica with the name ‘Stamp and Go’ deriving from Jamaica’s colonial history. The dominant theory regarding the name provides that in the 18th century, British navy officers who wanted a quick meal would stamp their feet their to, sometimes impatiently, alert food vendors and take their quickly-fried fritters to-go. The name reflects it’s history in providing food for hungry and eager men who worked in the marine industry, also drawn upon in Chong’s family history with the food.
Saltfish-infused ’cakes’, of different names and texture, are also prevalent in other Caribbean countries. In Trinidad, their version is called Accra, and I was instantly reminded of a very similar fried fritter food of the name Accara from my home country of Senegal; Accra is also the name of Ghana’s capital city. Senegalese Accara is a deep-fried fritter consisting of black-eyed peas. In Senegal people regard Accara in the same way they do in the Caribbean- a popular, tasty, and quick fast-food for on the go. Caribbean fried fritters’ connections to West African countries/cultures are not coincidental considering the Transatlantic slave trade. Though enslaved Africans were stripped of various parts of their identity, they were able to preserve elements of their various cultures to develop new cultural markers in the Americas, evident in the similarities between Caribbean Accra and Senegalese Accara fritters.
Kirouac, Matt. “Afro-Caribbean Cuisine Charts a Course to Mainstream Success.” US Foods, https://www.usfoods.com/great-food/food-trends/afro-caribbean-cuisine-is-trending-on-menus.html. Accessed October 4 2020.
Hi Marie!
I really enjoyed your post, fried food is so universal across cultures and in this age of air fried and no oil, it has become somewhat of a villain of health foods. However, your post made me reflect that such fried items are nurturing to the mind rather than (perhaps) ones actual body. Thank you for sharing about Accra, I am extremely tempted to try it and would love to know if you have any recipes! Upon further reflection, I realized that a lot of my favorite foods of introduction were fried (Sambusa’s from Ethiopia, fried plantains) and it’s great that you made a connection towards preservation of culture with fried food!
I thought your post was really thoughtful look at the history of fried fish fritters! The comment about them being referred to as a “stamp and go” in a sort of allusion to fast food today was really interesting. I also appreciated the important note about the relationship between the nature of fried fritters across the world as partly due to enslaved Africans retaining their culinary practices.