In Chapter 1 of the Pagoda, we find that Lowe’s shop has been set on fire. The local community comes to help douse out the flames. The community discusses whether the shop was important to them or not. One person mentions that the products at the shop were of poor quality, specifically the rum and the cornmeal (15).
Cornmeal is an ingredient with strong origins to Mesoamerican, African, and Native American cultures. The “meal” indicates that is it a ground, dried form of the corn. Records estimate that maize was domesticated by Indigenous tribes in the current continental US during 5000 BC. Originally, the Indigenous people would ground the corn and mix it with water and salt. Over time, colonists and future American families would modify this technique to create different dishes. Cornmeal is most recognizably used in baking cornbread, johnnycakes, and puddings, which are American classics. It is a staple in Southern cooking, and it is predictable that cornmeal reached the Caribbean through globalization. In the novel, the local mentions finding weevils in his cornmeal. These are insect pests that live & reproduce inside the seeds or kernels of grain products. Weevils are often found in packaged foods that are not preserved in dry areas.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/03/07/cornmeal-is-baked-into-the-history-of-the-americas-and-its-time-to-dust-off-those-roots/
https://www.world-foodhistory.com/2011/02/cornmeal.html#:~:text=Cornmeal%20began%20as%20a%20Native%20American%20staple.%20It,central%20role%20in%20their%20nutrition%2C%20religion%20and%20ritual.
https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-a-weevil-2656439
Hi Andrew, thanks for this insightful look into the origins of cornmeal! I find it especially interesting that in the quote you chose, Lowe’s shop is specifically criticized for the poor quality of rum and cornmeal. You have mentioned that cornmeal is a staple in the cuisine of the American South, and I wonder if the same is true for Jamaica. If so, it really seems like the locals are trying to target Lowe and his shop by finding issues with the products that are particularly important to them.
Hi Andrew,
I appreciate your research and I find the relationship between corn and indigenous Americans fascinating. It is amazing to know that corn was domesticated by natives in 5000 BC. I personally love cornbread so it’s enlightening to hear its long and extensive history.