I said Hello little hummingbird!

You must have seen the portrait of the beautiful Eloïse… who tells us that she particularly enjoys spending time with her family.

For this new article, I want to take you a little into mine 😊. When I think about it, the first image that comes to mind, the first memory that resurfaces, is the Sunday family meal.

We used to gather at the home of Uncle Augustin and his wife, Auntie Jeanne. They had (still have) a large house whose ground floor was actually a large open terrace, where we would all gather for this meal that would actually last for hours!

The terrace was strategically arranged. When you entered, you found the aperitif table directly on your right. Because at Tatie Jeanne's, you first serve yourself a drink, and then you greet everyone. It was quite a large table, and yet, there was not a single free space, if you know what I mean... On the other side, in the left corner, there was a lounge area with a small coffee table and four armchairs. I only realize now why this corner was so popular with my great uncles (laughs). In the middle of the terrace was a long dining table that could accommodate about thirty guests. And then at the back, there was the children's table 😊.

So we all arrived around 11am for an aperitif. Good humor reigned supreme. A hubbub of laughter, children's quarrels and kites [1] crispy, gained space and grew at the same time as the number of ti punches swallowed by my uncles. My cousins and I took turns serving pistachios, cod fritters and other appetizers to the adults, taking great care to furtively grab a few for ourselves between two services.

Two hours later, once we were well-filled with juice and cocktail sausages, and all the stories told in the style of Chinese whispers, it was finally time to sit down to eat! And there, we had to hang on!

To (re)open our stomachs, we started by tasting the traditional pâté en pot, a tasty soup prepared with vegetables and sheep offal. Not very appetizing said like that, but trust me… it was excellent, so much so that we had more. This soup is prepared with love, for hours. At the time, it was my late grandfather who held the secret.

After a short break, time to clear the plates, we moved on to the starter: a small salad of raw vegetables, accompanied by red or white Creole black puddings, and crab tartlets. It was my favorite dish, because it was light but oh so tasty. So I didn't hold back, which would be my downfall later, because then came... the main course (toudouuum).

The aunties paraded to distribute on the table the stews of local vegetables (breadfruit, Chinese cabbage, yams, yellow bananas), red beans or lentils consommés, and rooster stews from Uncle Augustin's chicken coop. Between the spices and the bonda man jak pepper, it all smelled divine. At this point, everyone was full to bursting. But as my grandmother used to say, "It is better for a man to die than for God's good to spoil"! So everyone made their own little plate. I cheated by helping myself to a quarter of a yam square that I drowned in the stew sauce to create an illusion.

Between the "Régine, pass me some dog sauce" and the "Did you hear what happened to Mr. So-and-so last week?", we could easily stay at the table until 4 p.m., much to the dismay of the little ones, who were impatiently waiting for dessert.

When the last auntie had finished mopping up [2]his plate, the farandole of country ice creams and local fruits arrived on the table. That's when I gave up. When there's no more room, there's no more... Wait! Is that a Vanilla-Pecan ice cream I see coming over there? My bad!

So at 5pm, the “midday” meal was finally over. Everyone sat down wherever they could to digest, half-ashamed, half-satisfied. The toughest aunties prepared teas and coffees to soothe our stomachs. It was also the time when the uncles resumed the round of ti punches…for digestion of course! 😉

At 7pm, it was high time to serve…SNACK 😅! Delicious, fragrant cakes that we hardly dared to touch because we knew that something would soon steal the show. I named it: CHOCOLATE BUTTER BREAD. A What now? No, it's not a butter sandwich with squares of chocolate. It's an essential dish on Caribbean tables. Butter bread, halfway between a pastry and a brioche, a true work of art with its braiding, accompanies a hot chocolate, called communion chocolate, smooth and flavored with the best spices from our region. A perfect marriage.

Communion chocolate is of Martinique origin. As its name suggests, it was previously served during first communion celebrations, and then by extension, during major events (weddings, baptisms, etc.). Today, any evening ending after midnight is an excuse to prepare one. Moreover, for some, chocolate butter bread is a stronger source of motivation than the reason for the invitation itself.

Although commonplace, to this day, no one has managed to crack the secret of the perfect "bread and butter - chocolate" ratio. So we generally help ourselves to a little more of one, to finish the other, until we run out.

In short, this is how the Sunday family meals ended. Everyone left with their tipewaw [3] filled with leftovers from lunch, with the hope of being able to fall asleep in the evening.

What a great memory…

If you told me in the comments what your family meal looked like?

Lina

PS: Here is the recipe TiMolokoy chocolate, where the photo comes from

[1] Gossip

[2] Clean your plate of all traces of the meal, especially with a slice of bread

[3] Tupperware with a Caribbean accent