Hello little hummingbird!

If I say "Easter" to you, you probably think "chocolate", and so do I, to tell you the truth (#CEOchocolateaddict). But in the Caribbean, and particularly in Martinique, Easter has a completely different meaning.

Easter, above all a religious holiday

Meaning of Lent

The Martinique community is predominantly Catholic and the Catholic religion punctuates all the major events of the calendar, or almost. Easter is therefore above all a religious holiday. It marks the end of the Lenten period, which began the day after Ash Wednesday (the last day of Carnival), and lasted 40 days. Lent, in the Christian religion, corresponds to the period during which Jesus is said to have withdrawn into the desert to fast, served by the angels, and tempted many times by the devil. During this period, Catholics are invited by their Church to observe certain days of fasting and abstinence, to engage in prayer and penitential practices, to rethink their lifestyle and to refocus on themselves and their loved ones. In short, it is a period of restriction that is more or less respected.

Good Friday and its accras

Good Friday is the last day of deprivation. Tradition has it that families gather in the morning to "relive" the passion of Christ, by walking the Stations of the Cross (often winding, steep and difficult steps, marked by several prayer stops), while fasting. Then comes the time to break the fast, generally around 3 p.m., by tasting good accras, with different flavors (accras being made of water and flour, are the perfect dish to break a fast). There, everyone is free to express their creativity. But the most classic accras are cod, vegetable, or titiri (small freshwater fish) accras. I invite you to discover some recipes that will make your mouth water at Auntie Maryse    (you can also go see the Timolokoy recipe – photo credit)

Easter Sunday and Monday

The crab cat

Easter is synonymous with family, sharing, and especially...crabs! In the West Indies, each holiday has its traditional dish. And the Easter dish is the "matoutou de crabes", made with land crab. To eat a good one on the big day, you have to know how to plan ahead: the crab traps (called "ratières") and the bait must be placed in nature (mangroves, fields, etc.) months in advance. Once a good number have been caught, they must be fed with leaves, vegetables, peelings and water. This step is crucial to give them flavor. Finally, on Sunday, we take out the largest of our pots and let all these crabs simmer slowly... very slowly, in a juice made with chili and colombo. It will be served with vegetables and rice.

Each family has its own recipe for matoutou. Personally, this year I will follow this one, and will do with the means at hand by replacing the crab with shrimp (Photo credit: @MissNatïaa)

The origins of the crab matoutou

The crab matoutou (or matété for the Guadeloupeans) is a Native American heritage (Caribbean and Arawaks).

When the colonists arrived in the Antilles, they denigrated this dish and labeled it as food for slaves. Then, when the slaves arrived from Africa, the Christian religion was imposed on them, and therefore the traditions that came with it, including that of Lent: they were deprived of fatty meats, and had no choice but to fall back on crab, considered at the time to be a lean meat. They ate it throughout the Lent period, then on Easter Sunday, they gathered to finish off the large stocks.

What was then a punishment for slaves, has become a traditional dish in Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Easter Camping

During the Easter weekend, tradition also dictates that families and friends pitch their tents at the water's edge on the beach, in a festive and friendly atmosphere, to enjoy this delicious dish. Young and old alike entertain themselves with music, playing dominoes, belote, football, etc. The luckiest ones lounge in their hammocks. The watchwords are sharing, rest, conviviality, respect for culture and traditions. On the beach, everyone is welcome, and the sound of laughter can be heard for miles.

Definitely an atmosphere I miss!

And you? What does your Easter weekend look like?

Lina