Ann's Blog
Hog Island, Grenada:
February 13, 2012:
Mannish water made easy?
Home in Toronto, I’ve been caught turning to instant soup mix when I’m in a hurry. Soup…Needed…Fast. After all, what could be less complicated than ripping open the envelope and adding water? So imagine my surprise when I read the directions on the back of the “Mannish Water” soup mix – described on the packet as “ram goat flavor soup mix” (“with artificial goat flavor”) – that I had impulsively bought at the Marketing and National Importing Board (MNIB) in Grand Anse. This envelope of mix was merely one of – count ’em – 20 ingredients required for making mannish water. And first on the list was 3 lbs of goat head and belly. Well, geez, just let me pull that spare goat head and belly out of my fridge and I’ll whip up a quick pot.…
But I get ahead of myself. When I saw the packages in a rack at the MNIB, I threw one in my shopping basket without even glancing at the instructions. I knew Steve would be as amused as I was to see that one could actually buy a mix for this popular – particularly with guys – type of soup. “Mannish water” gets its name because goat soup has a reputation for being “good for deh back” or putting “lead in deh pencil” – island euphemisms for that, uh, boost in the bedroom.
a goat head and stir
Alleged benefits notwithstanding, it also tastes good. Though the name conjures up a thin (and somewhat unappetizing) liquid, in the West Indies, “water” or “waters” are actually hearty chowders – closer in consistency to a stew than a broth. A good mannish water is thick with pieces of tender goat meat, cubes of yam and “Irish” (white) potato, flour dumplings, and green bananas and other vegetables, all seasoned with thyme, pimento (allspice), garlic, and enough Scotch bonnet pepper to raise the dead all by itself.
Back onboard, I made Steve close his eyes, and handed him the package. Unlike me, he immediately turned it over to eyeball the directions. “Did you happen to pick up a goat head?” he asked, scanning the list. He then moved on to the first step of the method: “Cut the goat head and belly in small pieces, then clean in a mixture of vinegar and 4 cups water, then scald.” That was followed by 45 minutes in the pressure cooker in Step 2. The packet of soup mix didn’t get added until Step 7. This instant soup mix had the makings of an all-day project.
To be perfectly fair, the package did state that one could just add the mix to water and simmer for 10 minutes. But the result wouldn’t be mannish water – just ram-goat-flavored broth. At this point, peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch were sounding just dandy.
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Oh, golly Ann, I know I can always come to your blog and leave with a smile. Mannish water? Goat head? Bwahahahaha!!!
Hi Ann,
Just read “The Spice Necklace”. It was just what I needed to help me get through the snow here in February in Chicago! Thank you for sharing all of your recipes and tales of life in the Caribbean.
Regards,
Captain Robert (no sailboat yet, but soon I hope :-)
I might have grabbed and bought that soup for the same reasons you did – the grin and novelty of the title. And the goat head directions make it even better as a good We got this in the Islands gift for friends back home. Thanks for the post. :)