Bammy Bread

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Cassava Bread Manioc bread

Bammy Bread is a flat bread sort of like a pancake about 4 inches wide x 1/2 inch thick (10 x 1 cm.)

It is made from cassava (aka manioc.) The grated, raw cassava is pressed overnight in a cloth (or in a basket, if doing large quantities) to remove excess liquid. The liquid is actually a toxin and must be removed. If you're in a hurry, you can put it in a cloth, and wring it. The cassava is then salted, formed in flat patties, or put into metal rings, then baked, and turned once while baking, or fried on a griddle until golden brown. The frying time is about 10 minutes per side.

Some people like to soak cooked Bammies in coconut milk, then fry them again.

Bammy is served with fried foods, or with fish, particularly fried fish.

Jamaicans actually prefer Bammy with their fish to wheat bread.


History
Bammy was probably first made by the Arawaks Indians in the Caribbean.

It was very popular at one time, but it became less popular when more people could afford wheat bread, particularly made from wheat from Canada. In 1992, imports of wheat subsidised by the Canadian government were causing hardship, because cassava is grown by low-income farmers in the Caribbean. The artificially-low price of the subsidised wheat actually made the cassava more expensive in comparison, putting the cassava growers in dire financial straits, and causing many Bammy makers to walk away from their trade.

The FAO stepped in and taught the few remaining Bammy making businesses how to do it to more modern standards. The FAO also got them proper equipment, and even helped them with professional labelling for the packages. This helped revive the Bammy market. Now they are even being packaged, frozen and exported up to North America.

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