The official language of Guyana is English but many refer to it as broken English. Many Guyanese share an ancestery dating back to Britain and some words in our vocabulary are derived from there. There are many common terms that have specific meanings and explanations. Here’s a list of common terms that are used frequently in a West Indian household.
- Aloo- potato
- Baigan- eggplant
- Bajee- spinach
- Ball-of-fire pepper- scotch bonnet pepper
- Belna -rolling pin
- Bora- long bean
- Chowkie- base for rolling loyah. Used with Belna
- Carahee- pot for cooking
- Carrahee- dish made with dhal and poulari
- Cassava- root vegetable
- Channa- chick peas
- Choka- mashed. There are many kinda of choka such as aloo, baigan, coconut and fish
- Cookup- mixture of provisions and vegetables simmered in coconut milk. Sometimes chicken or fish is added
- Dabu- ladle
- Dhal- soup like mixture made with lentils seasoned with spices and turmeric
- Dhal gutney- hand tool used to mix dhal while cooking
- Dhal puri- spicy ground mixture of dhal stuffed in roti
- Dhanya masala- coriander seeds
- Diwali- Hindu celebration of lights
- Dosa- flat pancake
- Doubles- spicy mixture of channa and aloo served inside thin roti
- Duff- dumplings
- Eddo- root vegetable
- Garam masala- ground mixture of spices and seeds used as a staple ingredient in West Indian dishes to make curry
- Geera- cumin
- Hassa- type of catfish with a hard outer shell
- Karela- bitter melon
- Katahar- green jackfruit
- Kitchree- rice and dhal mixture
- Kowa- ripe jackfruit
- Mangrail- seed used in masala mixture
- Mohanbogh- parsad made with flour, butter, sugar and milk
- Oil roti- flaky flat bread cooked on a tawa. Also known as paratha roti
- Peera- sweet made with milk and sugar
- Paghwah- Hindu celebration of colors and new life
- Paynoouse- sweetened curdled milk dessert made with expired or turning milk
- Poulari- small fried mixture of ground dhal and spice
- Sweet rice- rice pudding
- Tamarind ball- spicy tamarind paste rolled into a ball and coated with sugar
- Wiri wiri pepper- this most common type of pepper used in West Indian dishes
Some images courtesy of Google Images
