Conkies and Bajan Sweets

A conkie is cornmeal, grated coconut, sweet potato and pumpkin mixed with sugar, spice and raisins, wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed, and it comes out dense, sweet and faintly smoky from the leaf. It descends from West African cornmeal parcels and was originally made for Guy Fawkes Night, then transferred to Independence Day at the end of November, so November is conkie month and the roadside stalls appear. Around it sits the wider sweet repertoire: sugar cakes of grated coconut boiled with sugar, tamarind balls rolled in sugar, comfits, and the cassava pone that is closer to a pudding than a cake.

What you actually see

• Conkies - steamed cornmeal parcels in banana leaf, made in November.
• Sugar cakes - grated coconut boiled with sugar, pink or white.
• Tamarind balls - sharp, sticky and rolled in sugar.
• Cassava pone - dense and spiced, closer to a pudding.

When to go

Conkies are a November thing, made around Independence Day at the end of the month, and roadside stalls appear then. The sugar cakes, tamarind balls and pone are sold year-round at bakeries, shops and school gates.

Honest expectations

Conkies are genuinely seasonal and looking for them in March is a wasted effort. They are dense and very sweet. Tamarind balls are sharp enough to surprise people. The banana leaf is a wrapper and is not eaten, which catches out visitors.

Nearby

Roadside stalls in November; bakeries and shops year-round.