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Martinique
Turmeric, cumin, coriander and slowly simmered pork: Martinique has made the cari brought from India by indentured Indian labourers entirely its own.
Traditional dish from Martinique.
The Comité martiniquais du tourisme states it plainly: born of Indian influences, colombo is the quintessential Martinican dish, with a choice of meat between chicken, pork, goat or fish. Le Guide du routard regards it as a dish of Tamil origin that became, with the arrival of the Indians, a staple of West Indian cuisine.
The story begins with the abolition of slavery, around the middle of the 19th century. West Indian plantations were then short of labour, and thousands of Indians, originating mainly from southern India and Sri Lanka, arrived in Martinique and Guadeloupe as indentured labourers. They brought with them cari, the forerunner of curry and the foundation of their daily cooking. Once there, original ingredients were scarce or absent; local spices, terroir produce and African techniques already established on the island did the rest, and cari gradually transformed into colombo.
The name itself comes from afar. It most probably derives from kulambu, a Tamil preparation familiar to the indentured labourers, although other theories link it to Christopher Columbus or the city of Colombo, in Sri Lanka.
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Colombo is, first and foremost, its blend of spices. In the homemade version, the seeds are roasted before being ground, releasing their essential oils; it contains turmeric, cumin, mustard seeds, coriander and pepper, to which some families add fennel or chilli. The traditional blend can also include bay leaf, thyme and bois d'Inde leaves.
In Basse-Pointe, Charles Velayoudon still keeps the tradition of colombo paste alive. For as far back as he can remember, he saw his father crush turmeric, onion, roasted rice, coriander seeds and cumin between two stones: a large, slightly curved one placed on a table, and a smaller one held in his hand. When he wanted to take up the torch, an aunt entrusted him with the family secret. With this paste, he prepares all kinds of colombo: pork, goat, fish and, of course, chicken. Colombo powder is also among the spices found on the island's local markets.
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Each meat has its place in the repertoire. Colombo de poulet is the best known, colombo de cabri is often reserved for special occasions, its robust meat standing up well to spices, and colombo de porc is more common, milder. Le Guide du routard, for its part, crowns goat: 'the best', it writes.
Martinican colombo is no mere curry. It is distinguished from Indian curry by terroir ingredients such as vegetarian chilli, mild and fruity, and bois d'Inde, an aromatic leaf also found in court-bouillon. Nor does it resemble its Guadeloupean cousin: as Martinique's local spices are different, colombo de porc has a taste here quite distinct from that of Guadeloupe.
Appearance
A dish in sauce, where pieces of tender pork simmer with vegetables—aubergine, courgettes, potatoes.
Taste
A dish dominated by spices: turmeric, cumin and coriander as a base, with, depending on the recipe, cloves, nutmeg and mustard seeds. The pork gives it a milder note than goat.
Texture
Tender meat in a sauce that some households thicken with a little roasted and ground rice or seeds, for an almost velvety consistency.
the best-known version; Le Guide du routard refers to a chicken curry 'most often'.
often reserved for special occasions, and judged 'the best' by Le Guide du routard.
also prepared with spiny lobsters in fishing ports, adapting the spice blend to the delicacy of seafood.
the pieces are separated from the marinade and browned in oil.
sliced aubergine and courgettes, before pouring in the marinade.
colombo powder, this West Indian spice blend, is added.
with stock, covered: around thirty minutes in the simplest version, longer for those who let it simmer all morning.
colombo is even better reheated, after a few hours or the following day.
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Colombo de porc is traditionally served with white rice, sometimes accompanied by red kidney beans. Others serve it with yam or plantains. It is a dish for family meals: it is not uncommon for it to simmer all morning to be shared at lunchtime, amongst family and friends.
To sample it, it is featured on the menu of many of the island's restaurants, both to eat in and as a takeaway. The Tables & Auberges de France directory recommends it to red-meat lovers, alongside colombo de cabri.
Colombo de porc carries no official quality sign (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), Label Rouge) in the sources consulted: it is a dish cooked at home and served in restaurants, with recipes varying from one family to another.
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