Bammy

Name: Bammy
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients: 500g fresh cassava, peeled; 1 tsp salt; 200ml coconut milk; 3 tbsp coconut oil for frying; 1 tsp sugar optional

Bammy (BAM-ee)

Cassava Flatbread

⏱ Prep Time 45 min

📈 Difficulty Medium

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 261 kcal

Dense, slightly sweet cassava flatbread soaked in coconut milk and fried until golden, a traditional Taino-origin staple of Jamaican cuisine.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 3.0g

Carbs 42.0g

Fat 9.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

vegetarian gluten-free nut-free

Allergen Warnings

⚠ coconut

Equipment Needed

grater or food processor heavy skillet clean cloth

Presentation Guide

Vessel: flat plate

Garnishes: coconut flakes

Accompaniments: escovitch fish, fried fish

Ingredients

500g fresh cassava, peeled
1 tsp salt
200ml coconut milk
3 tbsp coconut oil for frying
1 tsp sugar optional

Instructions

1
Grate peeled cassava finely using a box grater or food processor. Wrap grated cassava in a clean cloth and squeeze out all moisture.
2
Mix the dried cassava with salt and optional sugar. The texture should be like damp sand that holds together when pressed.
3
Pack cassava firmly into a dry skillet to form a flat disc about one centimeter thick. Cook on medium-low for five minutes per side.
4
Remove the firm bammy disc from the skillet and let it cool slightly. At this point it can be stored for later use.
5
Soak the bammy in coconut milk for ten minutes, turning once, until it absorbs the creamy liquid throughout its center.
6
Fry the soaked bammy in coconut oil over medium heat for three minutes per side until golden brown and heated through.

💡

Did You Know?

Bammy is one of the few Jamaican foods that predates European colonization, having been made by the Taino people for centuries before Columbus arrived.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

grater or food processor
heavy skillet
clean cloth

Garnishing

coconut flakes

Accompaniments

escovitch fish, fried fish

The Story Behind Bammy

Bammy is Jamaica's most direct culinary link to its pre-Columbian past. The Taino people, Jamaica's original inhabitants, developed the technique of processing bitter cassava into edible flatbread long before European contact. When the Spanish and later British arrived, they adopted this indigenous food, and it persisted through centuries of colonial change. Today bammy remains a cherished part of Jamaican cuisine, especially alongside fried fish on the coast.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed breakfast or alongside fried fish 📜 Origins: Taino indigenous heritage

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