Food · Trelawny · written in Patois with an English translation
If yu waan know wa feed Trelawny, aks any farmer eena di sout a di parish: a yam. Di deep red dirt roun di Cockpit Country grow yam sweet cyaan done, an dat mek people call Trelawny di yam belt a Jamaica. Yellow yam a di king — bwile i wid dumplin an banana, or roast i pon fire side, an yu belly full fi di whole day. Yam a no likkle ting fi Jamaica food culture: i a one a di groun provision dem weh wi jus call food, an no Sunday dinna no complete widout i. Every Easter Monday, di whole parish gadda a Albert Town, deep inna sout Trelawny, fi di Trelawny Yam Festival. Di festival start inna 1997, when di Albert Town South Trelawny Environmental Agency put on di fus one. I did move go a Hague, a nort Trelawny, fi a few year fram 2008, but di farmer dem grumble till i come back home a Albert Town inna 2011. Yu see di bigges yam dem pon show, yam dish competition, best dress goat race — a pure niceness. Farmer dem proud a dem crop, an di festival help push di yam business an bring in visitor. An yu know di joke weh tun serious? Some a di fassis sprinter dem eena di worl come fram right ya so eena yam country — Usain Bolt himself grow pon i, an im faada famously seh a di Trelawny yam mek im son run so fass. Scientist naa go swear fi dat, but no Trelawny smadi naa argue wid yu! One-one coco full baskit, di farmer dem seh — an one-one yam full di whole island belly.
If you want to know what feeds Trelawny, ask any farmer in the south of the parish: it is yam. The deep red soil around the Cockpit Country grows endlessly sweet yam, which is why people call Trelawny the yam belt of Jamaica. Yellow yam is the king — boil it with dumplings and banana, or roast it by the fireside, and your belly is full for the whole day. Yam is no small thing in Jamaican food culture: it is one of the ground provisions we simply call food, and no Sunday dinner is complete without it. Every Easter Monday the whole parish gathers at Albert Town, deep in south Trelawny, for the Trelawny Yam Festival. The festival started in 1997, when the Albert Town South Trelawny Environmental Agency put on the first one. It moved to Hague, in north Trelawny, for a few years from 2008, but the farmers grumbled until it came back home to Albert Town in 2011. You see the biggest yams on show, yam dish competitions, a best-dressed goat race — pure fun. The farmers are proud of their crop, and the festival helps promote the yam business and bring in visitors. And you know the joke that turned serious? Some of the fastest sprinters in the world come from right here in yam country — Usain Bolt himself was raised on it, and his father famously said it was Trelawny yam that made his son run so fast. Scientists will not swear to that, but no Trelawny person will argue with you! One coco at a time fills the basket, the farmers say — and one yam at a time fills the whole island's belly.
If yu waahn nuo wa fiid Trelawny, aks eni faama iina di sout a di parish: a yam. Di diip red dort roun di Cockpit Country gruo yam swiit kyaahn don, an dat mek piipl kaal Trelawny di yam belt a Jamieka. Yala yam a di king — bwail i wid domplin an banaana, ar ruos i pon faiya said, an yu beli ful fi di uol die. Yam a no likl ting fi Jamieka fuud kolcha: i a wan a di grong provijan dem we wi jos kaal fuud, an no Sunday dina no kompliit widout i. Evri Easter Monday, di uol parish gada a Albert Town, diip iina sout Trelawny, fi di Trelawny Yam Festival. Di festival staat iina 1997, wen di Albert Town South Trelawny Environmental Agency put aan di fos wan. I did muuv go a Hague, a nort Trelawny, fi a fyuu yier fram 2008, bot di faama dem gromble til i kom bak uom a Albert Town iina 2011. Yu si di bigis yam dem pon shuo, yam dish kompitishan, bes jres guot ries — a pyuur naisnis. Faama dem proud a dem krap, an di festival help push di yam bizniz an bring iin vizita. An yu nuo di juok we ton siiryos? Som a di faasis sprinta dem iina di worl kom fram rait ya so iina yam konchri — Usain Bolt imself gruo pon i, an im faada fiemosli se a di Trelawny yam mek im son ron so faas. Saiyantis naa go swier fi dat, bot no Trelawny sumadi naa aagyu wid yu! Wan-wan koko ful baskit, di faama dem se — an wan-wan yam ful di uol ailan beli.
Higman documents yellow yam as a staple ground provision and a major export, and records the festival's first staging at Albert Town in 1997 — the year and place this capsule now follows. He dates the inaugural festival to Labour Day; it has since settled on Easter Monday.
The history and the figures come from the sources above. The Patois is mine.
Hear this read aloud in Trelawny →