Oil Down

What it really is

Oil Down is Grenada’s celebrated one-pot meal, with breadfruit and dasheen leaves cooked in coconut milk with salted meat.

Oil Down is a one-pot dish of salted meat, breadfruit, dasheen leaves, vegetables and coconut milk, often with chicken or dumplings. The ingredients simmer together until tender as the liquid reduces and coats the food. The exact combination varies, and some versions use salted fish or other meats. The layered cooking method is central to the preparation. This entry models salted pork and dasheen leaves, so a menu should state whether chicken, dumplings or other vegetables are included in the kitchen’s version.

Breadfruit and dasheen leaves absorb the coconut liquid as the pot simmers, while salted meat contributes savoury seasoning. Chicken, dumplings and other vegetables may be included depending on the cook. The name describes the way the liquid reduces during the slow one-pot cooking, leaving the ingredients tender and coated rather than soupy. It is served as a complete meal, with each portion drawn from the same pot. Because the ingredients are layered and cooked together, the menu should list the actual meats and dumplings, not just call it a vegetable stew. Salted meat can make the finished dish quite salty; the amount varies by recipe.

Coconut milk supplies the cooking liquid, and breadfruit absorbs it as the pot reduces. The finished serving should include several components from the shared pot rather than only broth. Tell guests which meats are used, particularly whether salted pork, chicken or fish appears in that batch.

How it's served

• Serve hot from the pot; the breadfruit, leaves and protein are cooked together.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the salted meat and disclose coconut milk; list added chicken or dumplings when used.