The History of the Conkie

Independence celebrations are well underway! The lights have been hung, the flags are flying high and the national colours can be seen island wide! With all this excitement going on there is just one thing missing; independence in Barbados is not complete without the delicious tropical delight of freshly steamed conkies, wrapped in a crisp banana leaf ready to be devoured! This corn based dish, also referred to as stew dumpling is a traditional past time for many. The conkie is said to be derived from a similarly prepared Ghanaian dish called 'kenkey’. Conkies were once prepared annually to celebrate Guy Fawkes day on November 5th, a traditional day of celebration for the British in the early 19th century, to commemorate the failed attempt on the life of Kings James I in 1605. After Barbados’ independence in 1966 many of the traditional British customs were replaced by new local traditions. As a result; conkies are no longer reserved for November 5th but can be found all month long especially on the island’s independence day. This true Barbadian tradition has come a long way and is definitely here to stay, so go out today and enjoy a steaming hot conkie fresh out the kitchen!