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Metemgee

Metemgee (also metagee) is a hearty Guyanese one-pot of ground provisions — cassava, eddoes, yam, plantain, sweet potato — simmered in thick coconut milk with onion, thyme, and pepper, often topped with flour or cornmeal dumplings called 'duff' and served with fried fish. It is an Afro-Guyanese cornerstone dish.

Compiled by APEX Legacy from published research and documented food history, under the editorial direction of Jonathan Jackson, Founder. How we write and review these pages →

Why it is ours

Metemgee is Afro-Guyanese heritage food, the kind of provision pot that fed families and is still served at gatherings and emancipation celebrations. For Black American users, the ground-provision-and-coconut pot is the African root-vegetable foodway preserved whole — the same instinct that put yams and sweet potatoes at the center of the Black Southern table.

What it does

Ground provisions are nutrient-dense, fiber-rich complex carbohydrates with a steady glycemic curve. Cassava and yam supply potassium and vitamin C; plantain and sweet potato add beta-carotene and B6. Cooked in coconut milk, the pot becomes a filling, potassium-forward meal that supports blood-pressure management without relying on processed starch. The variety of roots delivers a broad mineral spread.

How it is cooked

Peel and cube cassava, eddoes, yam, plantain, and sweet potato. Simmer in thick coconut milk with onion, garlic, thyme, and hot pepper until tender. Drop in duff dumplings to cook in the liquid. Serve hot, traditionally with fried fish.

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