Growing up in Barbados, Austin Clarke was surrounded by women in the kitchen. Enveloped in the heavenly smells and smoke of their cooking, he listened to their talk about the food they were preparing. His mother; several aunts and numerous cousins always recited the steps they were taking as they cooked, and through them, he learned how to cook the traditional dishes of Barbados - food that has its origins in the days of slavery, of hardships and economic grief, when ‘ingreasements’ (ingredients) were scarce. The food was not just intended to ‘full a hole in your stomach’, according to Austin’s mother, but to make you ‘feel good’, ‘grow into a strong man’ and give you ‘big-big brains’.

In Pig Tails ‘n’ Breadfruit, Austin Clarke shares his favourite recipes, including Smoked Ham Hocks with Lima Beans, Breadfruit Cou-Cou with Braising beef, Oxtails with Mushrooms, Pepperpot, and his renowned Chicken Austintacious. He reveals his method for choosing a ‘nice piece o’ pigtail from the brine barrel’, demonstrates how to test an okra for freshness, outlines the essential characteristics of a real pork chop, and instructs us in the proper use of a cou-cou stick, that essential tool found in every Barbadian home. And all the while he reminisces about the food he ate as a boy and the rituals that went along with it. Whether it’s a story about the village butcher whose qualifications were somewhat suspect, how to map a sure-fire route to a woman’s heart through her stomach, or searching the streets of Durham, North Carolina, for fried chicken with Norman Mailer, Austin Clarke will make you hungry for ‘hot cuisine’ and the spirit of the island.