• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Foreign Fork logo
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
    • Search by Interactive Map
    • African Recipes
    • Asian Recipes
    • Caribbean Recipes
    • Central American Recipes
    • European Recipes
    • Middle Eastern Recipes
    • North American Recipes
    • Oceanic Recipes
    • South American Recipes
    • Search by Course
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Drinks
      • Breads
      • Soups
      • Main Courses
      • Sauces
      • Side Dishes
      • Desserts
    • Search by Ingredient
      • Beef Recipes
      • Chicken Recipes
      • Potato Recipes
      • Rice Recipes
      • Seafood Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Be Featured on TFF!
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
    • Search by Interactive Map
    • African Recipes
    • Asian Recipes
    • Caribbean Recipes
    • Central American Recipes
    • European Recipes
    • Middle Eastern Recipes
    • North American Recipes
    • Oceanic Recipes
    • South American Recipes
    • Search by Course
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Drinks
      • Breads
      • Soups
      • Main Courses
      • Sauces
      • Side Dishes
      • Desserts
    • Search by Ingredient
      • Beef Recipes
      • Chicken Recipes
      • Potato Recipes
      • Rice Recipes
      • Seafood Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Be Featured on TFF!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » South America

    Guyanese Pepperpot

    Published on Nov 19, 2021 Modified: Nov 13, 2021 by Alexandria Drzazgowski.

    Jump to Recipe

    Pepperpot is a Guyanese dish that is the pride and joy of the country. It is made by cooking a combination of beef and pork together with a unique Guyanese ingredient, Cassareep. 

    Bowl of pepperpot with a habanero pepper and cinnamon sticks
    Jump to:
    • Recipe Origins
    • Why Make this Recipe
    • What Do I Need to Make this Recipe? 
    • What is Cassareep? 
    • How to Make this Recipe
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Guyanese Pepperpot

    Recipe Origins

    To make Pepperpot, beef and pork are stewed together for a few hours, alongside spicy peppers, cinnamon sticks, cloves, thyme, and more. 

    The unique thing about Pepperpot is that it is best when eaten a few days after making it. Cassareep, the main ingredient in the dish, acts as a natural preservative for the stew, meaning that you can continue to eat it long after a normal stew would have gone bad. 

    Pepperpot is the national dish of Guyana, and was popularized by the Amerinidans of the country. It is now a Christmas tradition in Guyana, with many people making the dish a few days beforehand so that they can enjoy the strengthened flavor on Christmas morning, alongside a slice of plait bread. 

    I discussed my experience making Pepperpot on the Culture Cult podcast, which you can listen to on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

    Why Make this Recipe

    Pepperpot in a large pot with a serving spoon
    1. “Travel” to Guyana: Guyana is a beautiful country, but it’s not always easy to visit! If you want to try experiencing Guyana, making Pepperpot at home is a great way to do so. 
    2. A New Christmas Tradition: I love seeing how other people celebrate their favorite holidays. Making Pepperpot at home is a great way to add a new Christmas tradition into your life! 
    3. Try a New Ingredient: It’s so easy to get trapped in the same-old-same-old when it comes to recipes. And even when I’m trying something new, it almost always has the same ingredients I’ve always used. This recipe, at least for me, used an entirely new ingredient that I had never even heard of before! And it was so fun to switch it up. 

    What Do I Need to Make this Recipe? 

    Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

    Labeled ingredient shot
    1. Celery Leaves: I bought a stalk of celery and pulled the leaves from the top of the celery plants for this dish 
    2. Cassareep: See information below 
    3. Scotch Bonnet Pepper: I was not able to find scotch bonnet peppers. If you can’t find it, you can substitute habanero peppers or use a scotch bonnet pepper sauce to taste. 
    4. Meat: See FAQ question below for help choosing your meat. 

    What is Cassareep? 

    I had never heard of cassareep before making this dish, but now that I’ve experimented with it, I’d love to learn more uses for it! 

    The thick brown sauce is made from cassava. The kind of cassava used to make cassareep is bitter, and, without being processed, actually contains cyanide! The cassava is grated and then the juices are squeezed out of it, which are then boiled with sugar.  

    The resulting product is thick like molasses and is a deep black color. The color threw me off at first, but it does make for a delicious flavor in the stew!

    I bought my cassareep from Amazon, which was the only place I was able to find it. 

    How to Make this Recipe

    [adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”B6vKPMkl” upload-date=”2021-12-09T18:59:20.000Z” name=”Pepperpot from Guyana” description=”Pepperpot is a Guyanese dish that is the pride and joy of the country. It is made by cooking a combination of beef and pork together with a unique Guyanese ingredient, Cassareep. ” player-type=”static”]

    Step 1: Marinate 

    Blend together the onion, thyme, and garlic until a paste is formed. 

    onions, garlic, and celery leaves in a food processor

    In a large pot, add the meats, the herb paste, and the cassareep.

    Pot with cassareep ingredients

    Use your hands to mix it together. Let it sit for a half an hour. 

    Meat mixed with cassareep

    Step 2: Prep the Dish 

    Meat stew with cinnamon sticks, thyme, and orange peels on top

    Then add the sugar. Mix again to combine. 

    On top of the pot, add the orange peel, cinnamon stick, cloves, thyme, pepper, ½ tsp salt, and scotch bonnet pepper (or scotch bonnet pepper sauce). Mix again. 

    Step 3: Cook

    Pepperpot cooking in a large pot

    Put it on medium to low heat and allow it to cook (covered) in its own juices for about 25 minutes. 

    Then, add water (hot, already boiled) until the meat is covered. Cover it and let it cook for another hour and a half (2 hours total) until it has thickened and the meat is tender. You may need to cook it longer for the meat to be tender, and that is okay. 

    Add salt to taste at the end. Enjoy!

    Expert Tips

    • Make this dish about 2-3 days before you actually want to eat it. The flavor typically enhances the longer the dish has been around, so the older the better. 
    • Pepperpot is typically served with bread, especially Guyanese Plait Bread. It’s a type of bread similar to challah, but it doesn’t include any egg. 
    • Some Guyanese Pepperpot recipes call for the garlic, onions etc. Other people say that adding these ingredients detract from the overall dish. Either method works and is completely up to you. 

    Recipe FAQs

    close up of guyanese pepperpot in a small bowl
    How to Store Leftovers

    I can almost guarantee you that you’ll never read instructions like this on my blog again, but here we go: 

    Cassareep acts as a natural preservative in this dish, which means that, although the dish is made with meat, you don’t need to store it in the fridge. 

    You can leave the pepperpot on the stove for almost two weeks, just be sure to reheat it to a boil every morning! 

    What Types of Meat Can I Use in this Recipe? 

    I had a really hard time researching this. Most recipes called for “beef” or “pork” without much insight into what cuts of each meat I should be looking for. 

    I did see a few notes that oxtail or cow heel would work, as well as chuck roast, pig feet, goat,  or beef short ribs. 

    I used cubed pork butt in my pepperpot along with some stew beef, but I do wish that I would have chosen at least one type of meat that was on the bone (probably short ribs). 

    From reading tons of articles and watching many YouTube videos, it seems that the type of meat used in the dish is pretty forgiving, and everyone that makes this dish uses a different blend that works well for them. 

    Did you enjoy this Guyanese Pepperpot Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out for you:

    • Zigni (Beef Stew) from Eritrea
    • Argentinian Beef Stew in a Pumpkin 
    • Pepian de Pollo from Guatemala
    • Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe
    Save This Recipe Form

    Save This Recipe!

    Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

    A small bowl filled with Pepperpot from Guyana with a habanero pepper and a small wooden spoon.

    Guyanese Pepperpot

    Pepperpot is a Guyanese dish that is the pride and joy of the country. It is made by cooking a combination of beef and pork together with a unique Guyanese ingredient, Cassareep.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, stew
    Cuisine: Guyanese
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours hours
    Marinating Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 411kcal
    Author: Alexandria Drzazgowski

    Equipment

    • Pot(s)
    • Serving Spoon

    Ingredients

    • 1 small White Onion
    • 6 cloves garlic
    • 3 Celery leaves
    • 2 lb pork butt, Cubed
    • 1.5 lb stew beef, Cubed
    • ¾ cup cassareep
    • ¼ cup Brown Sugar
    • 4 inches orange peel
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 6 cloves
    • 6 sprigs Fresh Thyme
    • ¼ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
    • 1 tsp Salt, divided
    • 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper

    Instructions

    • Blend together 1 small onion, 6 cloves garlic, and 3 celery leaves until a paste is formed.
    • In a large pot, add the meats (2 lb cubed pork butt and 1.5 lb cubed stew beef), the herb paste, and the ¾ cup cassareep. Use your hands to mix it together. Let it sit for a half an hour.
    • Then add ¼ cup brown sugar. Mix again to combine.
    • On top of the pot, add 4 inches of orange peel, 1 cinnamon stick, 6 cloves, 6 sprigs fresh thyme, ¼ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp salt, and 1 scotch bonnet pepper (or scotch bonnet pepper sauce). Mix again.
    • Put it on medium to low heat and allow it to cook (covered) in its own juices for about 25 minutes.
    • Then, add water (hot, already boiled) until the meat is covered. Cover it and let it cook for another hour and a half (2 hours total) until it has thickened and the meat is tender. You may need to cook it longer for the meat to be tender, and that is okay.
    • Add salt to taste at the end. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Recipe with inspiration from Alicia’s Pepperpot, Jehan Powell, Caribbeanpot, and Real Nice Guyana. 
    • Celery Leaves: I bought a stalk of celery and pulled the leaves from the top of the celery plants for this dish 
    • Cassareep: See information above.
    • Scotch Bonnet Pepper: I was not able to find scotch bonnet peppers. If you can’t find it, you can substitute habanero peppers or use a scotch bonnet pepper sauce to taste. 
    • Meat: See FAQ question above for help choosing your meat.
    • Make this dish about 2-3 days before you actually want to eat it. The flavor typically enhances the longer the dish has been around, so the older the better. 
    • Pepperpot is typically served with bread, especially Guyanese Plait Bread. It’s a type of bread similar to challah, but it doesn’t include any egg. 
    • Some Guyanese Pepperpot recipes call for the garlic, onions etc. Other people say that adding these ingredients detract from the overall dish. Either method works and is completely up to you.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 554mg | Potassium: 972mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheForeignFork or tag #TheForeignFork!

    More South American Recipes

    • A refreshing Açaí Na Tigela layered with granola, sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and a drizzle of creamy topping.
      Brazilian Açaí Bowls (Açaí na Tigela)
    • A piece of pastel de choclo in a plate with fork on the side, and baking dish with pastel de choclo and basil leaves behind it.
      Pastel de Choclo Recipe from Chile
    • A serving bowl piled high with farofa and some spilling over onto a platter next to a serving spoon laying beside it.
      Farofa (Toasted Cassava Flour) from Brazil
    • A bowl of Argentinian chimichurri with a spoon scooping it
      Argentinian Chimichurri Recipe (Traditional!)

    Sharing is caring!

    359 shares

    Beef Recipes Christmas Recipes Main Course South America Winter Recipes Guyana

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Makwaldron says

      March 07, 2023 at 12:13 am

      Hi, Guyanese American here just excited to be represented!!!
      Did you know that you have Italian ravioli posted right above the recipe for pepper pot?
      Keep up the great work!

      Reply
      • Makwaldron says

        March 07, 2023 at 12:15 am

        And just like that the glitch is gone, weird.

        Reply
    5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    What are you looking for?

    Welcome to The Foreign Fork, I'm Alexandria!

    And I am cooking one meal from every country in the world. 196 countries, and we’re cooking them all… Welcome to the adventure! 

    Learn More

    Footer

    • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Copyright © 2025 The Foreign Fork

    Homemade Guyanese Pepperpot Recipe middle design banner
    Homemade Guyanese Pepperpot Recipe top design banner
    Homemade Guyanese Pepperpot Recipe bottom design banner
    Homemade Guyanese Pepperpot Recipe top black banner
    359 shares

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.