Cassava Pie
“Bermuda's Christmas pie — grated cassava sweetened and seasoned, layered with chicken and pork stewed in a savory broth, baked into a dense, sliceable casserole. Made only for Christmas; every family has its own recipe; widely considered Bermuda's most-treasured culinary heritage.”
Where it comes from
Cassava pie is the Bermudian Christmas dish that families don't substitute, don't make outside December, and pass down through generations. Each Bermudian family has a slightly different recipe, but the basic structure is fixed: a sweetened cassava 'crust' encloses a savory chicken-and-pork filling. The dish reflects the cassava heritage from Taíno Caribbean and African slave-era cooking, adapted in Bermuda over four centuries.
On the plate
Cut a wedge of warm cassava pie — golden-brown top, pale yellow cassava layers above and below visible chunks of dark-brown stewed chicken and pork. Bite: the cassava is dense, slightly sweet, custardy from the eggs and butter, with the faint nutty fragrance of cinnamon and nutmeg; the meat filling is deeply savory with allspice and soy umami; the contrast between sweet cassava and savory meat is the dish's signature. Restaurant cassava pies often disappoint; only the home-cooked version captures the soul. With cranberry sauce on Christmas day, this is Bermudian heritage in a single slice.
How it works
Squeezing the grated cassava is non-optional and not just for texture — fresh cassava contains hydrocyanic acid (cyanide precursor); the squeezed liquid carries it away. Eating insufficiently-prepared cassava can be toxic. Sweetening the cassava with sugar+eggs creates the custardy structure that holds the savory meat filling. Baking deeply (75-90 min) ensures the eggs set into firm structure that can be sliced.
Variations
Cassava pie with beef (modern). With chicken only (vegetarian-adjacent). With added raisins in the cassava (sweeter). Spicier version with scotch bonnet. With sweet potato substituted for some cassava. Mini cassava pies (individual portions).
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 10
How it's made
12 steps · Show ↓100 min active · 140 min waiting
How it's made
12 steps · Show ↓- 192 min
Make filling first (can be made a day ahead): in a large pot, cover 1 chicken (cut into 8 pieces) and 1 kg pork shoulder (cubed) with water. Add 1 onion, 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs thyme, 1 tsp salt. Simmer 90 min until very tender. Drain (reserve broth); pull meat off bones; dice (discard skin and bones).
- 225 min
Sauté 2 chopped onions and 4 minced garlic cloves in 2 tbsp butter 5 min. Add diced meat; brown 5 min. Season with 1 tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp soy sauce. Add 250 ml reserved broth; simmer 10 min. Cool.
- 330 min
Make cassava crust: peel 2 kg fresh cassava root (or substitute thawed frozen cassava). Grate finely (a food processor with the grating disc helps).
- 45 min
Squeeze grated cassava firmly in a tea towel to remove the hydrocyanic-acid-containing liquid (CRITICAL — this is poisonous; squeeze well and discard the liquid).
- 56 min
Combine squeezed cassava with 200 g sugar, 5 large eggs, 80 g melted butter, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla; mix thoroughly.
- 61 min
Preheat oven to 175°C. Butter a deep 25-cm round baking pan.
- 76 min
Press 2/3 of the cassava mixture into the pan and up the sides as a crust.
- 82 min
Spoon the meat filling evenly into the crust.
- 93 min
Cover with the remaining cassava mixture, sealing edges.
- 1082 min
Bake 75-90 min until golden-brown on top and a knife inserted comes out clean.
- 1122 min
Rest 20 min before slicing into wedges.
- 121 min
Serve warm or at room temperature on Christmas Day, alongside roast turkey or pork.
