Guyanese Pepperpot: The Cassareep Stew and How to Cook It

Last checked: November 2026

Pepperpot is a dark, sweet-spicy meat stew cooked in cassareep, a thick syrup made from bitter cassava. It began with Guyana’s Indigenous peoples and is now the country’s national dish. Most families cook it on Christmas Eve and eat it on Christmas morning with bread.

At a glance

• What it is: beef, pork or mutton slow-cooked with cassareep, cinnamon, cloves and hot pepper
• When: Christmas above all, plus Indigenous Heritage Month (September) and other special occasions
• Served with: plait bread (a braided white loaf), homemade bread or cassava bread
• Time to make: 3-6 hours of mostly unattended simmering, best rested overnight
• Key ingredient: cassareep; there is no real substitute

Where does pepperpot come from?

Pepperpot started with the Indigenous peoples of what is now Guyana. They learned that the juice of bitter cassava, which is poisonous raw, becomes safe and useful when boiled. The toxic compound breaks down and the heat drives it off.

That boiled-down juice is cassareep. It helped meat keep in a hot climate. Over time, Guyanese of every background adopted the dish.

Indigenous communities still cook their own versions, often with wild meat such as labba (a large rodent prized for its meat) or deer. Read more in our guide to Indigenous communities in Guyana.

What is cassareep?

Cassareep is made by grating bitter cassava, squeezing out the liquid, letting the starch settle, then boiling the juice for several hours until it is thick, black and syrupy. Cinnamon, cloves or salt are sometimes added.

It tastes bittersweet, like molasses, and gives pepperpot its colour. Bottled cassareep is sold in Guyanese supermarkets and Caribbean grocers abroad. Choose one where cassava is the first ingredient.

Why is pepperpot eaten at Christmas?

It takes hours to cook and keeps for days, which suits a family holiday. Many households start it on Christmas Eve.

Christmas breakfast in Guyana often means pepperpot with plait bread, garlic pork (pork pickled in vinegar, garlic and thyme, then fried), black cake and a glass of sorrel drink. For the cake, see our guide to Guyanese desserts and sweets.

Traditionally the pot stays on the stove and is reboiled daily. Refrigerating leftovers is safer.

Where can you try pepperpot in Guyana?

In December it is in almost every home and on many cook shop menus. Outside the season it is harder to find, so ask at cook shops and bakeries before you assume it is off the menu.

In September, Indigenous Heritage Month events in Georgetown usually have Indigenous cooks selling pepperpot, tuma pot (a pepper and cassava-juice stew) and cassava bread.

How do you make pepperpot at home?

Serves 6-8. Start the day before you want to eat it.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) beef on the bone: chuck, shin or oxtail
• 500 g (1 lb) cow heel or pig trotters, cut into pieces (for a sticky sauce)
• 125-180 ml (½-¾ cup) cassareep
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2-3 wiri wiri peppers or 1 scotch bonnet, left whole
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
• 1 strip dried orange peel (optional; fresh peel can turn bitter)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• Water to cover

Method

1. Start the tough cuts. Rinse the meat (many cooks rub it with lime first). Simmer the cow heel in water until it starts to soften before adding anything else, or pressure cook it for about 45 minutes.
2. Build the pot. Add the beef, onion, garlic, peppers, cinnamon, cloves, thyme, orange peel, sugar, salt and two-thirds of the cassareep. Top up with water to just cover.
3. Simmer. Cook on low, partly covered, 2-3 hours, until the beef is very tender and the sauce coats a spoon. Stir now and then.
4. Adjust. Add more cassareep, sugar or salt to taste. Whole peppers keep the heat gentle; remove them when it is hot enough.
5. Rest. Let it cool and sit, ideally overnight. Reheat to a full boil before serving.

Serve with thick slices of plait bread. Mutton, goat or pork can replace some of the beef.

FAQ

Is pepperpot spicy? It has warmth from whole peppers and cinnamon, but it is more sweet and savoury than fiery. Keeping the peppers whole controls the heat.

Can you make pepperpot without cassareep? Not really. Browning sauce or molasses gives colour but not the bittersweet taste. Buy cassareep from a Caribbean grocer or online.

How long does pepperpot keep? Traditionally for days on the stove with daily reboiling. To be safe, refrigerate it and use within 3-4 days, or freeze it.

Next step: See how pepperpot fits into a wider Guyanese table in our Guyanese food guide, or try more dishes in our Guyanese recipes to cook at home.