The last few days, early morning rains have wreaked havoc on the plans of mice and men (and Gnome and Munchkin).  So, what can mere mortals do under these circumstances when they are thwarted by the elements?

Munchkin rummaged around in the kitchen and came up with something tasty.

We ate Dak.

Dak is the Belize version of the familiar tinned chopped ham that you see on all supermarket shelves. I have no social qualms about broadcasting the fact that I eat this preserved flayed pork meat on occasion, as I grew up in a Chinese household where this food was seen as a legitimate food item.  We used to steam it with rice and eat it with fresh green vegetables.  Gnome, on the other hand, tells me that many other cultures do not deem this as a proper food.  It is a food that might lurk in the back of somebody’s cupboard but most certainly, the harbouring of such an item should never be professed.  It is eaten alone…in hushed tones with the lights dimmed down.  Ooooh…sounds like fun…a secret society of underground Dak eaters!

Nobody is willing to openly admit that they eat Dak but those cases stacked in the back of Chinese supermarkets that we all see must be going into somebody’s belly!  There are times of the year when there is not a single tin to be found on the shelf and everyone is hanging out for the Dak shipment.

So, today we ate Dak chopped ham cooked in onions, tomatoes and Italian herbs with cassava hash browns.  Munch away quietly with dimmed lights:

We also had a nice dipping sauce which is so easy to make:

Munchkin’s Dango Dip:

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp soya sauce

Mix well and use as a dip.

You may have already surmised from the name “Dak” that this is Danish in origin.  There is also a Chinese version available in Belize called Zwan; the label is written only in Chinese and to be honest, I am a bit wary of it!  The name Zwan does not somehow hit the spot and cause me to salivate with hunger.  This one definitely has to be hidden in the dark depths of the kitchen cupboard away from prying eyes!

A few years back, I tasted some Belizean food which incorporated this chopped ham.  I was at a hospital medical meeting and we were given a buffet of sandwiches for lunch.  All the sandwiches were one variety…they were white slices of bread with a filling of margarine and a whiff of pig.  At the time, I didn’t say anything and just politely ate the food with no questions asked.  The Belizeans were chomping happily away while the Nigerian medical staff had very dubious looks on their faces.  Sometime afterwards, I enquired into the nature of these sandwiches whilst I was in the company of well-seasoned ex-pats (they had been around for about 20 years) and they explained that these were called “ham sandwiches” or even “Dak sandwiches.”  The filling is made by pulverising the piece of chopped ham into a paste.  Margarine is then spread on white soft bread and on top of this, a smear of Dak paste.  Therefore, one tin of Dak (200g or 1/2lb) can go a long way and can economically feed a whole party of hungry people.  Talk about Homeopathic Ham!

So there you go.  How do you eat your Dak?  Don’t be shy…we can form a secret society for eaters of forbidden Dak!