Black History Month first started in the UK in 1987 lead by Akyaaba Addai-Sebo
Inspired by the American celebration in February, October was chosen in the UK, as an ideal time as children would be back from school holidays refreshed and schools could build the subject into their curriculum.
The humble Pattie’s narrative embodies everything about Black History Month. It’s a manifestation of Jamaica’s diverse and rich colonial history. Historians have traced the patties’ origins back to Cornwall – where it started out as a pasty then migrated back to the Caribbean along the trade routes.
Upon reaching the shores of the Caribbean the pasty morphed into what we now call the pattie. The pastry colour, as gold as the sun – is believed to have started out as an accident! A pattie was often made to use up leftovers from dinner the evening before (no fridges around in those days!). The pastry would absorb the colours of the filling and take on a golden hue. This later lead to the pastry being coloured with annatto which was brought to the island in the early 1700’s.
The curry was thought to have been added by the East Indians that migrated to Jamaica. The locals then added the scotch bonnet pepper – which gave the pattie the fiery kick it’s known for today.
