Crab before being cook into Easter meal in Sainte Marie, Martinique.
The Matoutou or Matété
While eggs and chocolate bunnies flood the supermarkets this Easter weekend, which commemorates the resurrection of Christ, in the West Indies it is at the market that people gather to buy a shellfish from the mangroves and prepare a "Matoutou" (Martinique) or "Matété" (Guadeloupe) of crab. But where exactly does this tradition come from?
Amerindian engraved rock in the forest of Montravail, Martinique.
Pre-Columbian period
There is not a single and definitive origin for this dish, but several that complement each other. First of all, the Arawak and then Kalinago Amerindians (erroneously called "Caribs") present on the island used to eat a lot of shellfish and crustaceans that abound in the mangroves. They prepared crab with a sauce made of manioc juice and chili pepper called "taumalin".
The first European settlers, who often had difficulty feeding themselves in this new environment, copied and sometimes learned from the Kalinagos how to exploit all possible resources. One of the possible etymologies comes from the name of the table where the Amerindians ate their meals, called "matoutou".
Crab selection and slaughter in Fort-de-France, Martinique
Lenten meal
With the expulsion of the last Amerindians to Dominica in 1660 and the intensification of slavery, the mangrove crabs lost the interest of Europeans and became the dish of slaves during the 40 days of fasting of Lent. This animal is therefore captured at night in crab traps called "ratières", before being locked up in cages for several days and fed with coconuts, fruits and vegetables to improve its slightly clay-like taste.
On Easter Sunday, which marks the end of hardship, the slaves would gather to sell and consume all the remaining crabs, thus establishing the tradition of matoutou or matété. Today, this tradition, which has tended to disappear, is regaining popularity, to the great joy of lovers of local cuisine and traditions.
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