Name: Pato Yemayá (Duck Yemayá)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Cuba
Ingredients: ½ cup bitter orange juice, or ¼ cup regular orange juice and ¼ cup fresh lime juice; 1 large (6-pound) duck; ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional); ½ teaspoon marjoram; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, or ¾ teaspoon dried ginger; 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil, or ¾ teaspoon dried basil; ⅓ cup thinly sliced onion; 2 cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press; About 2 (11.8-ounce) cans guarapo (sugarcane juice), or 1 cup sugar dissolved in 2 cups water; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Eating Cuban

By Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs

Published 2006

About

The Yoruba orisha (deity) Yemayá is the Lady of the Sea, and Mother of the Universe. The duck Kuekueye was her friend and confidant, but he betrayed Yemayá and was sentenced to be eaten as punishment for his treachery.

This interesting and delicious-sounding preparation of duck to honor Yemayá is described in a fascinating book called Afro-Cuban Cuisine: Its Myths and Legends, by Natalia Bolívar Aróstegui and Carmen González Díaz de Vil