The best Gizzada ever!

When a Jamaican says you must try a gizzada you experience first mild panic! (Some kind of chicken gizzard something??!!) You become even more suspicious when you are reassured: "Oh don't worry, it's delicious!" Yeah right! While the Jamaicans have the gift of naming some things beautifully: Orocabessa; Halfway Tree. There are some disasters: Bogwalk; Balaclava; Magotty!! I mean - talk about terrible names. And I just added Gizzada to the list and braced myself for some kind of culinary aberration!

So imagine my surprise when a little coconut tart was presented to me. Phew! No chicken gizzard pie! But here's the problem - Gizzadas are like jaw breakers only sharper. The pastry is hard, the coconut centre is hard and likely to bruise up the inside of your mouth when you bite into it. EXCEPT, and it is a wondrous exception, for the Gizzadas that are sold at Cafe Blue at Sovereign Mall in Kingston.

My friend Shivaun and I met at Cafe Blue to have lunch and catch up. It had been three years since last we'd seen each other, and our lives had changed quite profoundly in the interim. We'd both lost a parent and got involved with men we loved. Yes, so like I said, it was a LOT to catch up on. And whatever we ate for lunch seemed completely inconsequential and quite forgettable. Then she said, "We must share a Gizzada!" "Really?" says I. "I'm not too sure about that." "No," says she. "This is the best Gizzada ever!"

And you know... it was. What a thing of beauty! It required that Shivaun and I stop our talking and eat small pieces of the tart in a reverential silence. It was a delicate, crunchy tart that nearly melted in my mouth. And then the gorgeous macaroon-like centre of the finely shredded coconut, baked to a light golden-brown. It was slightly sticky, sweet, chewy and crunchy. And yes, you HAVE to try one!