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Jamaican Gizzada
The Delicious, Flaky Coconut Tart

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Jamaican GizzadaJamaican Gizzada

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

If you are a fan of coconut, flaky crusts and have a particularly insatiable sweet tooth, then you will be quite excited to sink your teeth into a Jamaican Gizzada.

Gizzada isn’t necessarily a household food item in Jamaica. It is that treat that you just randomly grab from a vendor while walking down the street. It's the perfect snack for those days when the traffic is so thick that all the vehicles are at a standstill, and you need something sweet to distract you.

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Fortunately for us Jamaicans, it's quite common to find vendors selling Gizzada during the middle of traffic, stop lights, walking around the town with the gizzadas packaged in small clear bags attached to a metallic ring, along with other treats like coconut drops, roasted peanuts, grater cakes and others. These vendors are usually men and all go by the generic nickname “Nutsy”.

Where Did Gizzada Come From?

It's quite difficult to pinpoint which country or region first came up with the idea of making this sweet, dainty looking tart by using a buttery pinched crust and sweet coconut filling. It is very common here in Jamaica, and it is found in other Caribbean islands like Trinidad where it is simply referred to as coconut tart. In Jamaica, Gizzada is also called pinch me round, deriving from the way the crust is made.

Surprisingly to most, it is also found in Portuguese cuisine and goes by the name of queijada. It is believed that the Gizzada was originally made by the Portuguese. The story is that Portuguese Jews brought it to Jamaica in 1530 when they fled their homes to escape being persecuted for their religious beliefs, but there are no hard facts to support this.

How Many Calories Are In A Jamaican Gizzada?

Each gizzada has approximately 170 calories. It should not be mistaken for a highly nutritious snack, it is high in carbohydrates, sodium and potassium. The small nutritional value it contains comes in the form of vitamins, calcium, manganese and a few other properties.

What Is Jamaican Gizzada Made Of?

This tasty coconut tart is made up of a sweet filling and flaky tart. The filling is made from grated coconut, brown sugar, ginger and other spices, all mixed. The tart is made like most tart doughs, just butter and flour.

How To Make Jamaican Gizzada

Here is a detailed step by step recipe of how you can make your gizzada at home.

Jamaican Gizzada Recipe

INGREDIENTS

For the Tart:

  • 1 ½ cup Flour
  • 1.5 tablespoon butter
  • Pinch salt
  • Ice water
  • Half tablespoon shortening

For the filling:

  • 2 cups grated coconut
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1.5 oz butter
  • Grated nutmeg
  • Grated ginger 
  • Water

PROCEDURE

    For the Tart:
  1. In a bowl, sift some flour then add a pinch of salt. Cut or break up the butter and shortening into small pieces and crumble together with the flour. The next step is to use ice-cold water to combine the ingredients into a soft dough.

  2. Once you have formed your dough, cover the bowl with cling wrap and place it in the refrigerator for an hour.

  3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and lightly dust a flat surface with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to no more than a ¼ inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter or glass cup to cut out circles from the dough.

  4. Use your fingers to pinch the perimeter of each pastry circle. Place on a baking sheet or greased baking tray and bake for around 15 minutes. These will be going back into the oven once the filling is added so they should not be baked all the way through.

For the filling:

  1. In a pot add a cup of water and the sugar, bring to a boil on low heat until it forms a syrup.

  2. Add nutmeg, ginger and grated coconut to the pot and boil for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally then add the butter. Continue for another 5 minutes, you should not be able to see any traces of the butter in the filling. Remove and set aside to cool.

  3. Once the filling is cool, add to the already half baked tart shells and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Allow to cool and then enjoy.

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References & Sources For Jamaican Gizzada

  1. SparkPeople.com, https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calories.asp?recipe=1436134 
  2. Jamaican Gizzada: A Coconut Snack - A YouNique Journey, https://ayouniquejourney.com/jamaican-gizzada/

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