Blue Draws
“Wrap-Up Sweetness”
The Story
Long before cellophane or plastic wrap ever touch Jamaican soil, our grandmothers used what the land gave them — broad, supple banana leaves picked fresh from the yard. Blue Draws is one of those recipes that carry the memory of slavery days, when enslaved Africans on the sugar plantations of St. Thomas and Portland took the cheapest provisions — green bananas, a little cornmeal, coconut milk squeezed by hand — and turned them into something that could fill a belly and warm a soul. The name itself is a piece of living history: the little parcels, tied up tight in banana leaf and boiled until dense and sweet, looked just like the drawstring undergarments — "draws" — that country people wore. Some say the "blue" comes from the faint blue-green tint the banana leaf gives the pudding as it steams. Every Saturday morning in the deep rural parishes, you would hear the big Dutch pot bubbling on the fire-side, the banana-leaf parcels knocking against each other in the boiling water. Children would sit on the step, waiting for that first parcel to be unwrapped, the steam rising with the smell of nutmeg and coconut. Miss Vie always said the secret was grating the green banana fine-fine on the old box grater until your knuckles nearly touched tin, because that is what makes Blue Draws smooth instead of lumpy. It is patience food — you cannot rush it. And when you bite into that dense, sweet, aromatic pudding with the faint leaf flavor clinging to the edges, you taste three hundred years of Jamaican resilience.
Where & when
Era: Slavery era through post-Emancipation (1700s-1900s)
Region: St. Thomas, Portland, rural parishes island-wide
The banana leaf does more than wrap — it releases subtle tannins during boiling that give Blue Draws its distinctive slight blue-green tinge and earthy undertone that no baking pan can replicate.
What’s Inside
- Green bananas
- Cornmeal (fine)
- Coconut milk
- Brown sugar
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Banana leaves
- Kitchen twine
Exact quantities and substitutions are in the full recipe inside the cookbook.
What You’ll Do
- 1.Wash banana leaves and pass them briefly over an open flame…
- 2.Peel the green bananas and grate them finely on a box grater…(10 min)
- 3.Add the cornmeal, coconut milk, brown sugar, nutmeg, vanilla…(5 min)
- 4.Place about 3-4 tablespoons of batter in the centre of each…
- 5.Bring a large Dutch pot of water to a rolling boil. Carefull…
- 6.Boil for 60-90 minutes on medium heat. The draws are done wh…(60-90 min)
- 7.Remove from water and let cool for 10 minutes. Unwrap and se…(10 min)
Detailed step-by-step instructions, timings, and chef tips are in the cookbook.
Serving It Right
Unwrap at the table so guests catch the full aroma. Serve warm on a banana leaf for presentation, alongside a cup of strong Jamaican chocolate tea.
Goes well with: Jackfruit, Roast breadfruit, Fried plantain
Garnish: A light grating of fresh nutmeg on top
Want the full recipe?
Open Yard Kitchen for exact quantities, full step-by-step method, chef tips, cook-along mode with timers, and unlimited AI guidance from Granny Miss Vie and Chef Marcus.
Open the cookbook
