On the Friday before Easter, devout Catholic Martinicans go to church to commemorate the Passion of Christ. Then, from the church, the faithful will go to the different Stations of the Cross where they will sing and pray together in order to perpetuate the history of Calvary. This capital day of the Christian tradition is accompanied by a special diet. Indeed, fasting is recommended. It is also the last day of fasting, of the holy period.
On this day of “penance”, only vegetables and a meager portion of bread were allowed. Meats were banned from the diet by the Catholic Church during Lent. This is how the acras will become the ideal solution to fill this lack of meat and sugar.
It is impossible to determine the exact date when acras first appeared as a Good Friday custom. However, we know that the word “acra” means “vegetable fritter” in the Ewe language of Dahomey. It is a flagship region from where future slaves were taken to be sold to Europeans in the ports.
It can be deduced that the acras originated in Africa. When the slaves arrived in Martinique, they came there with certain food crops but also with a culinary background that the women engaged in domestic work reproduced in the kitchens of the masters. The cod acras were called “Lozi” which in the language of Dahomey means “caiman's eye”. It was used by older generations but disappeared completely in the 1960s in favor of the term cod acra.
The various sources do not suggest that the slaves ate acras and other dishes from their native Africa. The women who worked in the fields had little time to devote themselves to cooking and were exclusively concentrated on the hard work of the plantations. It is therefore a safe bet that these acras were consumed mainly by the masters and their families.
Knowing that this day did not leave room for meat feasts, at an unknown period (slavery? 19th or 20th century?), the population inevitably turned to this dish which had already fully integrated the gastronomy of the island. On Good Friday, vegetable acras (giraumon, hard cabbage) are in the spotlight, but you will also find those with cod, chicken, lobster, conch or of course shrimp.
Since then, from generation to generation, acras have become a culinary symbol of the West Indies. We find there the diversity that makes up our population. From this African dish, the Indians brought the spices, the Africans incorporated the cod and the White Creoles added the wheat flour and other ingredients.
Note that in Martinique we more frequently use the term "marinade" but in Metropolitan France it is the term "acra" which is preferred, the marinade being a mixture of wine, salty and spicy vinegar used to macerate fish or meat before cooking.
