How To Make Bokit From The Guadeloupe Islands

For lunch, dinner or even breakfast, this sandwich is a deep-fried delight.

bokit One of the keys to a great sandwich is versatility and being able to tweak a recipe, and that’s exactly what makes this street food so iconic. | The Guadeloupe Islands
By  Ashley Burns July 23, 2020

It was the meal I was most excited for on my recent trip to the Guadeloupe Islands, and it was also fittingly the last thing I ate before heading to the airport for my return flight. Like Joey Tribbiani, I've never met a sandwich I didn't want to eat, and all I heard from friends and fellow travelers prior to my visit was, "You have to try the bokit." Needless to say, it was phenomenal and everything I'd hoped for. So much so that I ate about half my sandwich on the street and then stuffed the rest in a paper bag for my flight, hoping to savor it as long as humanly possible. (I finished it two minutes after being dropped off at the airport.)

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Clearly, I've thought about that bokit a lot in the months since my visit, especially how I'd make one my own way. The ingredients I'd use—salami and bacon with a ton of cheese, probably—and the exact crispiness I'd aim for to give it the perfect crunch. I've even daydreamed about making a breakfast bokit with egg yolk dripping all over the place... this recipe is personal, if you can't already tell.

But now the bokit belongs to us, thanks to the amazingly generous people of the Guadeloupe Islands. Fill this sandwich with whatever you'd like, but know it'll still never hold a candle to the real thing. 

Bokit from the Guadeloupe Islands

Ingredients:

(This recipe will make six bokits.)

  • 400 grams of flour
  • 1 package of baker's yeast or 20 grams of fresh yeast
  • 1 tbsp of softened margarine, lard, or salted butter
  • 20 cl of warm water
  • 6 grams of salt

How to Make It:

  • Pour the baker's yeast into a bowl and add a little warm water. Leave on for five minutes.
  • Add warm water progressively until you obtain a good, flexible consistency.
  • Knead the dough for five minutes (it must not stick to the worktop). 
  • Cover with cloth and let rise in a warm place for two hours. It should double in volume.
  • Degas the dough and divide into six equal parts. 
  • Spread the dough balls lightly with the rolling pin (about 1.5 cm thick).
  • Heat oil in a pot at medium heat.
  • Fry the bokits, flipping them regularly to obtain even cooking.
  • Drain on adsorbent paper and fill your bokit.

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