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Caribbean Food is Delicious!
Many of us know that Caribbean cuisine has cultural influences from Europe, East India and Africa. Despite all of these influences, the Caribbean people have added their own flavors and recipes to create a fusion cuisine all its own. The Caribbean Chefs produce dishes that are both satisfying and simple. They cook with the freshest of ingredients and with lot’s of seasonings all of which combine to the delight of visitors from all over the world. If you are traveling to the Caribbean then you will find hundreds of dishes to try. Here are some best foods we enjoyed from this part of the world that you want to try.
Conch Fritters
Conch Fritters are considered a delicacy around the world. There is no better place to try this food than the Caribbean and especially in the Bahamas. Conch Fritters made by rolling the Conch meat in a small ball with a batter and seasonings and then deep fried. Generally, Conch is readily available in the Caribbean and that’s why this is the freshest place to taste this delicious local food. Many chefs put their own taste on this dish and often use ingredients such as peppers, onions, and celery along with a number of spices. Don’t forget to try this dish at numerous restaurants including The Poop Deck in Easy Bay.
Jerk Chicken
Jerk Chicken is one of the spiciest and well-loved and well-known dishes that originates from Jamaica. This is called jerk because of the special mixtures of spices including brown sugar, soy sauce, bonnet peppers, jalapenos, whole cloves, and more. The jerk is laced onto the chicken before it is grilled. The grilling process is the most important thing when it comes to perfecting this dish. It is actually cooked over coals as well as fresh green wood and the wood is from the pimento tree. Pimento tree also produces allspice berries which is another ingredient of the jerk marinade. People can cook other meat in the same process but jerk spice will work its magic. Jerk chicken will soak the meat in its flavors.
Aloo Pie
On the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, you will find this variant of the samosa. This is soft and made from flour and water filled with spiced and boiled mashed potatoes. There are some other vegetables also used in this dish along with potato such as green peas and split chickpeas without their seed coat. It looks more like a calzone a little larger than a typical samosa. Aloo Pie is ordered with a sweet and sour dipping sauce known as imli ki chutney.
Callaloo
This dish originated in West Africa and was brought to the Caribbean by slaves. This a green soup made with amaranth leaves, taro leaves or water spinach. This dish is often served as a side dish in the Caribbean. From island to island Callaloo tends to be different. For example, in Jamaica, they only use the callaloo leaf, onions, salt, and scallions and they just steam the vegetables. Whereas in Trinidad they use coconut milk and okra. It is definitely a must try doesn’t matter wherever you decide to try it. At first, this green soup may not look appetizing but it is very delicious.
Coconut Shrimp
Due to the freshness of the ingredients, this easy to make and even easier to eat dish tastes much better in the Caribbean. It is made with soft shrimp is dipped in eggs and coated with coconut. In this way, coconut increases the sweetness and crispness of the shrimp and makes a delectable treat. You can opt to have this delicious snack baked instead of fried if you are a health-conscious individual. Different islands offer their own unique twist of spices and coatings.
Ackee And Saltfish
Ackee is the national food of Jamaica and thus it is obvious that Ackee and Saltfish is the national dish. Some parts of Ackee fruit are actually toxic and therefore much caution must be had when preparing this dish. Salt cod is soaked overnight before sauteing it with Scotch bonnet peppers, onions, tomatoes, boiled ackee, and spices. Generally, it is garnished with bacon and tomatoes and it can be served as breakfast or dinner. It can also be served alongside dumplings, fried plantain or breadfruit.
Jamaican Patty
By the name looks like this dish is only found in Jamaica but the Jamaican Patty is commonly found in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. This is kind of a pastry and it is stuffed full of various fillings and spices. It is baked inside and its flaky shell which is often tinted yellow with an egg yolk mixture. Usually, the filling is seasoned ground beef but sometimes it can be pork, lamb or chicken. In Jamaica, when accompanied by coco bread the patty is often eaten as a full meal.
Flying Fish
Flying fish is one of the most popular foods in Barbados. At some point on this island, one can expect to have one land on their plate which is a good thing considering how delicious they are. Cou-cou and Flying Fish is actually the islands national dish. The fish is steamed and served with cornmeal cooked with okra and water. Many visitors choose to have fish cutters, crispy, battered and fried flying fish. This dish is served on salt bread, normally accompanied by tomato, ketchup, lettuce, and mustard. However, you certainly won’t regret it which way you choose to eat this meal.
Keshi Yena
Curacao island is located at the extreme south of the Caribbean. This island offers one heck of a local main course dish. Keshi Yena is essentially a stuffed cheese ball. Although it is prepared differently all over the island the end results are the same and that is absolute deliciousness. Essentially a round ball is lined with Edam or Gouda cheese slices, topped with mostly chicken and then covered with a lot of more slices of cheese. Occasionally the cheese ball is smothered in a Creole sauce with plenty of peppers and tomatoes and other ingredients are raisins, prunes or olives.
Conclusion
There are lots of Caribbean island exists. If you visit the Caribbean then you will see a lot of different kind of foods on different islands. So, wherever you go don’t forget to taste these above-given dishes if available. You won’t be disappointed at all.