Foodie Focus: Caribbean Cuisine

A recent visit to that holy grail of paradise islands – Barbados – confirmed my suspicions that Caribbean cuisine is among the most lip-smackingly, waistband-swellingly delicious in the world. Although admittedly, the island is populated with restaurants serving up Italian, French, Japanese – just about everything but Caribbean, it sometimes seems – there are still some incredible spots on the island where you can pick up a plate of Caribbean deliciousness. Caribbean food is a fusion of African, Amerindian, European, European, East Indian and Chinese food – is it any wonder it’s so tasty?

Image by Missmeng

A lot of traditional Caribbean dishes are really hearty, warming fare – not what you’d necessarily expect from a place that enjoys such hot weather! Dishes like stewed chicken, jerk chicken and curried goat are popular dishes – usually served with rice and peas and delicious coleslaw. Ingredients which are common in most islands’ dishes are rice, plantains, beans, cassava, bell peppers, chick peas, tomatoes, beans, sweet potatoes and coconut; Caribbean food manages to be both filling and hearty, as well as healthy and nutritious – a winner all round, we say!

Image by Jetalone

Richly seasoned and well-spiced, flavour is the aim of the game in Caribbean cuisine. When in Barbados recently, I visited Oistins Fish Fry on the east of the island, where delicious food is cooked up right in front of you whilst you chat at big trestle tables positioned outside in the warm Caribbean air. Snapper and Mahi Mahi are both popular choices; both are seasoned perfectly and served with a whole array of cooked vegetables, coleslaw and rice. Served with an ice-cold Banks beer, it’ll give your tastebuds a party to remember!

Image by Adactio

Callaloo is  another popular dish; it’s a soup-like dish with a distinctively mixed African and indigenous character, and is – unsurprisingly – delicious. Ackee and Saltfish is popular in Jamaica, where it is the national dish – it’s much like the traditional roast dinner that we enjoy in England, in that its tradtionally eaten on a Sunday.

All this mouth-watering fare got you hungry for a taste of the Caribbean? Find cheap holidays to the Caribbean with our handy search tool or keep an eye on our Real Deals – we often discover amazing Caribbean holidays on our deal-hunting travels, and here’s where we’ll tell you about them!

Top image by missmeng