A Gastronomic Tour of the Caribbean

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I’m currently in the Perhentian Islands where there’s no internet! While I’m away take a look at this guest post about dining in the Caribbean, one of my favorite vacation spots on the world. 

Caribbean cuisine is recognised all around the world, in part for its vibrant colours, distinct spices and unique flavours but also as a result of the islands’ tumultuous past and position on trading routes. Despite the island chain’s location in The Caribbean Sea; grasping out north to America, west to Mexico and south to the rest of South America, its food has far more in common with countries to the east. It’s The Caribbean’s diverse history of occupation and trade that has formed the cuisine we see today.

Before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492 the indigenous people of The Caribbean survived on native vegetation such as guavas, papaw, cassava and yams and invented the barbeque by cooking meat on green sticks over fire. Barbeques are now widespread throughout the world and to a certain extent the original Caribbean diet has endured as well. When the Spanish arrived en masse in the 1500s they introduced their own crops in the form of citrus fruits, coconuts, date palms, ginger and figs which are strongly associated with the islands despite being imports. Slaves were also brought to the islands by the Spanish and with them the cooking practices of Africa. The slaves were forced to eat whatever their masters left them and this paucity combined with limited natural food sources heavily informed today’s cuisine. In fact, until the recent availability of international food importation, St Lucia’s dishes still revolved around cheap cuts of meat such as pig tail, pork hock and chicken back.

CC Image via Flickr user dinesh_valke

The British were next to arrive, over throwing the Spanish sometime in the 17^th century and bringing with them a love for anything encased in pastry. As the natives and remaining inhabitants adapted to their new oppressors and their diets, spiced meats and pastry came together to form the iconic ‘Jamaican pattie’. The British were also responsible for turning the islands into sugar cane plantations which would later be fermented to produce rum.

After the slave trade was abolished, The Caribbean began to see immigrants arriving from China and India. These new arrivals brought with them rice and chillies, enabling the classic Caribbean pairing of rice and peas (actually beans). At some point during this period the method now known as ‘jerk’ was being developed. The process of curing, smoking or slow cooking spiced meat is quintessentially Caribbean. Additionally, trade improved with the Americas and potatoes, tomatoes, corn and squash were all introduced to the islands.

CC Image via Flickr user gsz

To this day traditional methods, ingredients and processes are widespread across the islands. Food transportation has improved so even brussel sprouts can be found on restaurant menus and fast food chains are making in-roads. On Montserrat, however, they still eat ‘Mountain Chicken’ which is actually the leg of an (albeit endangered) indigenous frog. On Trinidad and Tobago, the street stalls still peddle cheap meals cooked to original recipes and turtle remains The Cayman Islands’ national dish. Seafood is abundant everywhere thanks to the ample, fertile coastlines, especially on Barbados where the specialities are crawfish, red snapper and yellowtail. Jamaica has even developed its own unique diet centred around Rastafarian culture which follows a strict set of rules and prohibits the use of meat and salt.

The Caribbean islands are such a sought after holiday destination that there are even Michelin star restaurants in the region now but travellers hungry for authentic cuisine will still be able to find the ever popular curry goat, fried plantain, steamed cabbage and fried dumplings. For the ultimate gastronomic holiday visit as many islands as possible, taste the nuances of their individual cuisines and experience recipes created as a result of hundreds of years of occupation and trade.

Cruises are an easy and cost effective way of visiting multiple islands in one Caribbean vacation. Click here for further details of travelling to the Caribbean on a cruise.