Left: Also from Barbados are Fish Cakes, Coconut Bread and Macaroni Pie.
Center: St. Lucians love their Boullion - a combination
of dumplings, plantains, varoius ground provisions, peas and meat. A thicker version of Jamaican soups.
Right: And from St. Kitts, try this Seasoned Breadfruit of diced breadfruit, peppers and spices in a delicious stew.
In this week's Food, we conclude our Black History Month feature with indigenous Caribbean foods, highlighting cuisine from seven territories. Last Friday, as a part of their Commemoration Week, the University of West Indies (UWI), Mona hosted a Caribbean Day inviting students and outsiders to sample delicacies from around the region. Food reporters Shelly-Ann Thompson and Keisha Shakespeare visited the campus and were pleased with the array of dishes on show, representing some nine countries.
From saltfish, roti, 'Oil Down', burritos to Bouillon, the campus' main lawn was engulfed in savoury aromas.
BARBADOS
BARBADIANS ARE family oriented people and Sunday lunch is a big part of their culture. At Sunday lunch, most, if not all, of the family members are present. And they usually serve pork or chicken with peas and rice.
For Barbadians, Saturday lunch is just as important as Sundays. Kimberley Alleyne, a Barbadian currently studying at the University of the West Indies, (UWI) Mona, told Food, "At Saturday lunches it is traditional to
eat pudding and souse. She said the pudding is a spicy dish made with sweet potato and the souse is made from the pig's head. It is boiled and served with an onion, cucumber, herb and pepper sauce.
She noted that other popular dishes include: fish cakes made with saltfish and bakes with a variety of meats. Also another favourite is conkies served mostly on Independence Day. It is a mixture of cornmeal, coconut, sweet potatoes, raisins, pumpkin, sugar and spices steamed on a banana leaf.
The national dish of Barbados is cou-cou and flying fish. Cou-cou is made from cornmeal and okra. Ms. Alleyne said cou-cou is usually served with flying fish or saltfish.
Barbadians also enjoy a variety of meats and poultry, but their favourite meat is pork. "They also eat a wide variety of fish, including king fish, snapper, tuna, dolphin and barracuda," said Ms. Alleyne.
She added that on a Saturday they usually have barbecue pigtail, pudding and souse or cou-cou. And during the week it is usually soups, rice, and ground provision. She noted that of them all, she loves pudding and souse the best because she loves pork.
Barbadians use special kinds of seasoning and they make their own version of hot pepper sauce, with Scotch Bonnet peppers, fresh turmeric, shallots, dry English mustard, onions and vinegar.
ST. LUCIA
ST. LUCIA, like other Caribbean countries, has settlers from all over the world: France, Britain, India, Africa, and Spain. Thus they have a very interesting culture and their food is diverse as well. Their national dish is Green Fig (green bananas) and Saltfish and it is usually served with cucumber salad and/or avocado.
They also enjoy the saltfish served with breadfruit or sweet potatoes.
St. Lucian-born Bena Labadee said native cuisine includes many one-pot meals such as boullion, which she said is one of her favourites as it is easy to cook. "All you need to do is boil the water, add peas, meat, dumplings, spices, yam or even macaroni and leave it to cook up." She added that it is similar to Jamaican soups but it is done much thicker. Ms. Labadee, who is pursuing a master's degree in mental health at the University of the West Indies (UWI), said another favourite dish of hers is Green Fig Salad. This is green bananas and saltfish, finely chopped onions and mixed with mayonnaise.
She noted that a St. Lucian breakfast usually comprises cocoa tea served with either dumplings or bakes (flatter version of Jamaican fried dumplings), that can be either fried or roasted). Ms. Labadee said usually the dumplings or bakes are boiled in the cocoa tea. The cocoa tea is made from
boiling cocoa (pure, unprocessed cocoa, usually found in the form of a cocoa stick), spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, dried bay leaf and sometimes dill) sugar and milk.
She said that currently barbecue chicken is becoming a popular dish in St. Lucia.
ST. KITTS AND NEVIS
IN ST. Kitts and Nevis, the national dish is Stewed Saltfish and Seasoned Breadfruit.
Some popular main dishes are rikkita beef (beef marinated in champagne with Italian dressing), cook-up (rice and peas with meat), saltfish, and roasted suckling pig.
GRENADA
GRENADA IS known as the 'Spice Island' of the Caribbean where West Indian and creole flavours combine to produce a unique cuisine that is distinctly Grenadian. Creole cuisine and seafood are Grenada's specialities. All Grenadian cuisine is enhanced by the wide variety of spices grown on the island, including nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger, and many more. Nutmeg, which is the island's principal spice, is infused into everything from candy to ice cream.
Creole Grenada's national dish is called 'Oil Down'. It is a very simple, delicious and robust dish that is extremely popular at local 'cook-ups', (barbecue parties at the beach). It's a hearty one-pot meal of salted meat, chicken, dumplings, breadfruit, callaloo - made from young dasheen leaves - and other vegetables. The whole thing is stewed in coconut milk, herbs and spices to add even more flavour.
Source: www.grenadagrenaddines.com, www.bellaonline.com
