Traditional Caribbean Dishes

Fruits play a large role in traditional Caribbean dishes.

The Caribbean is a melting pot of a variety of ethnic traditions originally inhabited by the Taino, Arawak and Caribs. European settlers, African slaves, and Chinese and Indian migrants brought distinct flavors from their homes to the region. This mix has created an eclectic tradition of Caribbean cuisine.

Spices

Spice combinations such as jerk and curry blends set Caribbean cuisine apart from the rest of the world. Jerk seasoning, traditional in Jamaican cuisine, contains a mix of scotch bonnet peppers, allspice and black pepper, with added thyme, nutmeg and cinnamon. Curries also play a large part in Caribbean cuisine, especially in Trinidad and Tobago. Early Indian immigrants lacked hot pepper powder, leaving Caribbean curries milder; however, hot sauce is usually available to spice up dishes.

Beans

Often referred to as "peas" in former British colonies, beans is a popular dish throughout the Caribbean. Different islands have variations on the common rice and beans side dish. Cubans call their dish of black beans and rice "Moros y Cristianos" -- Moors and Christians. If the black beans are replaced with red beans, the dish becomes the Cuban "congri."

Seafood

As the region is filled with islands and coastal areas, seafood plays a large part in the Caribbean diet. Islanders cook fish in myriad ways -- boiled, fried, thrown into stews with vegetables, and served at breakfast with grits and salted as salt fish with ackee, a fruit that tastes like scrambled eggs. Caribbeans eat the meat of the conch -- white with frilly edges -- raw, boiled or fried as cracked conch.

Meat

Meat also plays a role in Caribbean cuisine. Beef shows up as a filling in Jamaican beef patties, similar to empanadas or turnovers. Chicken is often the recipient of jerk seasoning and is a favorite meat in many Puerto Rican dishes, such as "arroz con pollo" -- chicken with rice -- and "asopao" -- chicken soup. Pork is also common in Cuba, and plays a starring role in the traditional Cuban sandwich.

Fruit

Thanks to the tropical climate, the region also produces a variety of fruits. Mangoes, pineapples and papaya are common, along with passion fruit and sour sop. Sour sop is a large spiny fruit with a white center that tastes like a mango-pineapple blend. Plantains are starchy fruits, larger and longer than bananas, that people of the Caribbean fry and east as sides to meals. Puerto Rican "tostones," for example, are unripe plantains sliced, deep-fried and served on the side, often with garlic sauce.

Dessert and Rum

With the variety of fruits available, desserts such as pineapple tarts, coconut tarts and guava duff, where guava paste is folded into dough and steamed, often make their way to Caribbean tables. Johnny cakes, sweetened flat bread with nutmeg, are also a Bahamian staple. In Cuba, Spanish-influenced desserts such as flan, a custard topped with caramel, and "arroz con leche," or rice pudding, satisfy a sweet tooth. Rum is also quite popular, as most Caribbean countries produce the sugarcane-based liquor.

References

• National Museum of the American Indian: The New Old World: Antilles: Living Beyond the Myth
• "The New York Times"; From Asia to the Caribbean to New York, Appetite Intact; Nina Bernstein; April 20, 2007
• "A World of Food"; International Student Organization of West Virginia University; 2010
• Fiery Foods: A World of Curries: Caribbean Curries
• "Island Times"; The Peas are Beans, You See; Jody Rathgeb
• The Bahamas Guide: Bahamian Cuisine

Resources

• Welcome to Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Culture: Food and Drinks
• Taste of Cuba: How to Make a Sandwich Cubano
• Uncommon Caribbean: Taste of the Caribbean: A Toast to Tostones
• The Worldwide Gourmet: Johnny Cake Recipe
• Havana-Guide: Cuban Desserts
• Beverage Tasting Institute: All About Rum