caribbean foods – a brief history

CARIBBEAN FOODS – A BRIEF HISTORY
The essence of Caribbean cooking is found in the use of fresh foods that are enhanced by island spices and herbs.
The particular regions of each island serve as an incubator for various products. For instance, the most flavorful
coffee beans can be found in the mountainous region of Jamaica. On the costal areas of the Caribbean islands
coconut trees are abundant, and the lowlands of the Caribbean produce sweet pineapples. Vast sugar cane fields
are found within the interior of Caribbean islands such as Barbados.
The flavor of the Caribbean started very simply in the kitchens of local women who were creative in using what they
had on hand. Most of these women did not have an abundance of food, and fixing meals on a daily basis meant lots
of flexibility, with a little bit of this and a little bit of that in the preparation and ingredients.
Caribbean fruits and vegetables – The varieties that yield great taste
Today, much of the produce used in the islands are exported to North America and Europe. These include popular
vegetables like breadfruit, christophenes, plantains, avocados, roots like yams, yucca (cassava), ginger, sweet
potatoes to name a few. Others include fruits such as; papayas, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, passion fruits
guavas, coconuts and limes.
Caribbean residents use limes much in the same way lemons are used in the United States. Lime is a favorite
marinade for fish, and most locals will tell you the lime starts cooking the fish. Ceviche is known as seafood cooked
by citrus juices, and seasoned with onions and fresh herbs.
Many of the tropical fruits flavor depend on its ripeness. A plantain that is not quite ripe has little flavor, but
when spiced up makes an excellent stew additive. As the plantain starts to ripen, it turns black and becomes sugary
sweet and often ends up on one’s plate as a delicacy known as fried plantain.
The Caribbean yam is not sweet like the American sweet potatoes, and is often baked, fried and boiled in stews.
Unripe papaya is chopped and used for relishes and chutney, but once the fruit ripens it is used in all kinds of
deserts, as a smoothie drink, a wonderful sweet salsa or fruit salad
Caribbean spices - the essence of the flavor
The distinct flavor of the Caribbean comes alive when the addition of spices such as: thyme, scallion, annatto, hot
peppers, pimento, bay leaf, nutmeg, mace, cloves, turmeric, aniseed, peppermint, rosemary, sugar cane, and
peppers are added to these stable ingredients.
Tamarind is another spice used in Caribbean kitchens. If you can’t imagine the taste of the tart tamarind, then just
think of the flavor of the popular American Worcestershire sauce, of which tamarind is a main ingredient.
That’s often because Caribbean cooks use spices in unique ways. Nutmeg is used to flavor deserts in America,
but this spice is often combined with other native island spices to produce an altogether different, yet somewhat
recognizable flavor.
The distinctive flavor of Jamaican Jerk comes from allspice, another spice that would not be associated with a
meat marinade. The Cayman islanders have a favorite chocolate cake recipe to which they add spicy peppers.
Often when dining on local Caribbean cuisine you catch the flavor of a known spice, but can’t quite put your
finger on which particular one.
Many of the best tasting Caribbean sauces are made up of sweet fruits such as orange, papaya and mango, along
with spicy, hot peppers. Mango, Melon and Chili Peppers make an excellent sweet and hot sauce for dipping.
Coconut milk serves as a base for many popular stews, soups, and sauces. Even oregano and garlic are used with
citrus marinades.
And of course Rum is a favorite ingredient throughout the Caribbean, and is applied liberally in marinades, soups,
deserts, and sauces
These are all grown in the region and are used in cooking, baking or drinks. The more exotic ones can be found
alongside Hispanic, African, and most Asian foods in local markets.
So how does one define Caribbean cooking?
That is nearly impossible for there is no one type of food that is unique to the region. You just can’t come up with one
definition that would encompass every island’s style, culture and cooking techniques.
With the islands being inhabited by Arawaks, Caribs, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Dutch, West Africans, English,
East Indians, Chinese, Syrians, and Lebanese, to name a few, as one travels around the Caribbean, there is a
distinct evidence that the Caribbean is a great melting pot.
And so, dishes are prepared with any number of these influences
Beans and rice are Caribbean staples, and both absorb the flavors of any dish. Island natives are as fond of their
beans and rice as Americans are of their pasta dishes. The different variety of beans is unique to the different island
regions. If you are in the Bahamas, you will be served pigeon peas, Puerto Ricans have a love of red beans, while
Cubans prefer their beans black.
Each island however, boasts its own specialties. Conch recipes are a favorite of the Bahamas; Barbados favorite
dish is flying fish and cou cou, and pepperpot is also served on the island of Barbados, consists of a spicy, deep
purple stew with everything but the kitchen sink included.
While turtle dishes are found mainly in the Cayman islands; the island of Cuba is known for its tasty black beans
and rice and several lobster dishes; The Dominican Republic specializes in hearts of palm; Jamaica is the land
of jerk cooking and seasoning, ackee (a ‘savory fruit’ served with saltfish/codfish) and curried goat; Haiti has
griots (a pork stew); Puerto Rican cooks are famous for their flavorful chicken and rice dishes; the French
Caribbean islands of St Barts, Martinique and French St Martin serve up fine Creole dishes, and other cooking
techniques found in France, and Trinidad is home to hundreds of curry recipes, including the all time favorite roti,
and East Indian delight of all verities, then there is pelau (a chicken, rice and pigeon peas dish), crab and calaloo, a
French Creole dish, bake and shark and also souse (pig’s feet)
In the meat category, Caribbean locals prefer chicken, goat, pork and fresh seafood, which is always available.
Beef is not popular local meat in the Caribbean. Many smaller islands do not have the space for grazing, and even if
they did, many locals would still hang on to chicken, goat and seafood.
With Curry, Cilantro, Ginger and Soy Sauce, rice renders a different flavor with each of the distinctive spices. Another
popular spice combination for rice is coconut and ginger, which is especially good when served with pork dishes.
One of the more interesting beef stories comes from Barbados. McDonalds decided to introduce the local Bajans to
the world’s largest franchise, and gave away free hamburgers on opening day.
It seems the locals did not appreciate the taste, and this island is one of the few places in the world that McDonalds
failed.
ORIGINS OF JAMAICAN COOKING
Although Jamaican boast a host of delectable dishes, the following article focuses on the origins of Jamaica’s more
popular dishes and drinks.
The Ackee – The Fruit
Vegetable Brain, Achee, Ackee Apple or Ackee ( Blighia sapida) is a member of the Sapindaceae (soapberry
family), native to tropical West Africa in Cameroon, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte
d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The Ackee has been
introduced to Jamaica.
It is related to the lychee and the longan, and is an evergreen tree that grows about 10 metres tall, with a short trunk
and a dense crown. The leaves are pinnate,[2] leathery, compound, 15–30 centimeters long, with 6–10 elliptical
obovate-oblong leaflets. Each leaflet is 8–12 centimeters long and 5–8 centimeters broad.
Ackee – The Flower
The flowers are unisexual and fragrant. They have five petals, are greenish-white[3] and bloom during warm months.
The fruit is pear-shaped. When it ripens, it turns from green to a bright red to yellow-orange, and splits open to reveal
three large, shiny black seeds, surrounded by soft, creamy or spongy, white to yellow flesh—arilli.[2] The fruit typically
weighs 100–200 grams.[2]
The scientific name honors Captain William Bligh who took the fruit from Jamaica to the Royal Botanic Gardens in
Kew, England in 1793 and introduced it to science. The common name is derived from the West African Akye fufo.
The term ackee originated from the Twi language.[5]
The fruit was imported to Jamaica from West Africa (probably on a slave ship) before 1778.[6] Since then it has
become a major feature of various Caribbean cuisines, and is also cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas
elsewhere around the world.
Ackee – The Meal
Ackee and Saltfish
Ackee and saltfish is a traditional Jamaican dish, internationally known as Jamaica's national dish. It spread to
other countries with the Jamaican Diaspora.
The ackee fruit was imported to Jamaica from West Africa (probably on a slave ship) before 1778. It is also known as
blighia sapida. The scientific name honors Captain William Bligh who took the fruit from Jamaica to the Royal Botanic
Gardens in Kew, England in 1793 and introduced it to science. Because parts of the fruit are toxic, there are shipping
restrictions when being imported.
To prepare the dish, salt cod (packet salt fish may need to be boiled down and should be free of 'pink' mould) is
sautéed with boiled ackee, onions, Scotch Bonnet peppers (optional) , tomatoes, and spices, such as black pepper
and pimiento. It can be garnished with crisp bacon and fresh tomatoes, and is usually served as breakfast or dinner
alongside breadfruit, hard dough bread, dumplings, fried plantain, or boiled green bananas.
In the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, "ackee and saltfish" is eaten widely although canned ackee is
more often used than fresh in some foreign countries. However, people from countries where the fruit is indigenous
prefer to eat fresh ackee from the pod as opposed to ackee from a tin. Fresh ackee, if prepared improperly, can be
dangerous
Avocados
The avocado, originated in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The oldest evidence of avocado use was found in a cave
located in Coxcatlán, Puebla, Mexico, that dates to around 10,000 BC.
The fruit is not sweet, but fatty, and distinctly yet subtly flavored, and of smooth, almost creamy texture. It is used in
both savory and sweet dishes. The avocado is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, as substitute for meats in
sandwiches and salads because of its high fat content.
Avocados in savory dishes, often seen as exotic, and is generally served raw. In Mexico and Central America, and
the Caribbean, avocados are served mixed with white rice, in soups, salads, or on the side of chicken, meat or fish
dishes.
Bammy
Bammy or bami is a traditional Jamaican cassava flatbread descended from the simple flatbread eaten by the
Arawaks, Jamaica's original inhabitants. Today, it is produced in many rural communities and sold in stores and by
street vendors in Jamaica and abroad.
Bammies have been consumed since pre-Columbian times and is believed to have originated with the native Arawak
people. For centuries, it was the bread staple for rural Jamaicans until the cheaper, imported wheat flour breads
became popular in the post-World War II era.
In the 1990s, the United Nations and the Jamaican government established a program to revive bammy production
and to market it as a modern, convenient food product.[1]
Preparation and Serving
Bammy is made from bitter cassava (also called yuca and manioc in other American cultures). Traditionally, the
cassava is grated and placed in a press bag (woven with thatch leaves) and placed in an outdoor press where heavy
stones are loaded on. Once completely drained, but still a bit moist, the cassave is beaten in a mortar then sieved to
a fine flour texture. Salt is then added to taste.
The actual baking of bammies varies across Jamaican communities. Traditionally, it is made by spreading a handful
of the flour evenly in a baking ring on a flat iron or griddle on the open fire. While baking, the top of the bammy is
patted with a flat board and then turned over. The baking process takes about 3 minutes and the final product is a
thin, foldable bread about 10" in diameter. This is similar to traditional tortillas of Native American cultures. It can then
be eaten with whatever fillings are desired.
The more modern (and popular) approach is to bake thicker bammies about 6" in diameter. These are often massproduced in factories. When home-baked, the flour may be store bought or made by hand-pressing. The bammy can
be baked on griddles or in baking pans on a stove top. Some choose to bake it inside an oven, and to add butter and
other spices before baking. Baking takes longer due to the thickness, and the final product is then cut into halves or
wedges for freezing. When ready to eat, the wedges are soaked in coconut milk and then fried to a golden brown,
and served with meat, fish, avocado, or other side dishes.
Bammies, like wheat bread and tortillas, are served at any meal or consumed as a snack.
Callaloo
Callaloo (sometimes calaloo or kallaloo) is a popular Caribbean dish served in different variants across the
Caribbean. The main ingredient is a leaf vegetable, traditionally either amaranth (known by many local names
including callaloo or bhaaji), taro or Xanthosoma. Both are known by many names including callaloo, coco, tannia,
bhaaji, or dasheen bush. Because the leaf vegetable used in some regions may be locally called "callaloo" or
"callaloo bush", some confusion can arise among the different vegetables and with the dish itself. Outside of the
Caribbean, water spinach is occasionally used. Trinidadians primarily use taro/dasheen bush for callaloo, while
Jamaicans and Guyanese use the name callaloo to refer to amaranth, and use it in a plethora of dishes and also a
drink ('callaloo juice'). It should be understood that the 'callaloo' made in Jamaica is different from the 'callaloo' made
in Trinidad and Tobago in terms of main ingredient (the leaf used) and other ingredients included (for example,
Jamaicans tend to use only callaloo leaf, salt, onions, escallion and simply steam the vegetable, while Trinidadians
use okra and coconut milk to make an entirely different dish with a different taste and consistency).
Coco bread
Coco bread is eaten in Jamaica and other areas of the Caribbean. As the name suggests, the bread contains a bit
of coconut milk. It is starchy and slightly sweet. It is often split in half and stuffed with a Jamaican patty to form a
sandwich. The name “coco bread” is a mystery because the bread contains very little coconut. “Coco” is a Jamaican
name for tania, a tuber like the potato, but this is not an ingredient in coco bread, either.
It’s often remarked that it’s called “coco bread” because you split it open like a coconut. Others have commented that
it takes a hammer to open a coconut! Coco” is the name of a Jamaican brand of butter—one ingredient in “coco
bread.
Curry Goat
Curry goat is a dish originating in Indo-Jamaican cuisine that has become so popular it is now regarded as being
typical of Jamaica. This dish has spread throughout the English speaking Caribbean and also the Caribbean
Diaspora in North America and Great Britain.
Curry goat is a popular party dish in Jamaica and at a 'big dance' a local expert or 'specialist' is often brought in to
cook it.[1]. It is considerably more mild than the equivalent dishes from the Indian subcontinent and is flavored with a
spice mix that is typical of Indo-Jamaican cooking and Scotch Bonnet Peppers; it is almost always served with rice
and, in restaurants in North America and Great Britain, other typically Caribbean side dishes such as fried plantain
may be served as an accompaniment. There are many variations on the dish that include using mutton when goat is
not available or bulking it out with potatoes.
Whilst formerly served mainly at weddings and other celebrations, Curry Goat is now eaten more frequently as those
who enjoy it are becoming more affluent and can afford to eat more healthily as goat is a comparatively low fat red
meat. In Britain the carnivals in St Pauls, Bristol and Notting Hill, London and other Caribbean Cultural events will
usually have Curry Goat available as well as other regional foods
Hard Dough Bread
Hard Dough Bread is a Jamaican bread similar to the Pullman loaf or pain de mie, although hard dough bread tends
to be sweeter. The dough consists of flour, water, yeast, salt and sugar.
Oblong-shaped and made in various sizes. Hard Dough Bread is everyone's choice in Jamaica. It's moist and can be
eaten alone or with butter, pate, jelly or any kind of spread. It is very good for sandwiches because it will not become
soggy. It can be bought already sliced or unsliced. Most loaves are wrapped in plastic when bought.
Hard dough bread is used much the same as a Pullman loaf: as a vehicle for spreads such as butter, cheese or jam;
for dipping into liquids, a common one being hot chocolate; or to make sandwiches. Hard dough bread is more
resistant than Pullman bread to becoming soggy and breaking apart in sandwiches with fried, greasy fillings such as
plantain and egg.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
The term jerk spice (also often commonly known as Jamaican jerk spice) refers to a spice rub. The word jerk refers
to both the spice rub and to the particular cooking technique. Jerk can be applied as a cooking method for many
different types of proteins, including goat, chicken, pork, fish, shellfish, tofu, and others. Jerk cooking has developed
a worldwide following in most major Western European cosmopolitan urban centers.
The cooking technique of jerking, as well as the results it produces, has evolved over time from using pit fires to old
oil barrel halves as the container of choice. Around the 1960s, Caribbean entrepreneurs seeking to recreate the
smoked pit flavor in an easier, more portable method came up with a solution to cut oil barrels lengthwise and attach
hinges, drilling several ventilation holes for the smoke. These barrels are fired with charcoal, which enhances the
spicy, smoky taste. Alternatively, when these cooking methods aren't available, other methods of meat smoking,
including wood burning ovens, can be used to jerk meat. However, oil barrels are arguably one of the most popular
cooking methods for jerk in Jamaica. Most jerk in Jamaica is no longer cooked in the traditional method and is grilled
over hardwood charcoal in a steel drum jerk pan.
Street-side jerk stands or jerk centers are frequently found in Jamaica and the nearby Cayman Islands, as well as
throughout the Caribbean Diaspora and beyond. Jerked meat, usually chicken or pork, can be purchased along with
hard dough bread, deep fried cassava bammy (flatbread, usually with fish), Jamaican fried dumplings (known as
Johnny or journey cakes), and festival, a variation of sweet flavored fried dumplings made with sugar and served as
a side (originally from Trinidad
Jerk cooking and seasoning has followed the Caribbean Diaspora all over the world, and forms of jerk can now be found at
restaurants almost anywhere a significant population of Caribbean descent exists, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, or the
United States.
Jamaican patty
A Jamaican patty is a pastry that contains various fillings and spices baked inside a flaky shell, often tinted golden
yellow with an egg yolk mixture or turmeric. It is made like a turnover but is more savory. As its name suggests, it is
commonly found in Jamaica, and is also eaten in other areas of the Caribbean, such as Costa Rica's Caribbean
coast. In Haiti, the pastry is thick and crisp, making it essentially a turnover. It is traditionally filled with seasoned
ground beef, but fillings can include chicken, vegetables, shrimp, lobster, fish, soy, ackee, mixed vegetables or
cheese. In Jamaica, the patty is often eaten as a full meal, especially when paired with coco bread. It can also be
made as bite-sized portions called cocktail patties. Among the Jamaican Diaspora in the UK, the pastry is more like
that of a suet crust, and often made with the fat from Curry Goat which provides the yellow color.
Sorrel
Hibiscus tea is the infusion made from the calyces (sepals) of the Hibiscus sabdariffa flower, an herbal tea drink
consumed both hot and cold by people around the world. It is also referred to as roselle (another common name for
the hibiscus flower), flor de Jamaica in Latin America, karkadé in Egypt and Sudan, Chai Kujarat in Iraq, bissap or
wonjo in West Africa, sorrel in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, red sorrel in the wider Caribbean, and other
names in other regions. Hibiscus tea has a tart, cranberry-like flavor, and sugar is often added to sweeten the
beverage. The tea contains vitamin C and minerals and is used traditionally as a mild medicine.
Hibiscus tea contains 15-30% organic acids, including citric acid, maleic acid, and tartaric acid. It also contains acidic
polysaccharides and flavonoid glycosides, such as cyanidin and delphinidin, that give it its characteristic deep red
color.
In Latin America and the United States
"Agua de Flor de Jamaica" (Anglicized as /hmak/), also called agua de Jamaica and rosa de Jamaica, is popular in
Jamaica, Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America and the Caribbean. It is one of several common
aguas frescas, which are inexpensive beverages typically made from fresh juices or extracts. Agua de Flor de
Jamaica is usually prepared by steeping the calyces, along with ginger (in Jamaica), in boiling water, straining the
mixture, pressing the calyces (to squeeze all the juice out), adding sugar, and sometimes a little rum (in Jamaica),
and stirring.[1] It is served chilled.
In Panama both the flowers and the drink are called saril (a derivative of the Jamaican word sorrel). It is prepared by
picking and boiling the calyces with chopped ginger, sugar, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is traditionally drunk
around Christmas and Chinese New Year, diverging from Mexico and Central America and much more in line with
the Caribbean, due to the strong West Indian influence in Panamanian culture specially in Panama City and most of
Panama's Atlantic coast.
Dried hibiscus calyces, often labeled Flor de Jamaica, have long been available in health food stores in the United
States for making this tea, especially in California and other areas influenced by Mexican customs. Flor de Jamaica
has a reputation for being a mild natural diuretic.[2]A glass of cold agua de Flor de Jamaica in a Cuernavaca
restaurant. For other uses, see Callaloo (disambiguation).
Soursop fruit
(Annona muricata) is a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree native to Central America, the Caribbean and northern
South America, Colombia and Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Soursop is also native to sub-Saharan African
countries that lie within the tropics. Today, it is also grown in some areas of Southeast Asia. It was most likely
brought from Mexico to the Philippines by way of the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade It is in the same genus as the
chirimoya and the same family as the pawpaw.
The soursop is adapted to areas of high humidity and relatively warm winters; temperatures below 5 °C/41 °F will
cause damage to leaves and small branches, and temperatures below 3 °C/37.4 °F can be fatal. The fruit becomes
dry and is no longer good for concentrate.
Other common names include: guanábana (Spanish), graviola (Portuguese), Brazilian pawpaw, guyabano,
[2]
corossolier, guanavana, toge-banreisi, durian benggala, nangka blanda, and nangka londa.
In Malayalam, it is
called mullaatha , literally thorny custard apple. The other lesser-known Indian names are shul-ram-fal and hanuman
fal. Lord Ram and his disciple Hanuman are believed to have consumed this fruit on their way to Sri Lanka.
Its flavor has been described as a combination of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting
with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana.