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Culinary Traditions of the Caribbean Islands
Authentic Caribbean cuisine is truly an excellent representation of all
the cultural influences the Caribbean Islands have experienced since
Christopher Columbus' landing in the late 1400's. With a fine
mixture of French Island and African recipes, Caribbean cuisine is
widely prepared and enjoyed by people of all nationalities, in many
areas of the United States and the world.
Caribbean food and culture was forever changed when the European
traders brought African slaves into the region. The slaves ate
mostly the scrap leftovers of the slave owners, so not unlike the
slaves in the United States they had to make do with what they
had. This was the birth of the more contemporary Caribbean
Cuisine.
The African slaves blended the knowledge of spices and vegetables they
had brought from their homeland and incorporated them with the precious
fruits and vegetables of the Caribbean Islands, as well as other
staples to be found in the area. This created many one-of-a-kind
dishes, because many of the produce on the islands at the time was too
fragile to make it through the exportation process. Fruits most
often found in Caribbean cuisine include yams, yucca, mangos and papaya
fruits. Among the produce that is too fragile to be exported is
the tamarind fruit and plantains (a fruit grown on a tree that is
similar to the banana).
Caribbean food, while spicy, is one of the healthier options among
culinary traditions from different regions. As discussed, the
lush Caribbean islands are chock full of vegetables and fruits for
healthy living. In addition to that, America introduced beans,
corn, chile peppers, potatoes and tomatoes to the islands, broadening
their palate.
When slavery was abolished on the islands, slave owners had to look
else where for help. Bringing in labor from India and China,
different types of dishes using rice or curry were introduced and
blended into mainstream Caribbean cuisine. This is how the Caribbean
favorite curry goat was born.
The Caribbean islands are in a prime location for one of their
specialties--seafood. Salted codfish is a specialty on the Caribbean
islands. It is usually served in a salad or stew, or at breakfast in
scrambled eggs. Lobster, sea turtle, shrimp, crab, and sea urchins are
also specialties on the islands. They are used to make such exotic,
spicy Caribbean dishes as Antillean crab pilaf and curried coconut
shrimp.
Desserts are an integral part of the Caribbean culinary
experience. Sugar cane is one of the area's chief products, so
there are always an abundance of cakes, pies, and dumplings.
Caribbean natives incorporate dessert into almost every meal. At
Caribbean restaurants you may notice the emphasis they put on their
desserts; in their culture, dessert is just as important as the main
course.
Caribbean cuisine incorporates flavors from all of the different
cultures that have ever graced the shores of the islands, from Africa
to China to India. The flavoring in Caribbean cuisine is intense
and rich, strikingly similar African and Creole food.
Home > Cuisines > Caribbean Cuisine
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