Caribbean cuisine
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Your support makes all the difference.AN EXOTIC blend of fresh fruit, local root crops, fresh seafood, local spices and goat, West Indian food is one of the major pleasures of a Caribbean holiday. To make the most of the West Indian and Creole (a fusion of French and West Indian flavours) menus, here are a few pointers from the Lonely Planet Guide to the Eastern Caribbean (pounds 11.99):
Breadfruit
A large, round, green fruit, considered a staple food, rich in carbohydrate
Bake
A fried bread sandwich filled with fish, often shark
Bul jol
Roasted salt fish and breadfruit, made with tomatoes and onions
Callaloo
Typical Eastern Caribbean soup, made with dasheen leaves and sometimes coconut milk
Christophene
Resembling a large pear, it is a common Caribbean vegetable that can be eaten raw, cooked like squash or used in soup. (Also known as chayote)
Conch
The meat of a large gastropod which is sometimes cooked in a spicy Creole sauce. (Also called lambi)
Crabes Farcis
Land crabs stuffed with spices
Cutter
A salt bread roll, used for sandwiches
Dasheen
The leaves (callaloo) are cooked separately from the root which is boiled and eaten like a potato
Goat Water
A spiced goat stew, often cooked with rum and cloves
Jambalaya
A Creole dish of rice with ham, chicken or shellfish, spices, tomatoes, onions and peppers
Johnnycake
A cornflour griddle cake
Jug-jug
A blend of salted meat, green peas and Guinea cornmeal
Mauby
A bittersweet drink made from the juice of bark from the Mauby tree, sugar and spices
Mountain chicken
Frog's legs
Oil down
Mixture of breadfruit, pork, callaloo and coconut milk
Patitas de Puerco Guisadas en Salsa de Tomate
A Creolian dish of pig's feet stewed in tomato sauce
Pierna de Chivo Asada con Ron y Cilantro
Roast leg of goat with rum and coriander
Plantain
A starchy, banana-like fruit eaten either fried or grilled
Roti
Flat bread wrapped around a curry filling, often potatoes and chicken
Sancocho de Siete Carnes
A seven-meat soup of sausage, chicken, beef, goat, salt pork, smoked pork chops and fresh pork chops, and an assortment of vegetables
Soursop
A large green fruit with light pulpy flesh, juiced or made into ice cream
Souse
Pickled pigs head and belly, spices and vegetables, frequently served with a pig-blood sausage that is called pudding
Tamarind
The pod of a tropical tree, its seeds are juiced and used in drinks or as a flavouring
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