Saturday, March 23, 2013

Tasty Caribbean National Dishes reflect island nation's identity, ethnicity and culture



The flavorful National Dishes and all other foods of the Caribbean were influenced by the islands' migrant culture. Most of the food in the Caribbean came from somewhere else. Slaves from Africa who were forced to leave their homelands in Africa were creative in preparing the entrails that were given to them by the Plantation owners. Some of the dishes the slave owners brought with them from Europe evolved from less flavorful to become more tasty because of the spices and herbs found in the Caribbean.

Once slavery was curtailed they sought new labor by bringing migrants from China and India and this further caused the food in the Caribbean to evolve introducing, rice, curries, noodles and stir-fry. Even the starchy yet delicious breadfruit many of us islanders grew up eating came from elsewhere and made it to the islands after much ado involving a mutiny on a ship called 'The Bounty' and the now infamous British Captain Bligh.  .

When I was growing up in Barbados,  an early Saturday morning meant a trip downtown to the market for the freshest of meat, vegetables, fruit and ground provisions such as yam, sweet potato, yucca, plantain.  The calls of the hawkers (women who sold their fare in the market place) calling out trying to coerce my mom to buy sweet mangoes and sour sop here, just-enough-ripe breadfruit over there or guava, scallion and hot, red chili peppers to make homemade seasoning, "come get it fresh and sweet here dahling", were the words I would hear as my mother tried to navigate between the concrete slabs where they stood guarding their colorful bounty.

The bunches of sweet smelling, fresh thyme, parsley, chive, lemon and lime were all neatly tucked away in a plastic bag atop the shopping bag brimming with the smells I came to associate with my homeland in later years when nostalgia overcame me.

By the time the sun made its way up to register the noon hour we were back home ready to relax after a nice delicious bowl of pudding and souse (blood sausage made with finely grated, seasoned sweet potato and pickeled boiled pork).  Sometimes our neighbor would replace the souse with warm Cou Cou (cornmeal stirred to a smooth texture with okra) and succulent flying fish stewed in onion and tomato sauce seasoned just perfect. She never used a measuring cup or spoon and neither did my mother. To this day I cook my bajan dishes without measuring because this way of cooking was passed down to me by my mother.

Little did I know I was eating  dishes that would be one day considered as one of the top 10 National Dishes in National Geographic. Today the dishes that so many of us grew up eating everyday in the Caribbean are National Dishes and consumed by the many visitors who come to our island shores.

Islanders are linked by many things including their location, migrant culture, tropical weather, tourism and a reputation for prime, fun, vacation spots.  However, although the islands and islanders have many things alike Caribbean food showcases just how diverse and rare each island, taken by itself,  can be.  

The Jamaicans have a famous technique they used in their cooking called 'jerk'. The method includes cooking spiced meat such as chicken and pork over heated coals.  It was passed down from African males who hunted in their home countries spending extended periods of time away from home.  The first slaves who came to the island perfected it.  'Jerk' involves a long, slow cooking process and is enjoyed by many nowadays by many.
Indians from India who  migrated to the Caribbean after slavery are now an integral part of Caribbean culture, introduced meats flavored with curry as well as curry powder or as they call it 'kari podi'. We now enjoy curried dishes of all kinds including Roticurry goatcurried crab and dumplings.  The Chinese migrants brought mustard seed with them and the sailors who came from Portugal introduced codfish.  America gave us vegetables including potatoes, chili pepper, beans and much more.  
The many flavors in Caribbean food that imbue our senses are inspired by the French, British, Chinese, Portuguese, Indians from India and native Indians. Caribbean dishes are so flavorful and delicious anyone who tries them can experience the feeling of the Caribbean itself: beauty, sun, surf, fun, laughter, heat, pulsating beats of carnival and authentic culture.
My African-American mother-in-law who is a foodie has personally experienced these feelings.  She never visited the Caribbean but she enjoys everything including the food. My in-law a more of a fan the first time she spent christmas with Jamaican in-laws in Florida.  She told me on Christmas morning she awoke to  the smell of something deliciously overwhelming.  Later she learned it was, as she described it, "goat stewed in herbs" cooked from 5 o'clock in the morning to "fall-off-the-bone" deliciousness. Later she she was given something that reminded her of scrambled eggs but found out it was the famous "Ackee and Saltfish".   Mom loves the Jamaican Patties they gave her and took some back home.  To this day she cannot stop talking about her immersion in Jamaican cooking that Christmas.  
Two National Dishes:

Jamaica: Ackee and saltfish is made with salted fish and the inside fruit of the Ackee which when done is similar in appearance to scrambled eggs.  The salt fish is boiled over and over again until the salt is removed. This dish is served as an entree meal mostly at breakfast.

Guyana: Pepper Pot is made with the extract of cassava with a variety of meats to choose from but beef is the favored meat to use. It can be placed on a bed of white rice or with split peas and black eye peas and rice.  This is a spicy dish served as an entree.

A wide variety of dishes can be chosen from island to island but they all have one thing in common: delicious, succulent flavor-fulness that can't be beat, and most recipes are accessible on the internet.

-- 
Cheryl's LinkedIn Profile


10 comments:

  1. Below are questions and answers from friends and family about Caribbean food and culture. I will post my answers first.


    Where is your home or birth country?
    Barbados live in US Greater Boston

    what is your favorite island dish?
    like them all

    what Caribbean dishes can you make?
    Mostly bajan/barbadian dishes rice and peas, bajan mac and cheese, codfish cakes and more

    do you often crave island dishes?
    Lordy yes!!!

    what Caribbean foods can you buy?
    ingredients for roti, goat, ingredients for pudding and souse a few others

    what other island dishes you like?
    All island food

    why do u love island food and culture?
    I love it because I was born and raised there and even though I do not know when i will return I feel the culture is and will always be a part of my life. I will always make, crave and love the food. I think growing up there connected me to nature.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My friend Magaret Harris:


    Where is your home or birth country?
    Barbados

    what is your favorite island dish?
    rice and peas with salt meat

    what Caribbean dishes can you make?
    rice and peas with salt meat, cou cou and flying fish, fish cakes, bajan soup, jug jug, etc


    do you often crave island dishes?
    yes
    what Caribbean foods can you buy?
    nearly all in Caribbean markets; in Brooklyn new york. not readily available in the states
    what other island dishes you like?
    Cuban pork and rice, rice and peas, flan, Guyanese pepperpot
    why do u love island food and culture?

    it's a part of me. it is what helps give me an identity. these tastes I am most familiar with. the flavour is rich and unique. incredibly ingredients are virtually the same across language groups in the island chain, suggesting that the origin of slavery and colonialism, provided us with the same roots in our culinary history; in today's world of fast foods, obesity, manufactured foods and GMO products, i'm grateful to be able to draw on authentic dishes.. not only is it healthier - it tastes better

    ReplyDelete
  3. Old school friend Charmaine Ford:

    My birth country is Barbados

    I don't have a favorite island dish..I love them all especially being away from them for so many years

    I can purchase almost anything at a Korean market in the City or if I travel to NY..Brooklyn.

    I I love island food because of the taste,it has that extra zing to it.

    There's nothing like a Chefette Roti or My Mum's peas and Rice and Bajan Flying fish prepared in any form,,,whether steamed,fried.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Old school friend Cheryl Hunte:

    Good morning Cheryl,

    That's funny you would ask that...I do eat cou cou when my mom is around. She lives in Atlanta and comes down about three times or so a year or my sister and I go up to see her. She knows that if nothing else, she has to make that for us. I just called myself making some in January and i have to say it came out not tooo bad (nothing like my mom's of course)! I love and crave cou cou all the time.Most of the other dishes i can cook myself....split pea soup with dumplings, corn beef and rice, fried chicken and fried fish (the way we cook it) and of course peas and rice. There is actually a store I go to that caters a lot to the islands...yams, breadfruit, okra, goat and a lot of the seasonal fruit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My friend Yvonne from USA born in Trinidad:

    what is your island's national dish and what foods from home do you make?
    At most events in Trinidad where food is served, you will find rice and peas also known as pelau with a side dish of stewed chicken, some lettuce, tomatoes and watercress. Callaloo is a must in most homes at the Sunday lunch.

    Honestly, I did not spend much time in the kitchen when I was growing up, but when the opportunity presents itself, I can fix a pot a pelau that satisfies my desire.

    do you often crave your island's dishes? Sometimes, I would like to have a nice piece of coconut bake.

    can you buy your ingredients in Atlanta? Yes. Several foods from the Caribbean are available in Atlanta because of the large Caribbean population here.

    what foods can you buy? I can find coconut water, mangoes, pigeon peas, sweet potatoes, plantains, pepper sauce to name a few.

    what other island dishes you like. I like a tasty roti which is like a flat bread filled with curried vegetables or curried meat. I also enjoy split peas soup with added vegetables, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.

    why do u still love ur island food and culture? I acquired a taste for and enjoyed certain foods when I was growing up and that has stayed with me. Like everyone else, those foods remind me of where I came from, what I was doing when I ate those foods as well as who prepared them and in what context they were prepared.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My old friend Michelle:

    My country's national dish is Cou-cou and flying fish. I've lived in 2 other countries in the region and worked in or visited many of the others and I thoroughly enjoyed the local foods served......Conch/lambee, Oildown, Crab and callaloo, Duckanoo and saltfish with choba, Ackee and saltfish. I love the region's food because it's taste reflects the creativity, tenacity and heart of the people of the Caribbean.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mother-in-law:

    where are you from?
    West Virginia

    what is your favorite island dish?
    Goat

    what Caribbean dishes can you make?
    Goat

    do you often crave island dishes?
    Yes. Cheryl's Avocado, tomato, cucumber salad.


    what Caribbean foods can you buy?
    Fruits

    what other island dishes you like?Ackee and Saltfish

    why do u love island food and culture?
    Reminds me of the ocean, flowers, and good times with family.

    ReplyDelete
  8. My husband:

    Where is your home or birth country?
    Us
    what is your favorite island dish?
    Flying fish

    what Caribbean dishes can you make?
    None

    do you often crave island dishes?
    Every couple of months
    what Caribbean foods can you buy?
    Roti
    what other island dishes you like?
    Jamaican patties
    why do u love island food and culture?
    I like the spices

    ReplyDelete
  9. where are you from?
    USA age 13

    what is your favorite island dish?
    Mom's roti and bajan soup with dumplings, chicken feet soup

    what Caribbean dishes can you make?
    none yet

    do you often crave island dishes?
    chicken feet soup .


    what Caribbean foods can you buy?
    Mom buys roti and other stuff

    what other island dishes you like?mom's Avacado, cucumber, tomato salad

    why do u love island food and culture?
    It is unique cannot get it anywhere else, the fact that it is a mix of foods from around the world and my mom's from there

    ReplyDelete
  10. i try this recipes once when i went to my husband hometown ,also tried to cook it (my mother inlaw thought me) well its really delicous and also tasty meal indeed

    ReplyDelete