by JC Campbell

Created on: February 09, 2009   Last Updated: December 10, 2011

Caribbean food is highly diverse in nature, incorporating the cuisine elements of different civilizations and cultures. Caribbean cuisine is mainly spicy, something that appropriately reflects this very colorful part of the world.

Caribbean Food: A Brief History

Taino Indians, the first Caribbean settlers preferred vegetables, fruit and meat and fish cooked in earthenware. The Arawaks tribes of the region developed barbacoa' (today's barbeque) involving cooking of meat on wood strips. The Carib tribes made the Caribbean cuisine spicier with the use of hot pepper sauce. They developed the pepper pot stew and used lime juice on meat and fish dishes.

Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of the cuisines of Spain, France, Britain and the USA because different Caribbean islands were once under the colonial rule of these countries. While rice and mustard was added to the Caribbean cuisine by the Chinese, the Portuguese brought in codfish. The Spaniards planted fruit trees in the Caribbean region. Corn, tomato, chili pepper and potatoes are America's gifts to the Caribbean Islands. The African slaves of the region introduced fish cake, salt fish, pudding, mango and okre. The Indian laborers started cooking curried meats using curry powder.

Famous Caribbean Food Recipes

Popular meat dishes include Jerk Chicken, sauted chicken breast, Garlic Pork, Grilled Fish scotch bonnet style, Escoveitched Fish, Hot Jonkanoo shrimps to name a few. Banana bread, Banana fritters, green plantain chips and coconut chips are some famous snacks of the region. From these examples alone, it is clear to see that the Caribbean is a place where you will find a diverse range of food to satisfy any palate.

Food Habits

A regular meal of the Cubans includes pork, okra, plantain and stew and cassava. The main recipes of the inhabitants of Dominican Republic are plantain soup; roasted breadfruit and Conky (spiced cassava). The Jamaicans prefer pepper pot soup, vegetable jambalaya, Jamaican milkshake and Pina Colada. The popular food in Trinidad and Tobago includes shrimp and smoked herring with collalo (a spicy soup from the dasheen plant). Crabs and pork are the common food in Guadeloupe.

Caribbean food is regularly enjoyed in local restaurants where you can taste delightful and savory Caribbean recipes, or if you are feeling adventurous, you could perhaps attempt a few of these dishes at home. The colorful menu on offer in this vibrant part of the world is a true reflection of the culture of the Caribbean people and offers a wide variety of options that will have you spoiled for choice.

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