by John W. Paulus

Created on: February 09, 2009

Caribbean
food is known for being especially interesting and diverse. It's also known as being especially tasty. While much of the food you might find in the Caribbean is similar to what you would find in the US or in other parts of the western world, there still are quite a few unique dishes that you are likely to see in the Caribbean.

Take for example the Santa Fe pepper soup. Santa Fe pepper soup is a soup that was originally made in Columbia. This soup is made using chicken on the bone, cobs of corn, potatoes, and other vegetables such as sabaneras, which are natively grown in the Caribbean

islands. This soup can often be found in different versions such as a Cuban stew version.

Another good example of a food typically only eaten in the Caribbean is callaloo. Callaloo is a soup from Trinidad. This soup is often made with okra, as well as taro and amaranth. Callaloo might contain meat as well and is often seasoned with things like onions, coconut milk, garlic and chili peppers. Callaloo is often eaten alongside salt fish.

One of the most popular Caribbean foods that has made its way out of the Caribbean to many locations in the world, such as the United States, is Caribbean jerk. Jerk is a way of preparing meat with spices such that it becomes rather spicy and hot. Jerk uses allspice and it also uses scotch bonnet peppers. You can often find foods with a Jamaican or Caribbean jerk sauce even in the United States.

Another popular food typically only eaten in the Caribbean is peardrax. This is a soft drink that at one time was popular in the United Kingdom. Today, this pear flavored soft drink is made by the Pepsi cola company in Trinidad and is very closely identified with that nation.

Picadillo is a food often eaten in the Caribbean, but you may also find it in Latin America. Picadillo consists of tomatoes mixed with ground beef. Picadillo usually has other regional items including things like potatoes or olives. Picadillo is often served as a finger food.

If you are looking for a new culinary adventure, why not give some of these foods typically only eaten in the Caribbean a try today. You might just find that you have a new favorite delicacy. You can find many of these foods in the ethnic areas of larger metropolitan cities. On the other hand, if you're looking for an excuse to take a Caribbean cruise, why not blame it on wanting to try the food?

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