Consider Cooking Caribbean Recipes for a Healthy Island Meal

Are you the kind of person who loves cooking and trying new spices, flavours and recipes? Have you ever tried cooking Caribbean recipes? Caribbean food is unique because it brings together flavours from Africa, Britain, Spain, France, India and China. The cuisine is essentially a fusion of cultural ingredients. Caribbean recipes have exciting flavours that can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates healthy eating.

Favourite meals include curried goat, plantain, fried chicken and oxtail stew. It is common for dishes to be accompanied by potato salad or greens. If you have not tasted or attempted to cook Caribbean food, then you should definitely give it a go. Not only is the cuisine full of flavour, but it will also leave you full and satisfied.

Caribbean recipes often include a lot of fruit and vegetables. Mangoes, coconut, pineapples, papaya, bananas, ginger, oranges and sweet potatoes are just a few popular ingredients. The combination of sweet fruit and spice gives each dish a delicious taste.

There is often a long process of preparing meats to give them a savoury taste. Chicken is usually washed many times with water and vinegar. Then, it is left overnight to marinate in many herbs.

Just like any cuisine, there are spices that are traditionally associated with Caribbean cooking. These spices are what make Caribbean cuisine so delicious and distinct from other kinds of cooking.

Once you get acquainted with these signature ingredients, you will have a better understanding of what makes Caribbean food so tasty.

There are so many different spices used in Caribbean food, the list could go on and on. Some of the common ingredients include allspice, bay leaves, black pepper, cilantro, chillies, coconut, cinnamon, curry powder, nutmeg, sugar, coconut, lime and vanilla.

One popular spice often used on meats is Jamaican jerk spice. This is similar to Louisiana Creole cuisine, which also fuses together cooking from all over the world. The Spanish-speaking parts of the Caribbean often have more savoury spices in their recipes.

Another spicy mixture, garam masala, is a blend of different ground spices typical to Indian and South Asian cuisine. Garam means ‘hot’ and masala translates as ‘mixture’. Usually, this dish is made up of peppercorns, cloves, malabar leaves, long pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, star anise and coriander. The mixture of garam masala will vary depending on the region.

Lime and garlic often have a strong presence in Caribbean recipes. These originate from the coastal regions of Columbia. Other common flavours include cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

The best part about the herbs used in Caribbean food is the well-documented health benefits they offer. The dishes are rooted in healthy eating and non-processed organic foods, which have provided health benefits to generations of people. There are many benefits that come from fresh fruit, vegetables and teas.

Most Caribbean dishes are known to be moderately hot. Jerk seasoning, for example, is quite hot but if used appropriately can create a good spicy flavour without overpowering the dish. Many use hot sauce on their Caribbean dishes to add flavour.

If you pick up any Caribbean cooking guide, you will find that rice is a staple to most dishes. All the spices, sauces and beans in Caribbean recipes rely on rice as a base. First introduced by the Chinese, rice helps to soak up the flavours. There are all different kinds of rice found in Caribbean dishes. Sometimes, it is seasoned and other times there might be hints of coconut added in.

In addition to having rice, many Caribbean dishes include seafood. This is because the Caribbean is made up of a chain of islands where there are plenty of fresh fish to add to any dish.

Each island in the West Indies is known for having its own specialty dish. Each recipe varies in the way it is prepared, and the use of spices and seasonings differ from one to the other. For example, Trinidad and Tobago is known for dishes with cascadura fish and crab.

The conch, a large sea snail, is a popular meat in Caribbean cuisine. Often, it is used to make soups, salads and fritters. Since it is chewy, most recipes call for it to be finely chopped. Conch is hard to find outside the Caribbean and because of this many dishes use fresh clams as a substitute.

On the island of Martinique, a popular way for preparing fish dishes is called ‘blaff’. This technique is when fish is marinated in limejuice, garlic and hot peppers then poached in marinade.

Another favourite, especially in Jamaica, is boiled green bananas. Caribbean dishes often treat green bananas like root vegetables. They are starchier and less sweet, which give them the potential for being a great side dish.

After experimenting with fish and chicken recipes, everyone should try cooking one of the many sweet and flavourful dessert recipes traditional to Caribbean cuisine. Some of the favourites include coconut pudding, pineapple, pumpkin or cashew nut cake. Or perhaps try making some Mango ice cream for a change?

Many enjoy dabbling in making Caribbean cocktails, and for good reason; with islands so abundant with fruit, the drinks are often refreshing. Just like the dishes, every island seems to have a signature drink. For example, rum punch is popular in Jamaica while dark and stormys are popular in Bermuda.

Rum is often the spirit of choice. Caribbean Rum is made of hard liquor, distilled from sugar cane. Wherever you are, Caribbean cocktails have the power of making you feel like you’ve spent the day laying on a sandy beach.

Whatever recipe you decide to choose, there is a dish for every kind of palette. The unique and ethnic blend of spices and traditional preparation has evolved through years of cultural influence. The food itself is reminiscent to the people from the Caribbean who continue to enjoy themselves through good food and music.