Caribbean Island Recipes and Cuisine
The word creole, taken in its meaning of "mixture," fits most Caribbean cooking. Pre-Columbian Arawak and Taino people subsisted on the fruits of the sea and starchy cassava root. Imperial designs, slavery and merchant immigration brought succeeding influence from the British, Spanish, French, Dutch, African, Indian and Chinese. Each island has signature dishes reflecting its particular history. Seafood is widely eaten, as is chicken and goat. Okra, greens, taro and yams are popular, as well as plantains, limes, sour oranges and other tropical fruits.
Image 
by topyti
Caribbean Island Recipes
Blaff
(Caribbean lime-poached fish)
Blaff is a way a preparing fish that is popular in the Caribbean, especially on the island of Martinique. Fish is marinated in lime juice, garlic and hot peppers and is then poached in the marinade. Some say the name comes from the sound the fish makes as you plop it in the simmering broth. Others say it comes from a mispronunciation of the word "broth" itself. Read more »
Coo-Coo
(Bajan cornmeal mush with okra)
Coo-coo, or cou-cou, is one half of "coo-coo and flying fish," the Bajan national dish. This cornmeal porridge is similar to Italy's polenta or Africa's fufu and ugali. Okra goes by the name "ochro" on Barbados. Read more »
Fufu
(West African mashed yams)
Fufu is a mash of yams or other starches served as an accompaniment to meat or vegetable stews. To eat fufu, pull a small ball of mush off with your fingers, form an indentation with your thumb and use it to scoop up stews and other dishes. Or place large balls in individual serving bowls and spoon stew around them. Read more »
Planter's Punch
(Caribbean rum punch)
Depending on whom you believe, planter's punch was either created by the wife of a Jamaican plantation owner, or at the Planter Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. Regardless, this fruity punch has become a popular beverage to serve to guests throughout the Caribbean. Recipes vary widely, but they all contain rum, lime juice and a sweetener or other fruit juices. Read more »
Plátanos Fritos
(Latin fried ripe plantains)
Plátanos fritos are popular in many countries around the world where the plantain is sometimes a major source of starchy calories. It is important to use ripe plantains for this dish (they have black skins). Green plantains will be much too dry. The Caribbean cook will often use fried plantains as an accompaniment to beef or goat dishes. Read more »
Pollo en Fricasé
(Caribbean chicken fricassee)
Pollo en fricasé is a simple fricasee of chicken with typically Caribbean flavors like ham, oregano, cilantro and olives. Sometimes called fricasé de pollo, it is especially popular in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Leftovers taste even better when reheated the next day. Read more »
Sopa de Frijoles Negros
(Caribbean black bean soup)
Black bean soup is popular throughout the Caribbean, but it is especially well loved in Cuba. Sometimes spelled sopa de frijol negro. In Brazil it is known as sopa de feijão preto and is often pureed until smooth. Read more »
Sopi Mondongo
(Caribbean tripe and vegetable soup; see Sopa de Mondongo recipe)
Souskaï de Mangues Vertes
(French Caribbean mango appetizer)
This simple, healthy and lowfat fruit appetizer is particularly popular in the French Antilles. Read more »
Tostones
(Puerto Rican fried plantains)
Tostones, twice-fried green plantains, are a favorite snack and side dish in Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Haitians call them bananes pesées, or banan peze. They are also eaten in Central America and throughout South America. In Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela they are known as patacones. Read more »
