A practical guide to eating here, including the gap between what tourists are served and what people actually eat.
The gap
Hotel and tourist-facing restaurants serve an international menu with local touches. Local food is different, cheaper, and found in different places β snackettes, market stalls, roadside vendors and small local restaurants.
Anyone who eats only in the first category will conclude the food is unremarkable, which would be the wrong conclusion.
What to eat
- Oil down β the national dish; breadfruit, salted meat, callaloo and vegetables simmered in coconut milk. Social food, best encountered at a gathering rather than a restaurant
- Callaloo soup β made from dasheen leaves, a staple
- Lambi β conch, stewed or curried, an everyday dish rather than a delicacy here
- Fried or stewed fish β bought fresh, cooked simply, excellent
- Roti β the Indo-Caribbean flatbread wrap, filled with curry
- Ground provisions β breadfruit, dasheen, green banana, yam; the starch base of most home meals
Where to eat it
- The market, particularly Saturday morning β prepared food alongside produce
- Snackettes β small local establishments serving a plate of the day at a modest price
- The Friday fish fry at the west coast village β a community occasion and the best-known food event in the country
- Roadside vendors β particularly for roasted corn, nuts and fruit
- Local restaurants away from the hotel strip
The snackette is the key institution: a plate of local food for a fraction of restaurant prices, and the standard is often better because the customers are local and would not tolerate otherwise.
The spice dimension
Nutmeg is used far beyond baking β grated over rum punch as standard, in ice cream, in jam made from the fruit, and in savoury dishes. Cinnamon and clove appear in stews. Cocoa tea, a spiced cocoa drink, is a breakfast item rather than a dessert.
Drinks
- Local rum, including an exceptionally strong spirit from a waterwheel distillery
- Rum punch, always with grated nutmeg
- Fresh juices from local fruit
- Mauby, sorrel and ginger beer β traditional non-alcoholic drinks; sorrel especially at Christmas
- Local chocolate, made from beans grown and processed on the island
Practical notes
Portions are generous. Lunch is the main meal for many, and the best local food is served at midday rather than in the evening. Ask what is being cooked today rather than expecting a full menu β small places cook one or two things well.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some visitors find the food unremarkable?
Because they eat only in tourist-facing restaurants β local food is different, cheaper and found elsewhere.
What is a snackette?
A small local establishment serving a plate of the day cheaply β often better than restaurants because the customers are local.
When is the best local food served?
At midday β lunch is the main meal for many people.
How is nutmeg used?
Far beyond baking β grated over rum punch as standard, in ice cream, in jam from the fruit, and in savoury dishes.
Need a tailored roadmap?
Viking Global Group walks with you from paperwork to settlement. Call +849.219.219.88 or email [email protected] for a free consultation.
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