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Norma Sinclair, in her book “Grenada - Isle of Spice” recounts a tale of a Grenadian civil servant returning to Grenada after some time in England. He was asked how he had his stay, to which he lamented that the food was not seasoned well and that he was truly sick of potatoes for every meal. “In Grenada”, he said, “I am accustomed to a choice of so many vegetables like yam, dasheen, tannia, eddoes, sweet potato, breadfruit and bluggoes!”
Just as the people of the Caribbean islands are a unique variety of different races and cultures, so too do we look for variety in the food we eat. From all corners of the world, immigrants, colonists and slaves come to the islands bringing with them their own cooking styles, techniques and favourite recipes. Over the years, these differing culinary skills have combined to develop West Indian Cooking - and none too soon, for we Caribbean people do love to eat!
When the first colonists landed on the islands they would not only discover the Arawaks and Caribs, but also new type of fruits and vegetables and new methods of food preparation. For instance the Amerindians had long discovered that cassareep, the poisonous liquid extracted from the manioc tuber, was an effective meat preserver; today cassareep figures prominently in the making of Pepperpot stew - an amalgamation of various meats and vegetables that would be left simmering for weeks on the back of the stove, the ingredients replenished as necessary.
Manioc also produces cassava, the fibrous flour made from the grated root. Cassava is used in the same manner as wheat flour in breads, cakes and dumplings, and is also used to make cassava cakes - thin wafers that are delicious lightly toasted with a hint of butter.
Decades ago when Grenada was a little known tourist destination, the food served at the hotels and guest houses on the island was traditional fare such as British roast beef and American steak served with boiled vegetables. Desserts were often made with imported fruits such as strawberries and heavy puddings were the norm. Very rarely were visitors encouraged to discover the real flavours of Grenadian cooking.
However as years went by and the tourism industry began to expand, imaginative local chefs started experimenting with local fruits and vegetables, slowly introducing these to the menu. Nowadays, almost every restaurant or hotel can boast their own speciality, be it callaloo, pumpkin or christophene soup, soursop or sapodilla ice-cream, or a variety of seafood, providing a wide choice of locally inspired dishes that are well prepared and attractively served.
No talk about local food could be complete without mention of Grenada’s national dish “Oil down”. This one-pot is made from local vegetables such as breadfruit, green bananas and callaloo, with some pigtail or saltfish added for flavour, steamed in freshly grated coconut milk. Oil down is indeed a symbol of the variety of our heritage combined to create a Grenadian original.
written & provided by CONCEPTS Marketing
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