Caribbean cooking introduces all visitors to some truly distinctive flavours through the addition of spices and other ingredients like mangoes, coconut, lime, cassava, papaya, yam, guava, and peppers. Surprisingly, the use of limes in Caribbean cooking among the natives is not all that different from the way it is used in the United States. Lime is one of the most popular ways of marinating fish and a popular dish is ceviche, which is seafood cooked with the aid of citric juices and seasoned with herbs and onions. Caribbean cooking is not just delicious; it is also unique from one island to another. Each island has developed its own style and technique of cooking food and the food in the Caribbean is as varied as the experience from one island to the next.

Multinational cuisine
The Bahamas is known for the conch recipes; Cuba is famous for black beans and rice; Jamaica is of course the home of jerk cooking and seasoning. Barbados, meanwhile, means fried fish and cou cou; Puerto Rico comes closer to home with chicken and rice. The French Caribbean is known for its Creole dishes and many similar French cooking methods. Trinidad is the land of curries.

All Caribbean cooking involves herbs and spices of various types for seasoning. One such ingredient is tamarind which is in many ways similar to Worcestershire sauce in taste; it has tamarind as one of its major ingredients. In fact, the use of spices in Caribbean cooking is truly diverse. Nutmeg flavours the desserts in the United States but in the Caribbean, this spice is mixed with other spices that are natively grown on the islands and this makes for a totally different flavour. The jerk cooking of Jamaica gets its flavour from allspice while the island of Cayman has a chocolate cake recipe that includes spicy peppers.

Food through history
There are many common forms of spices used in Caribbean cooking but the trick is that, though you will recognise flavours as a familiar taste, the cooking will be subtle enough to feel unique to your taste buds. Caribbean cooking is full of delectable sauces that are made of sweet fruits like mango, papaya, and orange with spicy hot peppers. Dipping sauces in Caribbean cooking are made from mango, chilli peppers, and melon. In Caribbean cooking, coconut milk is the basis of several stews and sauces. Last, but by no means least, is the favourite ingredient of Caribbean cooking that is used in marinades, desserts, sauces, and soups – rum.

The earliest inhabitants of the Caribbean islands were the three Indian tribes of Arawak, Carib, and Taino. Their daily food comprised of vegetables and fruits. It was the Taino tribe that first started cooking meat and fish in large clay vessels. The Arawaks took a different path and used thin strips of green wood to cook meat more slowly and allowing it to absorb the flavour of the wood. The wooden grate they used was called barbacoa; this is where the term barbeque comes from. The Carib tribe made their fish and meat recipes extra spicy by adding pepper sauces, lime, and lemons. In fact, the Caribs are credited with having cooked the first pepper pot stew.

In the present day, Caribbean food is still representative of the food that was originally eaten by the early inhabitants and includes okra, fish cakes, callaloo, ackee, salt fish, pudding, souse, cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, plantains, and mangoes. The concept of ‘jerk’ cooking also originated in the Caribbean, when early African hunters would leave their homes to go on long hunts and take with them pork cooked in a very spicy recipe over hot coals.

In the post-slavery era, Indian cooking culture was introduced into Caribbean food recipes and still remains an active part of Caribbean cuisine. Most of the curried meats and curry powder recipes that are found today are directly derived from original Indian cuisine.

Rice was introduced to the Caribbean by the Chinese and is now a staple. The Chinese also brought mustard to the islanders while the Portuguese sailors brought codfish. Most of the fruit trees that are familiar sights to visitors were actually brought there by the Spanish and include orange, ginger, lime, figs, plantains, sugar cane, tamarinds, grapes, and coconuts. America brought with it the various beans, squash, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and chilli peppers to the island. These are just some of the few reasons why Caribbean food is so unique and creative. Flavours from all over the world have found a home in local food through countless generations and the flow of history.