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Grenada's culinary style reflects West Indian cooking, which combines African, French, Spanish, and Indian ingredients, spices, and techniques. The island is notorious for its soups and fresh seafood dishes that combine the region's many international influences with its fresh and plentiful harvests. The flavors in Caribbean cuisine are inventive and daring, and dining is as alluring as the endlessly blue waters and clean sands. Whether you are enjoying the heat of a traditional West Indian dish or sipping a fruity cocktail made with a smooth local rum, food and drink in the Caribbean are an integral part of the experience. Visitors to Grenada enjoy the experience of feasting on Caribbean dishes that are almost wholly prepared from local ingredients. Grenada produces a large portion of the world's nutmeg supply, and it also supplies cloves, mace, cinnamon, and ginger, which is why Grenada is known as the Isle of Spice. Chefs make good use of the fruits of local spice trees. When skilled hands combine the seasonings with locally grown fruits and vegetables and freshly caught fish, you're in for a rare treat. Local seafood often includes lambi (conch), caviar, flying fish, and lobster. Mangoes, yams, and plantains are among the locally grown produce. A staple of Caribbean cuisine is callaloo soup, made from a spinach-like leaf with crab meat, okra, and peppers. Rotis are also an immensely popular and generally inexpensive Caribbean dish. These curry-spiced wraps are made from pastry or bread and are filled with beef, chicken, or vegetables. Grenada's national dish is called oildown, made using salted meat, dumplings, coconut milk, and vegetables. Pepper pot is made with a variety of meats and is flavored with pepper, garlic, onion and chives. Vacationers with adventurous palates should sample pickled pig or manicou (possum). Curries, spices, and other sauces are used to perfect most seafood and meat dishes. Ice creams, fruit punches, and drinks are popular on the island. Try the nutmeg ice cream or another inventive flavor. Fruit punches are made from a variety of fruits and are refreshing on a hot day. Carib, a lager brewed in Trinidad and Tobago, is the local beer of choice. Rums are ubiquitous in the Caribbean, and Grenada has several well-known distilleries. Westerhall is known for a number of smooth rums that can sipped straight or combined with mixed drinks. Rums from Clarke's Court include Special Dark and the spicy and buttery Old Grog. The Rivers Rum distillery is a centuries-old distillery that uses a water mill in the production of its handmade and powerful rum. Regardless of your budget, you won't be disappointed by the West Indian cuisine and refreshing libations that are abundant in Grenada. The smooth rums, intoxicating fruits, fresh seafood, and spicy flavors are very accessible in most restaurants and are sure to add to the enjoyment of any Caribbean experience. Related Articles
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Friday July 04, 2008
