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What is Caribbean Food

Caribbean food includes all of your favorites…seafood, chicken and steak…prepared with flavorful and colorful ingredients of the islands. Some popular dishes are coconut shrimp, jerk chicken pasta, chicken kabobs, ribs with guava BBQ sauce and Key Lime Pie. Once you get to know the ingredients you will be able to cook using many flavors from the islands. Food plays a big role in people from the island, everything evolves with food. There is not a family reunion that does not involve food. They take pride of their dishes, like coconut rice, meat, poultry and more. The cuisine of the Caribbean is like a cultural patchwork quilt. Each “patch” or dish represents the plentiful bounty of the islands' lush tropical vegetation, combined with the one or more diverse groups of people that have lived there, including the original Carib and Arawak Indians, followed by the Spanish, British, French, and Dutch settlers, as well as Africans, who have had a profound influence on the food and cultural traditions of the islands. Later followed Indian and Chinese settlers, and travelers from the United States. Here are many words in the Caribbean glossary: Asopao- Means “soupy” in Spanish. Coconut A fresh coconut has liquid inside, so shake it before you buy it! Curry- Curries are highly seasoned gravy-based dishes originating from India. Guava- A bright orange to red tropical fruit about the size of a small lemon. Mojito- Cuban cocktail made with rum, lime and soda water. Mojo-Marinate, made from vinegar, orange juice and spices. Sofrito- The basic components of this seasoning mixture are cilantro, bell peppers, onion, garlic, tomato, and sometimes chilies, additional herbs and salt pork colored with annatto. Sofrito is an important component of Asopao and numerous other Puerto Rican soups, stews and vegetable dishes. The flavors are there for you to discover a new way to infuse your cusine using Caribbean flavors. Happy Cooking!