More
Caribbean cuisine
tips & insights

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Popular Caribbean
cooking ingredients

I group the following cooking ingredients by their cooking/eating use, not by their botanical classification.

Fruits

Banana, lime, mango, papaya, pineapple, pumpkin

Vegetables

Beans, breadfruit, callaloo, chayote, cherimoya, chili, coconut, garlic, jicama, okra, onions, plantain, rice, taro, yam, yucca

Seafood

Conch, crab, lobster, ocean fish (fresh and salt-dried), shrimp. 

Meat

Beef, chicken, pork, goat

Herbs & spices

Allspice, chili, cilantro, (coriander), curry, ginger, nutmeg, pimiento

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European effect

An island's cuisine is noticeably influenced by its major European cultural heritage. For example, islands like Martinique and St Barts have a decided French culinary style. For the same reason, the prevailing European culinary personality in Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico is Spanish, those in Aruba and Bonaire are Dutch, and those in Barbados and Grenada is British.

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Geological influence

Some Caribbean islands were created by coral while the rest was formed by volcanoes. The latter type island grows better fruits and vegetables because volcanic-based soil is richer than coral-based soil.

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Popular Caribbean
cooking ingredients

I group the following cooking ingredients by their cooking/eating use, not by their botanical classification.

Fruits

Banana, lime, mango, papaya, pineapple, pumpkin

Vegetables

Beans, breadfruit, callaloo, chayote, cherimoya, chili, coconut, garlic, jicama, okra, onions, plantain, rice, taro, yam, yucca

Seafood

Conch, crab. lobster, ocean fish (fresh and salt-dried), shrimp. 

Meat

Beef, chicken, pork, goat

Herbs & spices

Allspice, chili, cilantro, (coriander), curry, ginger, nutmeg, pimiento

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Quick links

Click to learn

Famous Caribbean food - A to K
Famous Caribbean food - L to Z
Caribbean cuisine history in brief
More tips & insights

Also read

Best 10 cuisines of the world
Best Caribbean cruises
Best Caribbean Islands to visit

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