The Arawak, Carib and Taino Indians were the first inhabitants of the Caribbean islands. These first inhabitants occupied the current islands of the British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Trinidad, and Jamaica. His daily diet consisted of vegetables and fruits such as papaya, yams, guava, and cassava. The Taínos began the process of cooking meat and fish in large clay pots.
The Arawaks are the first known people to make a grid of thin strips of green wood on which they slowly cook the meat, allowing it to be enhanced with the flavor of the wood. This grate was called a barbecue, and the word we know today as barbecue is taken from this ancient Indian cooking method.
The Carib Indians added more spice to their food with hot sauces and also added lemon and lime juice to their meat and fish recipes. It is said that the Caribs made the first pepper stew. There are no recipes since every time the Indians made the dish, they always added new ingredients. The Caribs had a major impact on the early history of the Caribbean, and the Caribbean Sea is named after this tribe.
So the Caribbean became a crossroads for the world. . .
Once the Europeans brought African slaves to the region, the slaves’ diet consisted mostly of foods that the slaveholders did not want to eat. So the slaves had to be inventive and they combined their traditional African meals with the staple foods found on the islands. Africans introduced okra, callaloo, fish cakes, salt fish, ackee, pudding and sauce, mangoes and the list goes on.
Most of today’s Caribbean island locals eat a current diet that reflects the main ingredients of original African first courses, and includes cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, plantains, plantains, and cornmeal.
African men were hunters in their homeland and were often away from home for long periods of time. They would cook spicy pork over hot coals, and this tradition was refined by the first slaves in Jamaica. The technique is known today as “jerk” cooking, and the secret consists in a slow process of cooking the meat. Jamaica is famous for Jamaican chicken and pork, and you’ll find Jamaican beef all over the island.
After slavery was abolished, Europeans went to India and China for labor, and more cooking styles were introduced. Much of the Indian culinary culture is still alive and well in the Caribbean today with the introduction of curried meats and curry powders. Indians call it kari podi, and we have come to know this spicy flavor as curry.
The Chinese introduced rice, which is always a staple in home-cooked island meals. The Chinese also introduced mustard and the first Portuguese sailors introduced the popular cod.
Most visitors to the Caribbean have no idea that the early Spanish explorers introduced the well-known fruit trees and fruits to the islands. Fruit trees and fruits brought from Spain include oranges, limes, ginger, bananas, figs, date palms, sugar cane, grapes, tamarinds, and coconuts.
Even the Polynesian islands play an important role in Caribbean cuisine. Most of us remember the movie “Mutiny on the Bounty”, but we do not know about that particular ship that carried breadfruit, which was loaded on board from the islands of Tahiti and Timor. In the movie, the crew took over the ship, forced the captain into a small boat to fend for himself, and threw the breadfruit, which they considered “weird fruit,” overboard. Another ship was more successful in bringing Polynesian breadfruit to Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Breadfruit is a staple food in today’s Caribbean
The United States is responsible for introducing beans, corn, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, and chili peppers to the Caribbean. In fact, these particular foods had never been seen in Asia, Europe, or Africa, so the United States introduced these foods to the rest of the world via the Caribbean.
So it’s no surprise that Caribbean cuisine is so rich and creative with the flavors of Africa, India and China, along with Spanish, Danish, Portuguese, French and British influences. The food served on the Caribbean islands has been influenced by world cultures, but each island adds its own special flavor and cooking technique.
