The place to dicuss local topics and to meet others in your area.

thanks michael
I hope there are some people from the Caribbean on this forum other than me

If we only wish we were in the Caribbean, does that count?

To get the conversation started....

Do you say CaribBEan or CaRIbbean? :p

Count me among the wishers! :p

yes
I guess this is a good forum too where you can ask questions about the Caribbean and ask about fruits and veggies we have here. Feel free to ask questions I am here waiting

What is 'dasheen' like? That's one thing I've heard of but have never had.

Do you have a good jerk sauce recipe that you like?

What is 'dasheen' like? That's one thing I've heard of but have never had.

Do you have a good jerk sauce recipe that you like?

Jerk is done by Jamaicans only to be real jerk in my opinion.Jerk should be a wet seasoning and the base should be onions,habeneros,green onion with stalks,clove,garlic,black pepper,allspice. I do not know much about Jamaican cuisine as I am from a different country.Barbadians do not really like jerk as it is a too spicy for some.We do have our own seasoning blend something like jerk but milder. You can try to make your jerk at home but it will not be the same there is something abt how Jamaicans make it. I suggest you buy it from a west indian store. A good brand is walkers world,delish,country boy...etc

Dasheen is a nice starch but not very plentiful in Barbados but you can get it. It is grey when you cook it and is not sweet and can be used in place of potatoes and it is high in fibre. It can help anemics and it is a versatile starch.

You have to remove the skin and it itches your hands so wear gloves when you peel it.
Boil in salted water and you can mash it with coconut milk and some grated onions.
Eat it with your favourite sauce
Add margarine at the top.
I have 10 in my garden at the moment growing
I will post some recipes on my blog soon using dasheen.

If we only wish we were in the Caribbean, does that count?

To get the conversation started....

Do you say CaribBEan or CaRIbbean? :p

We say the latter
Only North Americans say the first one ...it does not matter but we say the latter.

Jerk is done by Jamaicans only to be real jerk in my opinion.

Interesting. I am American but make cuisines from all over the world, including jerk sauce inspired by Caribbean and Jamaican flavors.

I do like to have people from the actual culture show me how they cook it as much as possible, but even with that happening, there is such variation between how one person does it versus another, so that I think no one person can claim to have the "authentic" recipe or style.

Lucky for me I love spice and flavor and everything is a fusion in my kitchen. :D

Interesting. I am American but make cuisines from all over the world, including jerk sauce inspired by Caribbean and Jamaican flavors.

I do like to have people from the actual culture show me how they cook it as much as possible, but even with that happening, there is such variation between how one person does it versus another, so that I think no one person can claim to have the "authentic" recipe or style.

Lucky for me I love spice and flavor and everything is a fusion in my kitchen. :D

yes it is inspired I make jerk too but it just does not taste exactly like how they do it and thats coming from me. I was watching Bobby Flay in a throw down the other day doing jerk and I was really impressed but at the end of the day the man won as he is accustomed to making it.

Yes there is a lot of variation. I am constantly challenged by older people in how I make my dishes ...oh we do not use paprika ..I do not do mine like that...

Hopefully a Jamaican would come on this board one day and explain their version of jerk but the Caribbean is a mixture of countries so it is just not one cusine..

Trinidad and Tobago is a large country and they do many vegetarian dishes like allo pie it is made with potatoes and they do something called doubles which is a curry chick pea sauce with some sweet chutney on it between two fluffy pastry.This country comprises of Indians,blacks,people from China ..so there is a mix of cuisine in this region which people find very interesting. This country has many veggie dishes in their portfolio so to speak.

Jamaica does something called bammy which is cassava (yuca) mashed into this cake that is just so good...They have something called ackee which is a vegetable or fruit which looks like eggs if you ask me.. my dad who eats vegan likes this ackee but I was never brave enough to try it.

Barbados does a lot of pickling of vegetables and some of us eat breadfruit which is another starch u may not know abt which has an interesting story behind it. Here. the youth do not eat much ground provisions as in the past.. They like a lot of pasta and fast food to be honest but some like me still appreciate these nice things like breadfruit and green banana but I have yet to meet any...lol...The food here is mainly meat and fish dishes and a few vegetarian treats but not vegan..I usually veganize some dishes. We make local sweets here from guava I do not know if u know this fruit and they make something like a gummy bear with sugar...we make sugarcake which is coconut and sugar cooked until it solidfies and they have a variety of colours. They make tamarind balls which is sugar and tamarind and spices. Nut cake is sugar and nuts but it is not like brittle in the states it is a different texture.. On the streets now barbadian cherry is in season, goose berries and "ackee" not the Jamaican ackee... I see our ackee selling in america in those west Indian supermarkets sometimes.

St. Lucia hmm they eat this cassava powder kinda which they call farine they have it with pear and sauce or as a breakfast cereal. I really like it but it is not widely available here in Barbados but people bring it for me sometimes.

Remember that the Caribbean is French West Indies, British West Indies and also Dutch West Indies. Most of the islands in the British West Indies are independent but many of our dishes are kinda british like the puddings we make here in Barbados.

The French West Indies like Guadeloupe and Martinique still belong to France. They eat things like breadfruit,green banana,dasheen,yam and sweet potato but they still enjoy French cuisine.

I hope I was of assistance

I'm going to Bonaire on a diving trip. My parents said I could tag along if i paid my way :) I haven't dove in years! I'm so excited. I'm a little worried about what to eat. I'm sure my bag will be packed full of dry goods, but I'd rather not eat just dry goods for a week. My father, after he had booked the room, told me he was not sure if there would be a kitchen for me or not (no kitchen for a whole week, i'd likely die - the diving would help resuscitate though). My mother was looking in books, and she said she saw some places that offered vegetarian fare. Yeah I'm vegan and I don't eat at omni restaurants as a rule (sometimes broken out of state).

So my point, anyone been to bonaire and been to any of these restaurants? I would assume, were I to find myself blessed with a kitchen, that I would be able to find some good vegetables/fruits? I would guess most everything would be wildcrafted which would be good enough for me, but does anyone even think about organic around there? It's sad, but it's been several years since I've been out of the country, and I definitely haven't been out since I've been veg or even vegan.

I'm going to Bonaire on a diving trip. My parents said I could tag along if i paid my way :) I haven't dove in years! I'm so excited. I'm a little worried about what to eat. I'm sure my bag will be packed full of dry goods, but I'd rather not eat just dry goods for a week. My father, after he had booked the room, told me he was not sure if there would be a kitchen for me or not (no kitchen for a whole week, i'd likely die - the diving would help resuscitate though). My mother was looking in books, and she said she saw some places that offered vegetarian fare. Yeah I'm vegan and I don't eat at omni restaurants as a rule (sometimes broken out of state).

So my point, anyone been to bonaire and been to any of these restaurants? I would assume, were I to find myself blessed with a kitchen, that I would be able to find some good vegetables/fruits? I would guess most everything would be wildcrafted which would be good enough for me, but does anyone even think about organic around there? It's sad, but it's been several years since I've been out of the country, and I definitely haven't been out since I've been veg or even vegan.

Of course you will be able to find vegetables and fruits
The people there do not eat dirt all day(smile). I will find out for you if a friend has been there who is vegan and get back to you.
I hate when I travel and there is no kitchen
I really cannot stand depending on restaurants because you explain to them what u do not eat yet they still bring you milk and say its not meat...
You make me smile treyb.I think people know what is organic you may just have to explain a bit.Does everyone in the States know what organic is? I am asking. Maybe the vendors on the street may not know what you mean but you can ask them if they plant it themselves. They would have nice supermarkets if they are anything like Barbados but they will have imported stuff from the USA too. I know they would have local produce from farmers there so do not be too worried. The Caribbean is not that bad esp the more developed islands.I am sure that they will welcome u with open arms and answer your questions. If u do dine at an omi resturant do try some plantains and rice and beans and make sure they did not cook it with salted pork!
Another tip is to check out to see if they have any Rastafarian restaurants ..they are as vegan as you can get and very different. It is called " ital food"!
Enjoy your trip I know u would be surprised when you get there!
If u were coming to Barbados I would have been more help since there are abt 4 vegan restaurants here and many vegan things in the supermarkets and health shops but I can imagine Bonaire is just as nice as here.

I think only a very small amount of people really know much about what it is to be organic and such, but I think the number is growing. I would assume percentage-wise y'all are likely more in the know (but don't necessarily know it as orgnaic or whatever)

Hi Bajanveggie83

good to see a fellow Bajan on board :bobo:

Hi Bajanveggie83

good to see a fellow Bajan on board :bobo:

yes hi i did not see ur message
sorry for such a late reply
yes i was here for a few months now
are u vegan or vegetarian?

yes hi i did not see ur message
sorry for such a late reply
yes i was here for a few months now
are u vegan or vegetarian?

Working my way back to vegetarian...I have a serious chocolate addiction which stops me from even consdering being a full out vegan, after becoming pregnant I developed a serious craving for fish and could no longer stand any of the usual veggie fare I used to love. After m son's birth however the reverse started to happen and Im almost back to where I was before.

Thats ok
but do not push urself to hard
i eat chocolate
black chocolate and i check the ingredients
it is hard to find milk free black chocolate around here
i remember when i was little growing up in barbados and the usual sunday dinner which was a chicken dinner i never ate
i always was grossed out
all i ate was fish as a child
i didnt want to eat meat
the first time i ate pork was when i was 18
yes when u are pregnant do not put urself under that stress to try to be vegan esp with the cost of living
if u can do it do it but i honestly do not think i would even be vegan if i was pregnant esp when i cannot get everything i need to keep my baby healthy
i am sorry but ppl here say it possible
i hope u know the veggie cheese here is made of cows milk
there is a vegan cheese but it is horrible in my opinion
i am not subjecting myself to that cardboard tasting cheese
i just avoid cheese
see u around
nice to hear from u again