The word creole, taken in its meaning of “mixture,” fits most Caribbean cooking. Pre-Columbian Arawak and Taino people subsisted on the fruits of the sea and starchy cassava root. Imperial designs, slavery and merchant immigration brought succeeding influence from the British, Spanish, French, Dutch, African, Indian and Chinese.
Each island has signature dishes reflecting its particular history. Seafood is widely eaten, as is chicken and goat. Okra, greens, taro and yams are popular, as well as plantains, limes, sour oranges and other tropical fruits.
Typical Caribbean Dishes
A list of typical Caribbean dishes and foods. Use it to help you plan a Caribbean-style meal, party or festival.
Pan-Caribbean Recipes
- Foo-Foo (Mashed plantains)
- Pepper Vinegar (Vinegar infused with hot chilies)
- Pepper Wine (Rum infused with hot chilies)
- Planter’s Punch (Rum with fruit juice)
- Sopa de Frijoles Negros (Black bean soup)
Antigua
- Conch Fritters
- Ducuna (Boiled sweet potato cakes)
- Fungi (Cornmeal mush)
- Bread Pudding
- Papaya Pie
Aruba
- Keshi Yena (Stuffed cheese shell)
- Webo Yena (Deviled eggs)
- Funchi (Cornmeal mush)
- Sopito (Fish and coconut milk chowder)
- Sancochi di Galinja (Chicken stew)
- Conch Stew
- Ayacas (Meat tamales wrapped in banana leaves)
- Keri-Keri (Fish hash with vegetables)
- Scabechi (Pickled fish)
- Stuffed Crab Back (Crab stuffed with seasoned bread crumbs)
- Coo-Coo (Cornmeal porridge with okra)
- Pan Dushi (Sweetrolls with raisins)
- Banana Bread
- Cashew Nut Cake
- Papaya Pudding
Bahamas
- Cracked Conch (Deep-fried conch strips)
- Pea Soup with Dumplings
- Souse (Pickled pork)
- Ham Loaf
- Boiled Fish with Grits
- Crab ‘n’ Rice (Crab simmered with rice)
- Curried Rock Lobster
- Smudder Fish (Fish simmered with tomatoes)
- Peas and Rice (Pigeon peas with rice)
- Johnnycakes (Cornmeal pancakes)
- Banana Bread
- Guava Duff (Steamed guava pudding)
Barbados
- Salt Fish Cakes (Salt cod fritters)
- Jug-Jug (Meat stew with pureed pigeon peas)
- Rice and Stew (Beef stewed with vegetables and rice)
- Cornmeal Fried Chicken
- Pudding and Souse (Pork with sweet potato pudding)
- Fried Flying Fish
- Sea-Egg Roe (Sea urchin roe)
- Coo-Coo (Cornmeal mush with okra)
- Cassava Biscuits
- Conkies (Steamed pumpkin and sweet potato cakes)
- Coconut Sweet Bread (Coconut flavored bread)
- Mauby (Tropical bark beverage)
Curacão
- Keshy Yena (Baked stuffed edam cheese)
- Pastechi (Meat- or cheese-filled pastry)
- Jambo (Seafood and okra soup)
- Kadushi (Cactus soup)
- Sopi Mondongo (Tripe stew)
- Sopito (Fish and coconut milk chowder)
- Stoba (Goat and pepper stew)
- Cachapas (Cornmeal pancakes)
- Funchi (Cornmeal mush)
- Pan Serra (Country bread)
- Ko’i Lechi (Milk and sugar sweet)
Dominica
- Manicou (Curried opossum)
- Mountain Chicken (Frog’s legs)
- Fungi (Cornmeal mush)
Dominican Republic
- Frituras de Ñame (Yam fritters)
- Asopao de Mariscos (Seafood stew)
- Sanchoco de Seite Carnes (Stew of Seven Meats)
- Sopa Boba (“Silly” vegetable soup)
- Chicharrones de Pollo (Rum- and lime-marinated chicken)
- Mangú (Dominican mashed plantains)
- Plátanos Fritos (Fried ripe plantains)
- Avena (Oatmeal beverage)
French Antilles
- Fricassée de Poulet (Chicken fricassee)
- Féroce (Salt cod with hot peppers)
- Christophene au Gratin (Baked chayote stuffed with cheese)
Grenada
- Oildown (Saltbeef, saltfish and breadfruit simmered in coconut milk)
- Roast Pork with Orange Sauce
- Stuffed Breadfruit (Breadfruit baked with a ground beef stuffing)
- Nutmeg Ice Cream
Guadeloupe
- Accrats de Morue (Codfish fritters)
- Calaloo (Soup with taro leaves)
- Pâté en Pot (Goat’s head stew)
- Féroces d’Avocat (Avocado and salt cod salad)
- Jerk Chicken (Spicy grilled chicken)
- Pineapple Chicken Rundown (Grilled chicken with a pineapple-cream sauce)
- Mechoui (Spit-roasted lamb)
- Huile de Rou-Cou (Annato oil; see Achiote recipe)
- Sauce Chien (Hot pepper sauce)
- Souskaï de Mangues Vertes (Mango appetizer)
Martinique
- Blaff (Lime-scented fish soup)
- Pâté en Pot (Goat’s head stew)
- Soupe à Congo (Vegetable soup)
- Court Bouillon (Fish simmered with tomatoes)
- Mechoui (Spit-roasted lamb)
- Poisson Frit (Fried fish fillets)
- Poisson Grillé Sauce Créole (Grilled fish with creole sauce)
- Poule Épi Diri (Chicken with rice)
- Dombrés (Dumplings)
- Huile de Rou-Cou (Annato oil)
Montserrat
- Goat Water (Goat stew)
- Souse (Pickled pork)
- Braised Turtle
- Iguana Stew
- Mountain Chicken (Frog’s legs)
- Beans with Rum
St. Vincent
- Curried Goat and Rice
- Breadfruit and Saltfish
Trinidad and Tobago
- Kachoris (Chickpea and scallion fritters)
- Sahinas (Taro leaf fritters)
- Callaloo (Soup with taro leaves and coconut milk)
- Buljol (Spicy saltfish salad)
- Breadfruit Oil-down (Ham and breadfruit simmered in coconut milk)
- Pelau (Meat, rice and pigeon peas with coconut milk)
- Pepperpot (Meat stew with cassareep)
- Bakes (Fried quickbread)
- Cassava Bread (Cassava root flatbread)
- Roti (Fried flatbread)
- Rou-Cou (Annato oil)
- Mango Relish
- Pitch Lake Pudding (Mocha mousse)
Virgin Islands
- Conch Fritters
- Cactus Soup
- Kallaloo (Soup with taro leaves and coconut milk)
- Souse (Pickled pork)
- Curried Chicken
- Fried plantains (See Plátanos Fritos recipe)
- Fungi (Cornmeal mush)
- Johnnycakes (Cornmeal pancakes)
- Key Lime Pie
- Mauby (Tropical bark beverage)
- Sea-Moss
Caribbean Island Recipes
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