Caribbean Food Fusion A Background

The mix of cultures and peoples who live in the Caribbean have served to make it’s food a fusion of styles, textures and flavors that are enjoyed by all sorts of people around the world. This rich cultural history, makes eating and cooking Caribbean food an enjoyable experience whether done at home or eating out with friends.

If you have made a trip to the Caribbean, then perhaps you are someone who is looking for Caribbean recipes that you can cook at home. If you are then you have probably searched for Internet for authentic Caribbean dishes such as Roti, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, or a nice plate of Flying Fish. Perhaps you are a regular visitor to your local Caribbean restaurant or you’ve tried to cook Island food at home using recipes you have managed to glean from a cook book or from the chef at your local Caribbean Takeaway.

It doesn’t really matter where or how, all that matters is that you enjoy the food that you are eating and that through the enjoyment of the authentic dishes you are getting a little slice of Caribbean life to make your world that little bit better.

Why is Caribbean cooking fusion cooking? The original south American indian tribes that inhabited the islands of the Caribbean, the Arawaks, Taino and Caribs cooked using the fruits and vegetables found on the islands. As more people from around the world arrived, the Europeans, who brought enslaved Africans, techniques, flavors and ingredients began to change.

Slave masters gave their slaves the foods they didn’t want. The enslaved AFricans had to find new ways to make the inferior food taste good, so tenderizing meats with herbs and spices, slow cooking stews infused with vegetables and fruits all made the food taste better and also stretch. Later Asian indentured laborers brought from China and India added to the culinary mix.

If you are someone who enjoys Caribbean food, then why not try to cook some at home for yourself? What are the techniques you need to use? Well for starters, ensure that the meat, vegetables, herbs and spices you are using are fresh and of the best quality that you can find. Many Caribbean Islanders are within 30 miles of an agriculture producer so their produce is usually very fresh, there are very few Islands that don’t have some sort of agriculture or farming community.

The most important aspect of this style of cooking is in the marinades. If you are cooking a meat dish them be sure to season and leave to marinade for at least 2 hours, or preferable overnight in the fridge. This is an important part of Caribbean cooking as it is how the meat is tenderized and the flavors are allowed to soak in, giving the dish greater depth and body.

Unless you are frying the meat, it is usual for Caribbean meat to be slow cooked. This allows the seasonings to further penetrate the meat and for a good gravy base to develop. Steaming, boiling, stir frying are all techniques used in Caribbean cooking when it comes to vegetables. You may try roasting veg as well. Jamaicans, Barbadians and Trinidadians all enjoy eating roasted Yams, Corn and Breadfruit.

There is much said about Caribbean food, most of it good, and we hope that this has given you a little taste of what can be done at home. If you try cooking Caribbean food, don’t forget to add your touch that way you are also adding to the fusion that is Caribbean cuisine and making the recipes your own as well.

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