If the only Caribbean dish you could name comes from 7 - Eleven and rhymes with " chief chatty , " oh male child , have you ever been drop out . FromTrinidad to Barbados , Jamaica to Bermuda , the multi - ethnic tropical islands responsible for international treasure Rihanna are also famous for a whole slew of drool - inducing eats .
Jerk poulet , curry chicken , oxtail , doubles , callaloo – these dishes profoundly reflect the surface area ’s prospicient , sorted history of colonization , reclamation , and crabbed - ethnic central . Growing up with a Trinidadian grandmother , this was my puerility solace food and just thinking about lather beef bubbling aside on the kitchen stove makes my mouth water like I need an umbrella ( ella , ella , eh , eh , eh ) .
Avoid looking like a dopey Club Medder next time you roll through the roti shop by using this handy primer for all ' tinkle Caribbean cuisine . As the right the great unwashed of Jamaica like to say , " Betta stomach buss dan expert food waste material " – which some translate to , " You best eat all your dinner party or else . "
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Jerk chicken
betting odds are you ’ve probably come across this aptly named allspice - habanero portmanteau word at some pointedness in your culinary escapade . Wings , drumstick , chicken breast , Pisces filets – you name it , it tastes better doused in a hard hand of Jamaica ’s pet fiery , smoky flavourer .
Gizzada
Also know as a " tweet - me - rotund , " gizzada is a palm - sized Jamaican prostitute of Lusitanian origin . It has a flaky , larder shell , a pecan Proto-Indo European - comparable coconut filling , and limitless index over anyone who defy to enter its mesmerizing aroma zone .
Roti
Roti is a character of soft , chewy flatbread , kind of like a cross between flour tortillas and Indian naan . In the Caribbean , this savory street food for thought is most often feed in the form of a wrapper , loaded with either slow - roast , meaty curries , fragrant vegetables , or a short of both .
Doubles
Another street food transport directly from the firmament , doubles are a breakfast basic in my ancestral land of Trinidad and Tobago . A pair of fluffy flatbread rounds are deep - fry , fill up with channa ( dress garbanzo ) , and then pinch with condiment like mango chutney , Cucumis sativus slices , coconut flakes , tamarind sauce , or , my favourite , a acetose live Madagascar pepper sauce aboriginal to the island .
Ackee and saltfish
OK , so ackee is this altogether bizarro African yield that ’s about the size of a pear , tastes like scrambled egg , has a soft , litchi - esque grain , and looks like an alien brain seize to a giant contraband noggin – oh , and it can be super toxic if not handled properly . Because it use up right smart more like a veggie than a fruit , it ’s often find in savory fare like Jamaica ’s national dish , ackee and saltfish . In this beloved meal , boiled ackee is sauteed with salinity codfish , onion , tomatoes , and scorching Scotch hood peppers , and swear out with dumpling , fried plantains , and/or rice and pea .
Stew beef
Stew beef cattle is a one - pot , slow - cooked , soul - nourishing chef-d’oeuvre of a repast , chock - full of hearty chunk of thawing - in - your - rima oris kick caramelized in brown lucre , onion , Worcestershire sauce , tomato , thyme , and lots and lots of red-hot pepper sauce .
Curry chicken
Curry Gallus gallus is a pillar of West Amerindic culinary art and almost every island tout its own special formula . My Trinidadian household opts for dark - meat poulet itch down with " immature seasoning " ( cilantro , thyme , sweet basil , tarragon , garlic , dark-green onions , rosemary , Origanum vulgare , Scotch bonnets ) , simmered in a stocky homemade curry sauce , and drench in as much fiery white pepper sauce as you may possibly deal . We eat ours with a condiment bedspread fit for a king – rip up Cocos nucifera , spring onion , diced bacon , Malus pumila chunks , mango chutney , salt peanuts , and , of grade , even more hot pepper sauce .
Callaloo
Callaloo is a super - popular Caribbean side dish of West African descent , made from green , leafy veggies ( amaranth , dasheen , xanthosoma ) , steamed and seasoned with salt and other spices . Each island has its own take on callaloo , tally okra , coco palm , or spinach to the mix .
Oxtail
Oxtail is HUGE in the Caribbean – and for good reason . It ’s fundamentally a slow - manipulate moo-cow tail , as tender and succulent as the 24-hour interval is long . you may receive it in soups , curries , stews , and other full-blooded dishes all over the island .
Bake ‘N Shark
Is consume shark inwardness ethically confutative ? Maybe , but it taste downright amazing – especially when you mollify it , electrocute it , and scarf out it between two pieces of fried flatbread . This swordfishy , salty sandwich is a Trini beachside treat you just have to see to believe .
Pastelles
merely put , pastelles are to Trinidad as tamales are to Mexico – a motley of Caribbean herb and spiciness , raisin , Indian meal , and heavily harden kernel ( or veggie ) , wind up burrito - style in a banana folio and steamed to flawlessness . And , for some cause , you ’re hypothecate to eat them at Christmas time .
Breadfruit
It ’s not pretty but it sure enough is good for you – except , of course , when it ’s fry into donut ( which are amazing , by the way ) . West Indians like bestow this starchy , vitamin - rich fruit to a bunch of unlike dishes , both sweet and savory , and it ’s even dry and ground to make wheat berry - free flour .
Aloo pie
A late - fried hand pie bursting with veteran butterfly potato and immature peas , aloo pie is the Caribbean version of an Amerindic samosa . The appetiser ’s concept is basically the same throughout the West Indies , but the seasoning and fillings tend to variegate somewhat from island to island .
Plantains
wayward to democratic belief , plantains are not actually banana , though they do descend from the same family . Fried , moil , or sautéed , this sonant , starchy fruit is a constant fixture of many Caribbean dinner party tables .
Festivals
unfeigned to their name , Jamaican festivals are like little company for your roof of the mouth . These deep-fried corn dumpling are the Caribbean ’s version of Southern hushpuppies – crunchy on the outside , chewy on the interior , and hit with just the right amount of pernicious redolence .
Jamaican beef patties
beef cattle patties are one of the most recognizable Caribbean solid food for many of us Yanks , but that does n’t think of they ’re not damn tasty in their own rightfield . Served pipe hot , these pantry , meat- ( or veggie ) filled flavor bombs are like Hot Pockets that run to Jamaica on outflow open frame , cornrowed their hair , started play bass in a funk banding , and never looked back , mon .
Pelau and rice & peas
Pelau is a rice - based side dish standardised to pilaf , with pigeon peas , essence , ascendent vegetables , and , now and then , bits of cured pork . This is a shape of Elmer Rice and peas ( white Elmer Reizenstein cook with peas or noggin ) , which is as significant to the Caribbean as pasta is to Italy ( i.e. , it ’s the basis for literally everything ) .
Pholourie
Pholourie is Caribbean computer code for fritter made from chickpea flour and Indian - influence spices like turmeric , saffron , cumin seed , chili , and garlic . These little nugget of deep - fried roadside deliciousness are a Trini specialness that also get some play in nearby Guyana and Suriname and usually come with a side of sweet - and - turned chutney .
Black cake
Each spring , my bully aunty bakes a spirt - black-market , molasses - infused fruit - and - nut bar , soaks it in dark , spiced rum until it resemble a pirate ’s liver , and then stashes it away until Christmas , when it becomes everyone ’s favorite dessert / after - dinner drink . Proceed with caution ( and passel of vanilla extract ice cream ) .
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