Engaging Introductions: Capturing Your Audience’s Interest
Many ingredients used in authentic Caribbean cooking also appear in other cultural cuisines. Between westward migration and tropical climates Caribbean cuisine is heavily influenced by African, Asian, and Indian cooking. But, you can’t tell Jamaicans and Haitians that God didn’t make plantains especially for us. Keeping these things in mind; we have put together an ever-evolving list of the ingredients, herbs, and spices that are central to Caribbean cooking
Like any other culture, Caribbean cuisine gets much of its cultural identity from the various herbs and spices used to flavor the various dishes. After all, chicken is chicken.
herbs & spices
ground and tree provisions
Ground provisions aka root foods generally refer to food that bears underground. Foods like yams, cassava, carrots, and turnips to name a few. Other foods like pumpkin, banana, plantain, and breadfruit are often lumped into this description even though they grow above ground. In most Caribbean cultures these foods are commonly boiled, roasted, or baked for eating.
Hot Peppers
Whether you like Scotch bonnet, Jalapeno, Habanero, or chiles. There is a hot pepper closely associated with each Caribbean nation’s food culture.
Slide 2
Click here to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
coconut milk: Too much of a good thing?
If you cook any portion of Caribbean food you’re guaranteed to come across coconut milk as an ingredient. Coconut and its many byproducts are one of the core ingredients used in Caribbean cooking. Like cow’s milk, coconut milk has endless uses in the kitchen. The wonderfully fragrant aroma makes it even more flavorful.
For plant-based and lactose-intolerant eaters, coconut milk is a great substitute for its animal-derived counterpart. But, do your research before you go crazy for coconut milk. It is high in fat and calories. 93% of the 557 calories in 1 cup are from fat. The vitamins and minerals also differ greatly from those in cow’s milk.
