Cuisine of Saba

Although one may find an array of culinary styles in Saba ranging from fine French food and wine to barbecue and burgers and from Chinese and Indonesian dishes, yet the most popular remains the local Creole cuisine. Much of the island's cuisine is dominated by fresh seafood from the local waters prepared in the West Indian Creole style.

Fine local cuisine is offered at the island’s guest houses and there are several public restaurants. Many of the small restaurants and eating establishments serve freshly caught fish daily. Local fish such as grouper, snapper and mahi-mahi are prepared with tempting Creole spices and sauces of peppers and tomatoes. Curries are often used with lobster and shrimp. Calalloo Soup, a Creole dish made with a spinach-like root leaf, spices and a number of other ingredients, is available in Saba and throughout much of the Caribbean. Rotis, wraps filled with ingredients such as chicken, pork, beef, and seafood, are another representation of West Indian Creole cuisine on the island.

In addition to local seafood, one can also enjoy Curried Goat, Jerk and Barbecue Chicken and other meat and game dishes. Funchi, a traditional dish on the Antilles, is made of cornmeal and kneaded into sort of a tortilla. Indonesian Rijstaffel can be found on the island, prepared using sauces made from curry, soy, peanut and coconut with beef, pork and seafood. French cuisine is also found on the island with dishes such as Foie Gras and Filet Mignon Au Poivre.

American and international cuisines are also represented on Saba, with burgers and sandwiches available alongside Chinese and Italian food. Some restaurants also have particular ‘theme-of-the-day’ where they represent various culinary influences by serving international food such as Mexican or Indonesian.

While in Saba, one should not forget to taste the exotic and mouthwatering fruits that are unique to the region such as mangoes, bitter mangoes, papayas, bananas, starchy breadfruits and figs. Other wet dishes comprise of ice creams and tart soursops.

In Saba, one may find a wide selection of best French, Italian, Spanish and Californian wines. The local drink for which the island is famous is Saba Spice, a potent blend of almost 151 proof rum, herbs and spices. There are number of different recipes combining ingredients such as brown sugar and cloves in varying amounts. Saba Spice can be taken as a shot or can be prepared into an intoxicating cocktail.

Recipe of Calalloo Soup

Ingredients

1 pound                  Callaloo leaves or Spinach

1/2 pound               Crabmeat

1/2 pound               Salt beef, fat removed and diced

2                           Potatoes, white or sweet

1                           Onion, chopped

6 tablespoons          Shallots, minced

1 pound                  Tannia

1 cup                     Okra

1                           Green chili pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon            Garlic, minced

1 tablespoon            Salt

1/2 teaspoon           Black pepper, grounded

1/4 teaspoon           Thyme, dried

1/2 teaspoon           All purpose seasoning

1/2cup                    Chive

6 cups                    Chicken stock

Preparation

Remove the thick stems of the calalloo leaves and chop roughly. Put them into a large saucepan. Add the crab meat, beef, chicken stock, onion, shallots, tannia, garlic, chive, thyme, chili pepper and black pepper. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes or until meat is tender. Add the okra and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the chili pepper. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Reheat, adjust seasonings and serve.

By: Shuchita Bist

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