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Grenadians like to use hot pepper sauce as an accompaniment and some good varieties are available for sale. Chicken dishes are popular, especially barbeque, and fish (fresh local fish and salted cod). Crab and callaloo (a spinach-like vegetable) is a speciality as is oil-down, a stew with coconut, breadfruit, vegetables and often pork or fish. |
Rice and peas and ground provisions (yams, tannias, sweet potatoes) are popular. Fresh fruit and local fruit juices are easily available.
Grenada Food & Dining
Local specialties include seafood and vegetables, calaloo soup, crabs, conches (lambi) and nutmeg ice-cream. Most hotels and restaurants offer international cuisine, serving a large variety of tropical fish and English, Continental, American and exotic West Indian food. A local company supplies a wide variety of local fruit juices and nectars. The local rum and beer, Carib, is excellent. Bars are stocked with most popular wines and spirits, including various brands of whisky, rum and brandy.
Glossary of Grenadian food terms
Bakes
A light flour dumpling. Deep fried or baked. Served often with fried jacks and very popular at breakfast time.
Bananas
Called fig in Grenada. Used a great deal in the Caribbean cooking. They are used in dishes as a starch vegetable when green and as dessert when yellow (ripe).
Breadfruit
They are large green fruits, usually about 10 inches round. It has to be boiled or baked and is used in the Grenada’s national dish, oil-down. After baking it can be fried as chips.
Cassava
Also known as manioc, yuca. Long irregularly shaped root at least 2 inches in diameter. The bitter variety is poisonous until cooked. The sweet variety not poisonous. Made into farine It the base for tapioca and cassava breads.
Callaloo
Callaloo are leaves of dasheen or taro tuber. Is very similar to spinach. Also used in the national dish oil-down and is the principal dish in the famous callaloo soup.
Cook-up
A party usually held on the beach. Where food takes centre stage. Fish broth, oil-down, stewed wild and barbecue meat are just some of the dishes prepared at this popular feast.
Farine
A light flour dumpling. Deep fried or baked. Served often with fried jacks and very popular at breakfast time.
Grenadine syrup
Is a sweet, scarlet coloured syrup originally concocted on the island of Grenada in the Caribbean from pomegranates. It has been used to add flavour and colour to cocktails and even desserts. Currently, most grenadine syrups contain no pomegranate at all, and instead are made from sugar syrups, fruit flavours and red food colouring. Often found in liquor stores, they sometimes contain alcohol, too. Authentic grenadine syrup made from pomegranates is a great source for potassium.
Jacks
Fish that come in many colours and sizes. Very good for frying.
Sorrel
A member of the Hibiscus family. The red acrid petals are made into jams, wine and rum punch. Sorrel is a very popular drink around the Christmas holidays.
Fish broth
Light soup made with fish, crayfish, lobster etc.
Oil-down
Salt beef or fish stewed in coconut oil with vegetables.
Mannish Waters
Popular stew or soup usually containing wild meat such as manicou, or pork and goat.
Roti
Chapatti type pastry filled with Curried Chicken, beef in fish.
