Caribbean Cuisine Influences

Caribbean Cooking - Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3

In the real world of Caribbean life island peoples have more in common with each other than they do with the nations that once ruled them. As a result, a Jamaican (from Jamaica, once a British possession) bears closer resemblance to a Martinican (from Matinique) than he does to an Englishman, and a Curacaoan (from Curacao, once a Dutch possession) more closely resembles a Puerto Rican than he does a Dutchman.

But, just as these island people bear little resemblance to their former European overlords, so too is their food different. But how shall we describe it? Modestly put, it is a varied collection of dishes made up with spicy mixtures of island flavors, frequently blended with tomatoes, chili peppers, and always including a healthy dollop of imagination. Caribbean cuisine is a classic cuisine still in the making. It is enticing, exotic, and, above all, experimental and open to interpretation. It is based on imported and native treasures grown in the region's tropical soil, further enhanced by the fruits of a vibrant tropical sea which includes spiny lobster, conch, and shrimp. But, despite all the influence brought to it by five centuries of migration, Caribbean cooking has underlying elements which give it a truly unique and indigenous character. The initial influence of the indigenous peoples of the West Indies cannot be underestimated.

The Ameri-Indians

The first Caribbean civilizations were established by Ameri-Indians from what are present-day Venezuela and the Guianas. These were the Carib and Arawak Indians. The Arawaks, a gentle and placid people, were cruelly exploited by the European newcomers and nearly exterminated within a few generations. The Caribs, on the other hand, were more belligerent and seasoned warriors. They took on the Spanish, French, and English and fought longer than any other Indian tribe including the Apaches of the American Southwest, before eventually being reduced to a small number of scattered groups. Unfortunately, much of the original Ameri-Indian cuisine these people ate, with the exception of a few dishes prepared with indigenous fruits and vegetables, has not survived to modern times.

Ironically, it was knowledge of the local fruits and vegetables gained from the Indians that sustained the early European settlers for the first several years. Even though this first influence, at first glance, seems to have been a primitive one, it had some lasting effects. Many of these Indians were farmers of sorts and raised starchy roots like cassava from which they made bread. They also cultivated sweet potatoes and arrowroot, which produces a nutritive starch that is one of the easiest for humans to digest.

There is also one cooking legacy for which every backyard chef in America owes these early settlers a profound salute. The word barbecue comes from a grate made of thin green sticks, called a barbacoa, upon which the Arawaks grilled meat over an open fire. On the barbacoa thin strips of meat were cooked slowly, exposing them to the smoke from the fire below. Slow cooking allowed the meat to be constantly enhanced with its own fat. The whole process gave the meat a flavor that few are unfamiliar with today.

Caribbean Cooking - Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3

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Author: Richard Blunt
Issue: Sept, 2001

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