History of Caribbean Food

Throughout history human migrations have resulted in interactions between different cultures that have resulted in exchanges of ideas.

What has been the result of all this interaction? Human migrations have led to a blending of different and unique cultures and these cultures make strong and lasting contributions to each other. This process continues even today. The result is changes in the way we dress and the way we think. But the most recognizable contributions are how new cultural influences affect the way we eat, both the types of food we consume and the ways we prepare foods we're already familiar with.

For example, five hundred years ago Europeans brought to the New World wheat, beef, onions, garlic, and a host of other food items. African slaves brought foods that were familiar to them including okra, callaloo (a spinach-like vegetable) and ackee (a fruit that looks like a peach with a pulp that has the texture and color of scrambled eggs). And Asians brought their own unique vegetables and, more importantly, they brought rice. But the flow wasn't just from the Old World to the New. Native foods, never seen in Europe, Asia, or Africa before 1492, including beans, corn, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, and, especially, the chili pepper came out of the Americas and spread throughout the Old World where they are now part of everyone's everyday diet.

This exchange between the Old and New World has changed forever the way the people all over this planet eat. But nowhere in the world is this intricate mixing of cuisines more noticeable than in the West Indies--what we today call the Caribbean Islands.

Since the enforced arrival of West African emigrants to the Caribbean in the sixteenth century, the main ingredients of the original African dishes form a basic part of those of the Caribbean to the present day.  These foods are cassava, corn meal, sweet potatoes, yams, plantains and bananas.

The African dish Foo-foo, when the vegetable was cooked, crushed and moulded like a pudding, has its similarities in Cou-cou or Fungi or turn cornmeal which is a savoury cornmeal dish blended with okras.

Conkies,  or  Duckanoo are a slightly sweet dish containing corn meal or sweet potato and cooked in plantain or banana leaves. (Or foil)

Bambula cake, or bammie popular in the Caribbean islands is the original cassava bread of Africa.

The popular ackee of Jamaica and the mango, were originally imported from West Africa, and in fact, are still grown there. Somehow Ackee did not become as popular in West Africa as it is in Jamaica.

Jerk pork was introduced by the Cormantee slaves from West Africa.  In their homeland, these workers had been hunters.  During their long journeys over the mountains, they cooked jerk pork, which consisted of highly seasoned whole pig, roasted over hot coals.

The Carib-Indians first made pepper-pot stew.  They kept it simmering slowly in a giant pot over a fire, and threw in different ingredients every time they made it.   For a long time nor Caribbean recipes were written down,  the people just knew how to cook it, judging by what they'd see the older people do and adding spices to their own tastes.

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