In the Caribbean

Bahamas

Conch salad is among the popular dishes in the Bahamas. The main ingredient is conch, a shell fish whose population is unfortunately depleting in the Caribbean seas. To make the salad you add chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and a marinade prepared with goat pepper (a local hot pepper), lime, and orange juice. This mixture partially cooks the raw white conch meat. A tropical version of this salad includes apples, pineapples, and mango.

Cracked conch is a popular dish. It is made with breaded conch meat doused with a batter of flour. Then it is deep-fried until golden and crispy. The golden fried conch is eaten with French fries or peas and rice. When the dish is eaten as an appetizer, it is served with fresh lime juice and goat pepper sauce.

Conch fritters are a delicacy of Caribbean and Creole cuisine. It is the national dish of the Bahamas. The dish is prepared with pounded, tenderized, conch meat fried in batter with tomatoes, onions, celery, bell peppers, and peppery seasonings.

Barbados

Cassava pone is a moist and sweet dessert. It is made with cassava root, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, coconut, nutmeg, butter, and milk.

Cuba

Arroz con maize is a rice dish popular all over Latin America. The dish includes rice cooked with corn in the same pot. Other ingredients include chorizo, white wine, and chicken stock. The dish is seasoned with annatto seeds and cumin.

Vaca frita is a dish prepared with fried and shredded skirt or flank steak. The meat is topped with sauteed onions and served with black beans and rice on the side.

Frita Cubana is a Cuban burger. It originated in Havana. The burgers are made with ground beef, onion, and seasonings like smoked paprika. They are served on Cuban rolls.

Boliche is a popular dish served as a main course. The dish is prepared with roast beef stuffed with chorizo and at times olives. The meat is simmered in a sauce with onions, water, and potatoes. The dish is served with fried plantains or yellow rice on the side.

Medeanoche is a delicious Cuban sandwich. It is made with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles. The bread is made with sweet and soft egg dough. The name of the sandwich translates to midnight because it is traditionally eaten as a late night snack.

Ropa vieja is the national dish of Cuba. It is a hearty stew that includes shredded beef, tomato sauce, onions, and peppers. The stew is served with yellow rice.

Picadillo is a spice Cuban dish. It is made with ground beef, tomatoes, and onions. Usually it is served with rice or tortillas. It can be used as a filling for tacos and wraps.

Dominican Republic

Yaroa is a traditional dish originating in Santiago. This is a casserole that is prepared with mashed sweet plantains, beef, pork, chicken, cheese, fries, and condiments like mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. This is a layered dish and often enjoyed as a snack.

Mangu is a popular dish that includes boiled and mashed green plantains, eggs, fried cheese, fried Dominican salami, and onions sauteed in vinegar. It is usually served for breakfast.

Chivo guisado is goat stew prepared with pieces of goat meat, onions, bitter oranges, garlic, and tomatoes. It is flavored with wild oregano and Scotch bonnet peppers.

Care guisada is a traditional beef stew that is flavored with cumin, jalapenos, and chili powder. The stew is simmered over low heat for about two hours or until the meat it tender.

Haiti

Bouillon is a thick soup prepared with meat, yams, kelp, cabbage, plantains, potatoes, Scotch bonnet peppers, and celery. It can be served with small dumplings made with rolling flour into some broth.

Griot is a dish the includes pork meat cubes simmered in a sweet, spicy, and tangy marinade of chili peppers, onions, and orange, lime, or lemon juiced until tender. Then the meat is fried in a skillet.

Tassot is a traditional dish made with goat meat or beef. The meat is cubed and marinated with onions, orange juice, and lemon juice. The meat cubes are fried until brownish and crispy on the outside. The dish is served with fried plantains, rice and beans or mushroom rice.

Haitian Patty is a delicacy that consists of puff pastry shaped into small squares and filled with various meats like beef, chicken, pork, or fish.

Poulet aux noix is a dish prepared with chicken and cashews. Chicken pieces are marinated, steamed, and pan-fried with diced tomatoes, onions, and tomato paste. The cashews are cooked in water for a short while, drained and added to the chicken.

Jamaica

Peppered shrimps is a popular street food. It consists of shrimp with a very spice flavor. The shrimp are cooked in a skillet with garlic, hot pepper, butter, and thyme.

Brown stew fish is a delicacy combining marinated and fried fish fillets with a brown sauce. The sauce is made with onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, butter, and water. The fish are served with rice and peas or yams and bananas on the side.

Escovitch fish is a classic dish prepared by seasoning, marinating, and frying fish with a peppery, vinegar-based dressing. The dressing is made with bell peppers, carrots, and onions.

Run down is a fish stew that is traditionally cooked with coconut milk, onions, garlic, and tomatoes until thickened.

Hummingbird cake is a dessert made with flour, vegetable oil, bananas, pineapple, pecans, eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and leavening agents. The cake usually has a cream cheese frosting.

Brown stew chicken is a spicy dish that is prepared with chicken pieces browned and simmered in a rich gravy. The gravy is made with onions, peppers, ketchup, and water. The dish is served with rice, peas, fried ripe plantains, and sliced tomatoes.

Jamaican meat patties are popular. The patties are flat, baked in a half-moon shape and coated with turmeric. The filling consists of ground beef, breadcrumbs, and spices like thyme, onions, garlic, Scotch bonnet chilis, and curry powder.

Puerto Rico

Limber is a frozen treat that consists of coconut milk, pineapple juice, and sweeteners like sugar. It can also be prepared with mangos or raspberries.

Alcapurra is a snack prepared with grated green bananas or taro root or a combination of both. Then stuffed with meat and fried, The stuffing consists of spiced ground beef and tomatoes. If stuffed with grated yuccas then the fritter is stuffed with crab meat.

Bistec encebollado is a dish prepared with adobo-spiced, marinated beefsteak. The beefsteak is combined with onion sauce and large onion rings are placed on top. Before preparing the meat is marinated from 10 to 12 hours.

Asopao is a dish that is a cross between a soup and a stew. The dish is made with rice, beef, pork, seafood, pigeon peas, or chicken. If preparing asopao de pollo the chicken is flavored with various spices and cooked with ham, peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives, and sausages.

Tripleta is a popular sandwich filled with three kinds of meat – grilled steak, lechon pork, and ham. The meat is placed on a loaf of bread and topped with fries, ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese, and vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and onions.

Pernil is one of the most famous dishes in Puerto Rico. It consists of roasted pork shoulder marinated with paprika, salt, vinegar, garlic, and oregano. The pork is roasted until the skin is brown and crisp and the meat is tender enough to fall from the bones.

Tobago/Trinidad

Curry duck is a popular Caribbean dish. The duck used to prepare the dish is Muscovy. Mucovy ducks are raised by many village people on the island. The duck meat is marinated with salt, pepper, cumin, curry powder, hot peppers, cilantro, scallions, onions, and garlic. When ready the curry is served with rice or roti on the side.

Curried crab and dumplings is a traditional dish. The crabs are cleaned and soaked in lime water, then drained. The crab is seasoned with celery, pimento peppers, onions, garlic, and chives. Then the crab is placed in a pot with curry powder paste, coconut milk, and hot peppers. The dumplings are made with flour, grated cassava, sugar, salt, and water. Once the crab is simmering the dumplings are added to the pot until the sauce thickens.

Pelau is a savory dish that consists of meat like beef or chicken or a combination. Added to the meat are ingredients like rice, vegetables, fresh herbs, and coconut milk. Traditionally the meat is browned in sugar before it is combined with the other ingredients. The dish is made in one pot and served with salads, hot sauces, or chutney on the side.

Happy Hour

Mojito is a traditional Cuban cocktail made with rum. The original cocktail is made with white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and spearmint. Topped with ice and sparkling soda water.

Cojito is a Mojito with a twist. This cocktail is made with white rum, lime juice, sparkling soda water, and coconut-flavored rum. The coconut gives the cocktail a tropical flavor. It is served in a highball glass garnished with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.

Pina Colada is a sweet, creamy tropical cocktail. It is the national drink of Puerto Rico. The drink is a combination of run, pineapple juice, coconut milk, and coconut cream. It is shaken or blended with ice and served in a chilled glass garnished with a piece of pineapple or a cherry on top.

Daiquiri is a cocktail made with rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar. It was named after the beach and an iron mine near Santiago de Cuba.

Cuba Libre is a Cuban cocktail based on rum with cola and lime added. It originated in Havana in August 1900 when Coca-Cola became available in Cuba.

Rum Punch is a classic Caribbean cocktail. It is made with rum, fruit juice, sugar, syrup, and water. The cocktail is combined in a big glass or a jug and then poured into glasses over ice.

Bahama Mama is a fruity Tiki cocktail. It is a combination of white rum, coconut rum, grenadine, cherry juice, lemon juice, orange juice, and pineapple juice. It is served in a hurricane glass filed with cracked ice, a cherry, and an orange slice.

Culto a la Vida is a classic Cuban cocktail. It is made with dark rum, cranberry juice, lime juice, and sugar. The cocktail is served in a long drink glass garnished with a lime wedge.