National cuisine of Bahamas for gourmets. Authentic recipes, delicacies and specialties

The cuisine of the Bahamas consists of many juicy and nutritious dishes with the generous use of spices. Residents of the islands have traditionally used fruits of the sea, vegetables, and fruit in their everyday meals. Seafood, such as oysters and fish, are the main ingredients in the majority of Bahamian dishes. When it comes to meat, local people prefer chicken and pork, as well as iguana meat. Pepper and various sauces with citruses make the juicy and mouthwatering local food even more unusual and original. Travelers, who have ever visited the Bahamas, will not forget the taste and flavor of traditional food – local dishes are very diverse, but they always have an easily recognizable Bahamian accent, the likes of which is hard to find in other counties of the world. Local cuisine is something that everyone should try at least once in a lifetime.

The majority of Bahamians prefer seafood over meat. Fish is usually stewed with various spices. It tastes particularly well with vegetables, rice, and beans. Perch and northern red snapper are widely used in the cuisine of the region. Crabs are baked with eggs, and lobsters are fried and then added to various salads. Shrimps are usually grilled and then used in sandwiches. Conch is one of the most famous and popular ingredients of the islands. This is a large sized shell with a mollusk inside. This seafood type is incredibly tender, so it is frequently used in various salads and soups. It can be stewed, boiled or fried and served in its shell. Goat meat is usually roasted, and iguana and chicken meat are used in many juicy and fragrant dishes. Sheep tongue is an essential ingredient in a soup with onion, pepper, and lemon juice.

All fruits and vegetables that people in the Bahamas eat every day cooked or raw are produced on the islands. Local people like hog plums (also known as Spondias mombin), cabbage, pineapples, tomatoes, coconuts, green peas, bananas, chili pepper, cassava, corn, cooking bananas, and beans. Spanish lime with its juicy flesh and potato salad are also very popular. It is very easy to cook a snack with guava: simply cover guava with dough and boil it; after that, let it cool a bit and cover with custard. Sweet pepper and cucumbers are usually added to sandwiches and salads. Every dish is always served with a vegetable garnish. When it comes to dairy products, Bahamians like cheese and often consume it with spaghetti. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Johnnycake, traditional corn flatbread that originates from North America, has become popular in many regions, and the Bahamas are no exception. Nowadays, it is traditionally eaten as an appetizer or as a dessert. Tourists will also find it interesting to try seagrape and various desserts containing this ingredient, such as jelly. As a rule, pastries and sweets in the Bahamas contain berries and fruit such as papaya, coconut, and mulberry. They can be added to pastries, ice cream, puddings, cakes, and sauces. Candies and bars with coconut often contain vanilla. Fruit bread, chocolate mousse with avocado, frozen yogurt with mango, and pie with cassava are also very popular on the islands. Pies with rum, pineapple, and carrot are traditional dishes that are present on festive tables of Bahamians.

The Bahamas are known for traditional drinks that have first appeared on the islands. For example, Switcha is one of these national drinks. It is lemonade with limes and lemons that tastes particularly refreshing in the midst of a hot day. The choice of juices and cocktails with fruit that travelers can try in the Bahamas is virtually countless. Coconut milk and soda with fruit; pineapple, watermelon, and mango juice – there are so many delicious ways to quench thirst. Islanders also love coffee. When it comes to alcoholic drinks, Bahamians like rum. They drink rum as a separate drink and add it to a popular cocktail called “Yellowbird”. It contains orange and apricot juices. There are also local beer brands on the islands.

On holidays, local people enjoy eating tacos with red lionfish and drinking cocktails with rum. From December 26 to January 1, the Bahamas host a food festival. It is hard to think of a better time to visit the island for everyone who wants to get acquainted with the traditional cuisine of the islands. Having received an invitation from the Bahamians, guests arrive in tidy clothing right in time, sit on the stools that were designated for them, and start easting after the host. The islanders are quite relaxed when it comes to table etiquette compared to, for example, Europeans. In their opinion, dining is the time for relaxing and pleasure. General etiquette rules are the same: keep hands visible above the table, eat all food on the plate, and thank hosts once the meal is over.

The hospitable Bahamas offer foodies to enjoy this pleasant pastime in many wonderful dining venues. In Nassau, they can visit Negril café that offers traditional Bahamian and Jamaican cuisines. The charming hall of this café is filled with magnificent scents from the cuisine. Rum Runners is Freeport is a true treasure for all connoisseurs of elite alcohol. It is a wonderful place to drink a cocktail and eat delicious seafood appetizers or stay for dinner. Bahamian Cookin' Restaurant & Bar in Nassau is a restaurant that is great for families. Fresh ingredients in traditional dishes will make even hard-to-please foodies happy. Besides dining venues specializing in the traditional cuisine, the Bahamas have restaurants, cafes, and bars of different culinary directions that offer pizza, hamburgers, pasta, and sushi.