DO NOT READ THIS POST ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. WARNING THIS POST MAY CAUSE HUNGER AND MOUTH SALIVATION FROM JUST READING THE TITLES ALONE. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU ARE HUNGRY OR HAVEN’T HAD ISLAND FOOD IN A LONG TIME!! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!

I LOVE FOOD!! And I especially love island food. Can’t you tell? This is like my 3rd post so far about something I was eating.

I blame it on my family

As, I’ve mentioned before in previous posts, on any given week I slept between 7 different places and that’s just talking about on one island alone. I literally did not have my own room until I moved to the states and got my own apartment about a year later. But given, that I had all these different places to rest my head, I also had all these different places to stuff my belly.

Here’s a closer look and what I spent my days munching on in the islands.

Island Food Back Home

Kallaloo

By my most frequent residence, I had my aunt who made the baddest kallaloos every Old Year’s night. She made one the ‘regular’ way and then a second for the non-meat eaters. Old years night in the states is not the same at all because I has no clue how to make kallaloo and even if I did, I’m sure it wouldn’t taste quite like hers.

Dumb Bread and Cheese

My 2nd aunt was more of a baker and every Sunday for some time, she made and sold dumb bread (white or wheat) and cheese, sugar cookies, and chocolate chip cookies to the ball players on the housing (OHC) court or neighbors who came by for her treats.

Not that she didn’t cook too. She made the best veggie lasagna. Whenever there was a party at her house, expect there to be lasagna on the menu every time. People came for the dance, but they also came for the food!!

Saltfish in Mayonnaise Sauce

I don’t know where my grandmother learned how to cook her saltfish. Few people who eat/taste it have ever seen it done that way before and I don’t know if it’s because it is moreso done by the British, but when I go by my grandmother and she cooks her saltfish in mayonnaise sauce and dumpling, all plates were clean every time.

This has been passed on to my mother and myself who make saltfish in this way. New family members have even been requested (read further down below) to learn how to make this for those who are stuck on this taste passed on from my grandmother. Good luck if you joining this family (on my mother side) and don’t know how to make this.

Conch in Butter Sauce (from Cuzzin’s)

When I spent weekends, summers, or days off by my uncle in Round de Field, we were always on the go. He cooked every once in a while, but sometimes we were hanging out so long that we just had to grab food and keep rolling.

One of my favorite restaurants where he got food from when we were on the go was, Cuzzin’s. I used to love ordering their conch plate that came with conch in butter sauce, fungi, and dumpling. Talk about yummy.

That was a lot of good food in my young life and since I’ve been in the states now and most of my family members are scattered all over, I have to get my fix when I can get it.

Island Food Nowadays

Curry Chicken and Coquito

No, I don’t have both at the same time, even though I could.

I might be biased, but my husband makes the best curry chicken in the state of Georgia. I hardly ever eat anybody else’s curry chicken because I feel like it would just never measure up.

We are talking about food, I know, but don’t get me started on Christmastime when he gets to making drinks. He is from St. Croix, that has that Puerto Rican influence with the drink called coquito. OOOweeeeeee. If he would let me sell it by the gallons I would because you wouldn’t want any other coquito, trust me.

Roti

My uncle’s wife is from Suriname/Guyana and when her family has a gathering, I am always looking for the spot where they have the roti bread so I can wrap my curry chicken in it. Even my uncle got the memo and married a bomb cook.

One time, my mother even went over by the house to show her how to make the saltfish in mayonnaise dish like my grandmother makes it. Don’t get me wrong her saltfish and dumplings are the bomb the way she makes them, but can’t nobody cook saltfish in mayonnaise sauce like my grandmother used to make it. We have been spoiled to love only this kind of saltfish.

Sorrell, Tarts, Friday Lunch Plates (Island Food)…Classy Catering ATL

Didn’t I tell you, most of the women in my family are bomb cooks and bakers. My cousin has her own company where she caters her island specialties for weddings and

other events. As long as my schedule is free and I can make it, I’m there at her events.

Look at these tarts from when she was making and boxing all her holiday orders. Yum. We had a pineapple tart this Christmas that didn’t last two days in my house.

 

Hey, we loved food so much it was even a part of our childhood games. Check out my short clip about a song we made up playing with Papayas outside in Ras Valley……Coming Soon!!

The things we used to make up as kids, eh.

Well I’m about to go look me some island food. I got hungry just writing this post. What’s on the menu at your house for dinner?

 

 

 

What is your favorite island food? Do you make it yourself or do you have to wait until you visit back home to get it? Let me know in the comments.