View source for Caribbean cuisine

{{Short description|Cuisine of the Caribbean}}
{{redirect|West Indian cuisine|cuisine of Western India|Western India#Cuisine}}
[[File:Mangú with Veggie Meat.JPG|thumb|right|Mangu with plant-based "meat"]]
'''Caribbean cuisine''' is a fusion of [[West African cuisine|West African]],<ref name="bahama">[http://www.bahamabreeze.com/menus/cuisine/ "Cuisine."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928040935/http://www.bahamabreeze.com/menus/cuisine/# |date=2011-09-28 }} (Caribbean.) [http://www.bahamabreeze.com Bahamabreeze.com]. Accessed July 2011.</ref> [[Creole cuisine|Creole]], [[Amerindian cuisine|Amerindian]], [[European cuisine|European]], [[Latin American cuisine|Latin American]], [[Indian cuisine|Indian]]/[[South Asian cuisine|South Asian]], [[Caribbean Chinese cuisine|Chinese]], [[Javanese cuisine|Javanese]]/[[Indonesian cuisine|Indonesian]], [[North American cuisine|North American]], and [[Middle Eastern cuisine|Middle Eastern]] cuisines. These traditions were brought from many countries when they{{clarification needed|date=October 2025}} moved to the Caribbean.<ref name="bahama"/>

==History==
{{No sources section|date=June 2024}}
As a result of the [[colonization]], the Caribbean is a fusion of multiple sources; [[British cuisine|British]], [[Spanish cuisine|Spanish]], [[Dutch cuisine|Dutch]] and [[French cuisine|French]] colonized the area and brought their respective cuisines that mixed with [[West African cuisine|West African]] as well as [[Indigenous cuisine of the Americas|Amerindian]], [[Indian cuisine|Indian]]/[[South Asian cuisine|South Asian]], [[East Asian cuisine|East Asian]], [[Portuguese cuisine|Portuguese]], and [[Arab cuisine|Arab]], influences from [[Slavery|enslaved]], [[Indentured servitude|indentured]] and other laborers brought to work on the [[plantation]]s.

In 1493, during the [[voyages of Christopher Columbus]], the [[Spanish people|Spaniards]] introduced a variety of ingredients, including [[coconut]], [[chickpeas]], [[cilantro]], [[eggplants]], [[onions]] and [[garlic]].

==Caribbean dishes==
{{Further|List of street food#Caribbean}}
[[File:Dhalpurie Roti, Pumpkin, Channa and Potato, Curry Goat, Trinidad and Tobago.JPG|right|thumb|Dhalpurie [[roti]], pumpkin tarkari, channa and aloo, and [[curry goat]], Indian-origin dishes from Trinidad and Tobago]]
Ingredients that are common in most islands' dishes are [[rice]], [[Plantain (cooking)|plantain]]s, [[bean]]s, [[cassava]], [[cilantro]], [[bell pepper]]s, [[chickpea]]s, [[tomato]]es, [[sweet potato]]es, [[coconut]], and any of various meats that are locally available like beef, poultry, pork, goat or fish. A characteristic seasoning for the region is a green herb-and-oil-based marinade called sofrito. Ingredients may include garlic, onions, Scotch bonnet peppers, celery, green onions, and herbs like cilantro, Mexican mint, chives, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon and thyme. This green seasoning is used for a variety of dishes like curries, stews and roasted meats.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://latinfood.about.com/od/seasoningmarinade/r/Green-Seasoning.htm |title=Caribbean Green Seasoning Recipe<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2014-03-28 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124426/http://latinfood.about.com/od/seasoningmarinade/r/Green-Seasoning.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Traditional dishes are so important to regional culture that, for example, the local version of Caribbean goat stew has been chosen as the official national dish of [[Montserrat]] and is also one of the signature dishes of [[St. Kitts and Nevis]]. Another popular dish in the Anglophone Caribbean is called "cook-up", or [[pelau]]. [[Ackee and saltfish]] is another popular dish that is unique to Jamaica. [[Callaloo]] is a dish containing leafy vegetables such as [[spinach]] and sometimes [[okra]] amongst others, widely distributed in the Caribbean, with a distinctively mixed African and indigenous character.

The variety of dessert dishes in the area also reflects the mixed origins of the recipes. In some areas, [[black cake]], a derivative of English Christmas pudding, may be served, especially on special occasions.

==By location==
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* [[Anguillian cuisine]]
* [[Antigua and Barbuda cuisine]]
* [[Culture of Aruba#Cuisine history|Aruban cuisine]]
* [[Bahamian cuisine]]
* [[Barbadian cuisine]]
* [[Culture of the Cayman Islands#Cuisine|Cayman Islands cuisine]]
* [[Cuban cuisine]]
* [[Curaçao#Cuisine|Curaçaoan cuisine]]
* [[Dominica cuisine]]
* [[Dominican Republic cuisine]]
* [[Culture of Grenada#Cuisine|Grenadan cuisine]]
* [[Guadeloupe#Gastronomy|Guadeloupean cuisine]]
* [[Haitian cuisine]]
* [[Jamaican cuisine]]
* [[Martinique#Cuisine|Martinique cuisine]]
* [[Cuisine of Montserrat|Montserratian cuisine]]
* [[Puerto Rican cuisine]]
* [[Saint Barthélemy cuisine]]
* [[Culture of Saint Kitts and Nevis#Cuisine|Saint Kitts and Nevis cuisine]]
* [[Saint Lucian cuisine]]
* [[Trinidad and Tobago cuisine]]
* [[Cuisine of the Turks and Caicos Islands|Turks and Caicos Islands cuisine]]
* [[Culture of the Virgin Islands#Cuisine|Virgin Islands cuisine]]
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==See also==
{{Cookbook|Caribbean cuisines}}
{{Portal|Food|Caribbean}}
<!-- Please keep list alphabetized -->

* [[Ground provisions]]
* [[List of cuisines]]
* [[Caribbean Chinese cuisine]]
* [[Puerto Rican Chinese cuisine]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{cuisine}}
{{Caribbean topics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caribbean Cuisine}}
[[Category:Caribbean cuisine| ]]