The Caribbean consist of the British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Roatan, Bay Islands Honduras, Martinique, Mexico's Caribbean, Montserrat, Dutch Antilles, St Barthélemy, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Martin, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caics, and the United States Virgin Islands.
The first people to have lived in the Caribbean were the Arawak, Carib, and Taino Indians.
Vegetables and fruits were a main part of their diet. Such as papaw, guavas, yams, cassava. The Tainos used large clay pots to cook their meats and fish. Grates made out of greenwood strips, called an abarbacoa, was a technique made by the Arawak Indians used to slowly cook meat. In doing this the meat's flavor was enhanced by the flavor of the wood. From this method of cooking, barbecue was developed. The Caribs had put hot pepper sauces in their food to spice them up. Also they flavored their meat and fish with lemon and lime juice. A pepper pot was created by the Caribs, but there is no record of a recipe because it's said they add a new ingredient each time. The Caribbean Sea was named after this tribe and had became a crossroad for the world.
Europeans started then to bring African slaves over. Their diets was made up of the food the slave owners didn't want like cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, plantains, and corn meal. A tradition practiced by the Jamaican slaves was cooked spicy pork over hot coals. This technique is now known as "Jerk" cooking, which involves a slow cooking process. Europeans brought labor from China and India after slavery had been abolished. Indian food is a big part of the Caribbean today, they introduced curried meat and curry powder. Rice and mustard were brought by the Chinese and is now a staple in the island meals.
The Portuguese introduced codfish and the Polynesia islands brought breadfruit. Spanish explorers introduced fruit trees to the Caribbean. Such as ginger, oranges, limes, plantains, figs, date palms, grapes, sugarcane, tamarinds, and coconuts. Beans, corn, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, and chili peppers were introduced by America.
Caribbean food has the flavors of Africa, India, and China. Also influences from Spanish, Danish, Portuguese, French, and British. Which has contributed to the creation of some of the food we know today.
