Welcome to my new A-Z where I will be looking at the countries of the world, their food and national dish or their most popular dish around the world…by this I mean some dishes are eaten in many countries as their fame has spread around the world…I have Chel to thank for giving me some ideas from which this one took shape…Thank you Chel x

Antigua and Barbuda is an independent Commonwealth country comprising its 2 namesake islands and several smaller ones. Positioned where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet, it’s known for reef-lined beaches, rainforests and resorts…plus mouthwatering cuisine.

When you are surrounded by the sea...lobster, red snapper, conch, mahi-mahi, shrimp are always freshly caught and plentiful…sounds wonderful to me…

The food can be spicy…but even so, locals add an extra splash of spice with “Susie’s Hot Sauce”...I love coming across these local sauces…this sauce is made by a small cottage business yet it is internationally renowned for its huge taste…even Amazon sell it!

The National Dish of Antigua and Barbuda is Fungee and Pepperpot…

Fungee … is a dish of boiled yellow cornmeal and okra, that accompanies a number of soups, stews and meats. It is commonly served with stewed saltfish, stewed red herring or shad coated in cornmeal and fried. It is also delicious served with stewed or boiled fish (also called ‘fish water’) and alongside stewed or curried conch.

Pepperpot … is a flavourful, hearty stew of meat and vegetables, not to be confused with the dish of the same name that originates from Guyana.

Antiguan pepperpot usually contains spinach, okra, eggplant, squash, peas, dumplings called ‘droppers’ or ‘spinners’ and meats such as salted pork, beef, and chicken…I am always fascinated by the different and quaint names for what I know as dumplings…

Saltfish and Chop-Up is another popular local dish… salted cod is boiled, cleaned and picked free of bones. The fish is then sauteed with onions, peppers, garlic, and tomato sauce.

Chop-up…immediately you know what it is with names like this…it is a mixture of mashed, boiled eggplant, spinach, and okra. There are variations of chop-up or, as some people call it, chop-chop made from boiled and crushed pumpkin or boiled and crushed green papaya sprinkled liberally with ground black pepper. Saltfish and chop-up also go well with boiled or fried dumplings…

I find it interesting how food is described so differently around the world..water to me is water…not so here…

Goat Water it’s a soup of stewed goat meat, flavoured with onions, peppers, garlic, thyme, clove, and hot pepper. Again served with local Antiguan wood oven bread or fried dumplings.

Conch Water is a flavourful broth of tender pieces of conch and seasonings. This also goes well with local Antiguan wood oven bread or fried dumplings…a choice of meat or fish sounds good to me…

If you watch the video  I get the connection now to calling the dumplings “spinners”…

“Wood Oven Bread” is locally made bread baked in a wood oven an Antiguan treat that is enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or even dinner… Locals eat it with or without butter and a locally called “Cress” cheese or shop cheese – a processed cheddar cheese product.

That’s the food so what’s to drink…

Bush Tea …is the local name for herbal tea and refers to any and all local leaves, herbs or plants that are boiled or steeped in boiling water to make a tea. Sweeteners such as sugar and honey are optional.

Ginger Beer …I love ginger beer I have happy memories of my mother making this …Ginger beer is a spicy, ginger drink that also contains, sugar and essence. Some versions also include lime or lemon which gives an interesting twist. The amount of heat in the drink varies by the maker…I like to taste the ginger so the hotter the better for me…

Sorrel or Roselle because of the lovely festive colour this drink has is available all year round, but is mostly enjoyed around Christmastime.

Made by boiling or steeping the petals of the sorrel or Roselle plant – a species of Hibiscus, the bright red liquid is often flavoured with ginger, cinnamon, clove, lime and can also be spiked with rum…of course, that’s a given after all we are on a Caribbean Island…lol… The refreshing drink is pleasing to the eye as well as the tastebuds.

Desserts…

Fruit Cake …is another Christmas favourite and a traditional wedding cake staple, fruit cake or black cake or rum cake are all names for a dark, moist, boozy cake.

The basic ingredients are flour, sugar, eggs, butter, essence, cinnamon, ginger, and blended mixed, dried fruits that have been soaked in rum and/or wine. 

Coconut/Cake Tart …Sweetened, spiced shredded coconut is encased in a spiced crust, crunchy at the edges and soft in the middle…sounds delicious I love anything which contains coconut…These tarts are not open tarts like I would make a coconut pie but rather they are encased in a yeast dough…but they are coconut and spices which sound like a delicious alternative.

Finally, on my trip around Antigua and Barbuda, we have the famous black pineapple that is a fruit unique to the island and its official symbol as it proudly sits atop the coat of arms.

It looks like a Hawaiian pineapple, except it’s ripe when it’s still dark green, and so delicate that it’s rarely transported off-island…we have bananas here which when ripe still have green skin…Roadside stalls which sell this black pineapple are dotted over the islands but for the best variety head south to an area called Old Road that is also known as the “Fruit Basket” of Antigua.

A variety of local fruits can be found on the stalls including the Otaheite Apple which is pear shape with red skin and white flesh, Apre which is a tennis ball-sized fruit with green or purple skin with a milky white flesh. Finger Rose are baby bananas, Dilly otherwise known as Sapodilla, the gunep which is related to the lychee and the Jumbee also called soursop or noni fruit…

Antigua has a very colourful coat of arms which depicts the sea and the food for which the island is famed…The blue and white for the seas which surround these islands. A yucca plant stands proudly opposite a stem of sugar cane…Yucca is a culinary staple the sugar cane is historically a cash crop for the island.

The coat of arms is topped by Antiguas famous black pineapple…brought to the island centuries ago by the Arawak people this crisp, low in acid and sweet pineapple has long been cultivated…such is the tenderness of the core it is also eaten…Despite the name, the fruit is never black but has green skin when ripe…thus harvesting these sweet pineapples relies on smell and touch…

Thank you for joining me today on my culinary tour of Antigua and Barbuda( I have) to keep checking I haven’t typed Barbados-smile-

I hope you are enjoying the start of my A- Z of “World Cuisines” as much as I am enjoying the research and the learning…I have learnt much about the food and diversity but I will continue to grow or buy local as buying from there when you are halfway across the world is not being aware of the environmental footprint plus the cost to indigenous populations, animals and plant life…

Sadly life after the Hurricanes in Barbuda has been a steady progression at one point initially it was inhabitable. Strong strategies are focusing on improving building structures, which will be essential for surviving future storms. However, for the first time in 400 years, Barbuda’s culture is in imminent danger of becoming a memory of the past…This has saddened me as once again ancient rights and laws are pushed aside for prosperity fuelled by the greed of big corporations.

Thank you for reading I look forward to your comments as always xx