Welcome to my latest A-Z …World Cuisines…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…

Today I am looking at the cuisine of Grenada…widely known for its spices, giving it its common nickname as the Spice Isle. Grenada is a significant source of cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, nutmeg among others.

Nutmeg syrup is a sweet syrup that has been infused with nutmeg. It’s an ‘institution’ in Grenada and one of those things that most visitors want to take back home with them. There’s only one problem with doing this – it’s so good, it runs out fast!

It can be used on pancakes, waffles with bananas, ice cream or yoghurt. The nutmeg flavour can only be described as delicious and you can even use it on toast with butter, to create a snack or breakfast that tastes a little like French toast.

All you need is three ingredients…

• 8floz water
• ½ lb brown sugar
• 2 nutmegs cut in half.

Add everything to the pan and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it will coat the back of a spoon. You’re looking for small bubbles, not a boil. Catch it before it turns to candy and you’ll be in heaven with this delicious – lip-smacking good nutmeg syrup sauce.

Now put it into a squeezy bottle or a glass jug and keep it in the fridge. Some opt to leave the nutmegs in the sauce as they continue to add flavour during storage and they add to the visual appeal…add a bow and it would make a lovely unusual Christmas Pressie…especially if you add just a touch of rum and cinnamon…

Grenada is a small island country of volcanic origin in the eastern Caribbean. It lies just 160 kilometres north of Venezuela. Grenada has a ridge of mountains that runs from north to south with steep valleys. It also features large areas of tropical rainforest.

Yams, potatoes, okra, mangoes, beans, turmeric and some fruits native to the Caribbean such as soursop and golden apple can be found here plus homegrown produce like bottles of coconut oil and nutmeg syrup which I have not heard of or tried although I am a fan of nutmeg…it gets better…Grenada is one of the world’s largest importers of nutmeg, and the aromatic spice is used in an array of local dishes. What better way to enjoy it than by eating a refreshing nutmeg ice cream by the sea? The velvety treat makes use of freshly ground nutmeg and heavy cream for the ultimate island dessert…yum…

Grenada’s national dish which is cooked in most homes over the weekends is a one-pot stew made using breadfruit, a meat of your choice, dumplings, callaloo, seasoning and coconut milk and gets its name from the layer of oil that settles to the bottom of the pot.

Other favourites include goat curry and the crab back, made with fresh crab meat baked with herbs, wine and cheese sauce…Goat curry seems to be coming up on my radar a lot lately and methinks I need to make one…I first came across goat’s meat sold from stalls piled high at Ridley Row market in Dalston in the London Borough of Hackney…as I follow many Indian cooks goat also features highly in Indian recipes and quite recently while in Australia it cropped up again and here we are…goat is on the menu…quite popular around the world it seems…

This fertile volcanic land, with its plentiful sunshine and warm air from the sea, makes it ideal to grow most crops, especially cocoa and nutmeg, both of which Grenada exports to the rest of the world…often the trees sit next to other fruits like mango or cinnamon, so when the roots mix, the cocoa absorbs flavours giving it a distinctive taste…Grenadian cocoa for me is one of the best…

Breakfast is like many other Caribbean countries as it consists of a saltfish bake…Bakes are a type of bread that’s fried until golden brown. You can choose from an array of side dishes, such as cheese or sausage; however, saltfish fried with tomato, onion, and herbs are among the most popular…

Granada is an island so of course seafood is fresh and bountiful…and a local favourite is lambie souse. Lambie is the name for conch, and it’s the star ingredient of this particular dish. Conch is tenderized and slowly cooked with a mixture of lime juice, onion, garlic and hot pepper, to create a soupy, seafood meal that’s also a fantastic source of protein.

Plus if you are holidaying in Granada you cannot without sampling Callaloo Soupo. Made with the dasheen leaf an ingredient found throughout the Caribbean,  callaloo soup is found on all of Grenada’s food menus. The leafy green soup boasts a creamy texture, thanks to the coconut milk, and it’s great as a starter or a quick snack at any time of day.

Famed for its local Craft beers and(Rum), no Caribbean trip is complete without sampling either or both… one of the best additions to Grenada’s culinary scene is the West Indies Beer Co., the eastern Caribbean’s first microbrewery…of course, there are other rum distilleries to take a tour around like the Westerhall Estate Distillery, the third oldest distillery in Grenada…I have it on the best authority that the rum is very, very good…

Thank you for joining me today for this virtual tour of Granada the Spice Island I hope you enjoyed the tour…