This was yet another rough week in which it wasn’t easy finding dishes to make. My request to post in the Saint Vincent subreddit seems to have been rejected, so I didn’t get any help from there. After some scrounging, I found some food from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines that both seemed representative of the country and was also possible for me to make.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines consists of a series of islands in the eastern Caribbean. The largest island is Saint Vincent, and to the south lie the islands known as the Grenadines. Two-thirds are part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while the southern third make up the country Grenada.
The first inhabitants of Saint Vincent were the Ciboney people from South America, who lived there from around 5000 BC. The Arawaks arrived next, and then the Kalinago people (also known as Caribs) took over in the 14th century.
Christopher Columbus is said to have discovered the island in 1498, and he gave it the name of Saint Vincent. European settlers faced aggressive opposition from the Kalinago people. The English and Dutch both attempted to claim the island, but it was the French who finally succeeded in 1719. They brought African slaves to work on plantations, and many of the country’s current inhabitants are descended from these people.
During the Seven Years’ War, later in the 18th century, the British captured the islands, and dominance over the territory was exchanged several more times between the British and the French. There were also ongoing conflicts between the colonists and the earlier inhabitants of the islands.
The British ultimately gained control of the islands. They made several attempts to unify them with their other island territories in the region, but never succeeded.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained full independence in 1979, though it remains a part of the Commonwealth of Nations.
What Do People Eat in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
The food from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a lot of similarities to that of the other island countries I’ve just cooked for. The cuisine is largely based on local ingredients, but also shows influences from Africa, France, and the United Kingdom.
There’s lots of seafood, which can be prepared in many ways. Other popular ingredients include sweet potato, coconut, and various other local fruits and vegetables.
What I Made
Scroll down to read about other popular Vincentian/Grenadinian dishes I didn’t make!
Guinness Bottle Chicken Stew
This is a chicken and vegetable stew that gets a lot of its flavor from Guinness, hence the name. Although I don’t like drinking Guinness, I’ve made stews with it before and I’d always liked the result, so I was eager to try this.
I began by tossing chopped chicken thighs in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper. Then, I pan-fried them for a few minutes, just until golden, and set them aside.
Next, I sautéed onion, then added garlic, bell pepper, tomato paste, and a little cayenne pepper. I poured in some chicken stock and let the stew simmer for about 15 minutes.
Just before serving, I stirred in some fresh parsley, which I also used as a garnish. I served this over rice, as suggested in the recipe.
This was pretty good; I can’t say it’s the best Guinness stew I’ve had but I did enjoy it all the same.
This recipe is from What’s Cooking In Your World. I used chicken thighs instead of chicken breast since I prefer them in a dish like this, and I changed the steps a little.
Fish Blaff (Poached Cod with Lime)
Fish blaff is a simple dish prepared in many places across the Caribbean. The fish is marinated in a mixture of lime juice, garlic, and chilies, then poached in the marinade.
I marinated cod in lime juice, garlic, serrano chili, green onions, salt, and water. I let it sit for a couple of hours in the fridge.
I removed the fish from the marinade and set it aside. Then, I added the marinade to a saucepan with more water, and brought it to a simmer. I added the fish and let it cook until it was done.
I served the cod with rice; another popular accompaniment would be boiled plantains.
This was alright, but it’s not my favorite way to prepare cod
The recipe for this is from What’s 4 Eats.
Doughboys (Coconut Buns)
Doughboys are slightly sweet buns with coconut in them. They are a form of bakes, which I have made before during this challenge for Grenada.
I began by combining warm water, brown sugar, and active dry yeast. I let the mixture sit until it was foamy.
I mixed all-purpose flour with salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Then I rubbed in butter and shortening, and finally added more brown sugar, shredded coconut, and the yeast mixture. I kneaded until I had a smooth dough, then set it in a greased bowl and covered it.
Once the dough had doubled in size, I divided it into balls and let them rise a little longer. Then, I baked them until they were starting to turn golden—I think this took around 25 minutes.
I thought these were really good. They weren’t too sweet, so that made them pretty versatile. I liked having them with either jam or cheese the most.
I used a recipe I found on the Delightful Food Flavours Facebook page, but I made a few small changes. I used active dry yeast instead of instant, and I made smaller doughboys rather than one huge one. I used the lesser amount of sugar since I didn’t want them too sweet.
Other Popular Vincentian/Grenadinian Dishes
- Roasted breadfruit and fried jackfruit – the national dish.
- Madongo dumplings – fried dumplings made from an arrowroot dough.
- Ducana – sweet potato and coconut cooked in banana leaves.
Final Thoughts
This was another hard week. The last few countries have all had similar food too, so I do have to admit I’m ready for something different. However, the Guinness bottle chicken stew was very good. I also really liked the doughboys.
Next time, I will be cooking food from Samoa.