BY ATTIYA ATKINS
In the Caribbean, a plate of traditional home-cooked food can teach volumes, more than any history book. The history of Caribbean cuisine emerged from a confluence of cultural influences, and centuries of global trading. West Africans brought callaloo, okra, and ackee to complement the tomatoes, potatoes, corn, and beans cultivated by indigenous civilizations across the Americas. Colonial powers brought meats like beef, pork, and chicken, plus staples like oranges, garlic, and onions. They say too many cooks spoil the broth, but it’s clear our food traditions wouldn’t be the same today without this legacy. Exploring the past and present through the essential flavors and ingredients of the Caribbean eats is a delicious way to learn more about the region. Salty / SALTED FISH For a boost of protein and flavor, Caribbean cooks have long turned to humble salted fish to create some of the region’s most iconic dishes. Think Trinidadian bull, St. Lucian green fig salad, and Jamaica’s national dish, ackee, and saltfish. Salt naturally draws out moisture from meats, making them resistant to mold and bacteria. To “salt cure,” fish would be coated in salt for days and then hung to dry with the help of the wind and the sun. This process dramatically increased its shelf-life, while imparting an intensely salty flavor. For centuries, fishermen around the world have used salt curing methods to preserve their fresh catch. The ingredient became a staple when it was brought to the region through the Triangular Slave Trade between Europe, West Africa, and the Americas. Vessels from Canada, in particular, would supply salted cod, a fish then plentiful off that country’s coast. Plantations relied on the then cheap source of protein as a staple provision for their enslaved populations. It remains an important part of the Caribbean diet. Today, due to cod’s growing scarcity, other types of white fish like pollock and snapper are used instead.
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