Antigua and Barbuda cuisine facts for kids
The food of Antigua and Barbuda is special! These two Caribbean islands have their own yummy dishes. Their national dish is called fungie (say it: foon-jee) and pepperpot. Fungie is a bit like Polenta, made from cornmeal.
You can also find other local foods like ducana, seasoned rice, saltfish, and tasty lobster from Barbuda. For sweets, they have treats like sugar cake, fudge, raspberry and tamarind stew, and peanut brittle.
While these foods are from Antigua and Barbuda, people there also enjoy dishes from other Caribbean places. For example, you might find jerk meats from Jamaica or Roti from Trinidad.
Common Foods and Dishes in Antigua and Barbuda
For breakfast, people often eat saltfish, eggplant (also called troba), eggs, and lettuce. Lunch usually includes a starchy food like rice, macaroni, or pasta. It comes with vegetables or salad, a main dish like fish, chicken, pork, or beef, and a side dish. Side dishes can be macaroni pie, scalloped potatoes, or plantains.
On Sundays, many families go to church. After church, they prepare a variety of foods at home. Sunday dinner is often eaten earlier, around 2:00 pm, because many people are off work. Dinners might include pork, baked chicken, stewed lamb, or turkey. These are served with rice (cooked in different ways), macaroni pie, salads, and a local drink. For dessert, there might be ice cream and cake, apple pie (or mango and pineapple pie when they are in season), or gelatin.
Antiguan Butter Bread is a very important food in Antigua. It is a soft, buttery loaf of bread that tastes great even without extra butter. Many locals love fresh baked butter bread with cheese for breakfast or as a snack. You can find small bakeries built onto homes in neighborhoods all over Antigua. Locals can buy these fresh loaves there. They are often eaten with cheese, sardines, or a bright red sausage that locals sometimes call salami.
Most meals also include "provisions." Provisions are usually root vegetables or starchy foods. Examples are potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, and eddo.
During Carnival, a special soup called souse is popular. It is very spicy and made with pig's feet, knuckles, and tails, along with lots of onions. Vendors sell it on the side of the road. Black pudding, also known as blood sausage, is another local favorite. It is a well-seasoned sausage made with rice, meat, and blood.
As you travel through the countryside of Antigua, you might see locals roasting fresh corn. They usually cook it in its husk on simple grills. This corn is ready to buy and eat. Antigua is also proud of its locally grown pineapples. They say their pineapples are some of the sweetest you can find! The Antiguan Pineapple is a small fruit, but it is often very juicy and sweet. You can find small pineapple farms all over the island.
Refreshing Beverages
Local drinks include mauby, seamoss, tamarind juice, raspberry juice, mango juice, lemonade, coconut milk, hibiscus juice, ginger beer, passion fruit juice, guava juice, and soursop juice. Ginger beer is also a popular soft drink.
For alcoholic drinks, people enjoy beer, malts, and rums. Many of these are made right on the islands. Examples include Wadadli beer, named after the island's original name, and the award-winning English Harbour Rum. Many locals also drink bottled sodas, which they call "sweet drink." A popular flavor is punch. Other popular drinks are Red Stripe beer, Malta, Guinness stout, and Heineken beer.
For the Christmas holidays, a special festive drink is very popular in Antigua. It is called Ponche Kuba Cream Liqueur. It is a thick, creamy, tan-colored drink that is also very sweet.
See also
In Spanish: Gastronomía de Antigua y Barbuda para niños
