Barbadian cuisine facts for kids

Barbadian cuisine, also called Bajan cuisine, is a mixture of African, Portuguese, Indian, Irish, Creole, Indigenous and British background. A typical meal consists of a main dish of meat or fish, normally marinated with a mixture of herbs and spices, hot side dishes, and one or more salads. The meal is usually served with one or more sauces.

The national dish of Barbados is cou-cou and fried flying fish with spicy gravy. Another traditional meal is pudding and souse, a dish of pickled pork with spiced sweet potatoes. A wide variety of seafood and meats are also available.

Main courses

Illustration of a flying fish

• Fried flying fish
• Fried or grilled fish such as kingfish, swordfish, mahi mahi, and "dolphin" (dolphinfish). A whole roast red snapper is a delicacy.
• Brown stew chicken
• Cou-cou and steamed flying fish
• Barbecued or stewed lamb or pork chops
• Curry beef or mutton
• Rotisserie chicken/pan chicken
• Baked or fried chicken
• Grilled or fried prawns
• Grilled turkey wings
• Saltfish in a spicy tomato sauce
• Pepperpot
• Sweet potato pie
• Chicken curry
• Pickled chicken feet
• Barbequed pig tails
• Guava cheese
• Black cake

Hot side dishes

• Rice and peas – rice with split peas and gravy.
• Macaroni pie
• Cou-cou
• Sweet potato, grilled, mashed or as fries
• English potato, grilled, mashed or as fries
• Fried plantain
• Breadfruit, grilled or fried
• Chow mein
• Steamed mixed vegetables, such as broccoli, pumpkin, cabbage, and onion
• Buttered cassava or yam

Salads

• Garden salad
• Pasta salad
• Potato salad
• Coleslaw
• Plain sweetcorn, beetroot, or pineapple

Sauces

• Bajan pepper sauce
• Ketchup
• Tartar sauce for fish

Lighter meals

Goat roti

• Bakes
• Cassava pone, a kind of savoury cassava cake
• Conkies
• Cutters (fried flying fish in a bap)
• Fishcake
• Pumpkin soup
• Samosas, often made with conch
• Turnovers
• Wrap roti, usually with beef, chicken or saltfish with potatoes, spices, and sometimes chickpeas

Beverages

Banks beer brewery

• Rum and rum punch
• Banks beer
• Hibiscus tea
• Mauby
• Fruit juice
• Tamarind drink
• Soursop drink
• Golden apple drink
• Sorrel drink
• Coconut water
• Ginger beer

Foreign food in Barbados

American staples such as hot dogs and burgers are fairly common, as are British fish and chips. Chinese, Indian, and Thai dishes are available in the main towns. A few Mexican and Brazilian restaurants are available on the South Coast. There are upmarket sushi restaurants in or near large resorts.