Even if you’re not a foodie, everyone likes to eat. It doesn’t matter where you are, a hot home-cooked meal is a true pleasure. And part of the pleasure of traveling to new places is getting the chance to try new cuisines. So here’s some things to sample if you ever take a trip to Antigua and Barbuda.
The national dish of Antigua and Barbuda is called fungie (pronounced as “foon-jee”). It’s made with cornmeal, which is easily attainable locally; the corn is a staple that dates back to the African roots of many local Antiguan families. The other major ingredient is okra, which is grown in abundance. Within the Caribbean and Virgin Islands, Fungie, which is a lot like Italian polenta, is very common as a dish.
To make fungie, okra pods and cornmeal are mixed with boiling water, butter, and salt, and stirred with a special wooden spoon until smooth. The dish is typically served with flying fish on the side, either steamed or fried. Corned beef is more popular, on the other hand in Barbados. Even with okra dropped from the recipes by Antiqua and Barbuda cooks, fungie is still a very tasty comfort food.
Ducanas are an Antigua specialty. These dumplings are made from sweet potatoes, coconuts, water, sugar, flour, nutmeg, and salt; after the ingredients are combined, portions are dished out and wrapped in banana leaves. Boiling salted water is used to cook the packages until they are firm; usually for half an hour. Ducana dumplings are often served with salt cod on the side, and may occasionally be mixed with spinach and eggplant to create a heartier meal.
The Caribbean islands may have very different histories, but they do share some similarities no matter what. One of these trends is a love of rice; rice and beans is a staple meal for almost every island nation, and seasoned rice is a favorite side dish in Antigua and Barbuda. Plantains are also incredibly popular, as well as saltfish and jerk meats inspired by Jamaican traditions. Chinese restaurants have surged in popularity in recent years, as has Italian cuisine. Of course, fresh-caught lobster is never going to be fresher than when it’s coming in to the local island!
Now is the time to break out your tiny fork.
If you want something to wash down all of this delicious food, then you’ll have lots of drinks to choose from!
Tamarind juice is very popular; when the fruit is ripe, it is quite sweet, and it ends up in ice creams, sorbets, and juices. Coconut milk, raspberry, guava and mango juices, are all available at restaurants. If you really want an interesting experience, give some mauby a try! It’s based on a tree bark found throughout the Caribbean, and tastes a little like root beer.