The Caribbean Dictionary

ackee
Blighia sapida; A fruit of the soapberry family native to West Africa that was introduced to the Caribbean. It is the national fruit...
areba
A round flat bread made from grated cassava which has been repeatedly pressed to remove the juice. For meal preparation, slices are...
bag juice
Commercially produced drinks or juice packaged in plastic bags.
bammy
A round flat bread made from grated cassava which has been repeatedly pressed to remove the juice. For meal preparation, slices are...
Garifuna sweet sticky rice
breadfruit
+ 2
Tree and fruit native to the Pacific Islands and Malaysia that was brought to the West Indies in the 18th century. The fruit is large...
caan sham
A desert snack made by shelling dry corn, parching it in a hot pot and then pounding it in a wooden mortar and sifting it until it is...
callaloo
A thick spicy soup-like dish made with a green leafy vegetable as a main ingredient. The vegetable is usually aramanth or dasheen leaves.
chocho
Chayote. Edible pear shaped green vegetable of the squash family. The vegetable bears on vines and comes in smooth skinned and...
coco plum
Fruit of the Chrysobalanus icaco,which is a shrub or bushy tree, rarely 10 metres tall. In late summer it bears fruit in clusters,...
coconut milk
Liquid produced after squeezing and pressing grated coconut meat with water
coconut water
The liquid inside a coconut
codfish
Fish dried and salted for preservation. The fish is usually the Atlantic or Pacific cod, however, pollock and haddock are sometimes...
A lob made from corn juices and corn meal ;usually made by a mill. It is has been passed down for generations by the indigenous Mayas...
craboo
A small yellow cherry
damsel
A round fruit about the size of a tennis ball. It has a glossy leathery skin that is either green, purple, or some combination of the...
egg fruit
Canistel; A bright yellow ovoid fruit with a pointed tip. It is related to the sapodilla and is edible. The flesh tends to be dryer...
ereba
A round flat bread made from grated cassava which has been repeatedly pressed to remove the juice. For meal preparation, slices are...
escovitch
A process of cooking whereby meat (typically fish) is fried, then doused liberally with a pickling sauce made from vinegar, pimento,...
flittas
A fried batter made from a mix of flour, saltfish, onions, peppers and other spices
frittas
A fried batter made from a mix of flour, saltfish, onions, peppers and other spices
A rich dessert made from caramelised condensed milk, sugar, and peanuts or raisins.
golden apple
Ambarella. An edible fruit growing on large trees up to 30m. The fruits have thick, sometimes leathery skin and dendritic (fibrous or...
golden plum
Ambarella. An edible fruit growing on large trees up to 30m. The fruits have thick, sometimes leathery skin and dendritic (fibrous or...
guinep
Ovoid green fruit that grows in bunches on trees up to 30m high. The fruit typically ripen during the summer. The fruit is related to...
ideal
A homemade frozen pop popular with children. It is made by pouring mixed drinks into small transparent plastic bags, tying the bags...
Describes a style of food preparation that is in accordance with rastafarian beliefs and practices. In its strictest interpretation...
ital food
Any starchy agricultural product used as food. Examples include, but are not limited to, yams, potatoes, bananas, cassava, pumpkins,...
jimbilin
The tree and fruit of Phyllanthus acidus. The intermediate sized tree produces small, flattened, multi-lobed, berries with a high...
johnny cake
A fried bread typically made from baking powder leavened dough.