caribbean food and drink
Jamaica
macka fat
A small, hard to crack nut with flesh that resembles that of the coconut in appearance, taste, and texture.
plant
food
1 comments
St. Vincent
mafobay
Burro bananas are more squared in shape than common yellow bananas. When ripe, the skin is yellow with black spots and the flesh is creamy white. It has a tangy, lemon-banana flavor and is generally soft, getting firmer towards the center.
plant
food
fruit
St. Vincent
malaba
Otaheite apple; Pear shaped fruit with red skin and white flesh. Typically, they contain a single large seed. However, they may occasionally be seedless. The fruit is sweet and is usually eaten raw or used to make drinks.
food
plant
fruit
19 comments
Belize
mali apple
Otaheite apple; Pear shaped fruit with red skin and white flesh. Typically, they contain a single large seed. However, they may occasionally be seedless. The fruit is sweet and is usually eaten raw or used to make drinks.
food
plant
fruit
Haiti
mamba
A spicy nut butter made from peanuts, sugar and hot pepper.
food
Bahamas
Belize
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
mamey
Round fruit between 5 and 9 inches in diameter. The fruit has rough brown skin and contains a single large seed. The flesh of unripe fruit is hard and becomes soft when fully ripened. The fruit is edible with tastes ranging from sour to sweet and reminiscent of apricots.
food
Trinidad & Tobago
mamey sapote
A fruit of the sapodilla family. It has flesh with orange, reddish brown, or yellow colours with a custard like texture. It is valued for its pleasant taste and mixes well with a variety of other foods.
food
Barbados
Belize
Grenada
Jamaica
Montserrat
Trinidad & Tobago
mammee apple
Round fruit between 5 and 9 inches in diameter. The fruit has rough brown skin and contains a single large seed. The flesh of unripe fruit is hard and becomes soft when fully ripened. The fruit is edible with tastes ranging from sour to sweet and reminiscent of apricots.
food
fruit
plant
46 comments
Bahamas
mammee sapota
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 than other sapodillas and the texture is similar to that of a hardboiled egg yolk.
food
plant
Cuba
Dominica
mamon
An edible round, ovoid, or cone shaped fruit around 6-10 cm in diameter, with a lumpy skin. The skin colour changes from bright green to a pale whitish-green as the fruit ripens. The sweet flesh is white or very pale yellow, and has a custard-like texture. Hard , shiny brownish black seeds are spread throughout the insides.
food
plant
5 comments
Cuba
mamoncillo
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 the lychee and have tight, thin but rigid skins. Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, or sweet pulp of the fruit covering a large seed. The pulp is usually cream or orange coloured.
food
fruit
plant
1 comments
Barbados
mangustine
Ziziphus Mauritania; A small round berry about 3/4 inches in diameter. The fruit is green and turns yellow as it ripens. Ripe fruit may occasionally develop a rust brown colour and a cracked texture. The unripe fruit is firm and slightly acidic, and grows softer and mushier when it ripens. The berries have a single hard seed.
food
plant
Barbados
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
St. Lucia
Trinidad & Tobago
St. Vincent
manicou
Opossum
animal
food
81 comments
Jamaica
mannish water
A rich spicy soup made with goat meat as the main ingredient. Usually the goat's head (and sometimes tripe and testicles) is used. The soup is considered to be an aphrodisiac.
food
3 comments
Dominican Republic
manzana de oro
Ambarella. An edible fruit growing on large trees up to 30m. The fruits have thick, sometimes leathery skin and dendritic (fibrous or hairy) seeds. While unripe, the flesh is crisp and firm with a tart acidic taste. As it ripens, it turns yellow, becomes soft and develops a sweet taste and fragrant smell. Both ripe and unripe fruits can be eaten raw. It is also often prepared by juicing, stewing with ginger and sugar, pickling with peppers and spices, or made into chow.
food
1 comments
Guyana
marimanpoke
A tender low-growing herb commonly known as basil.
food
plant
4 comments
Guyana
marinade
A fried batter made from a mix of flour, saltfish, onions, peppers and other spices
food
Guyana
matai
Dessert made with flour and coconut milk, fried and dipped in a sugary liquid.
food
Jamaica
matrimony
A sweet salad of star apple, oranges, grapefruit, and condensed milk.
food
Grenada
St. Lucia
Trinidad & Tobago
mauby
The dried bark of the Colubrina reclinata tree.
plant
food
2 comments
Haiti
may moulin
A meal made by slow cooking seasoned cornmeal. The meal is stirred or turned as it is cooked.
food
Trinidad & Tobago
melongene
Eggplant. A species of nightshade grown for its edible fruit.
food
plant
fruit
2 comments
mespil
Round, oblate, ovaloid, ellipsoidal, or conical fruit varying in size from 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) in width. The immature fruit is hard and has a sandpaper like texture. Typically, the fruit does not ripen until it is picked or falls off the tree. When ripe, the fruit becomes soft and juicy. The flesh may be yellow, reddish brown, or dark brown with smooth or grainy textures. While some fruits may be seedless, they typically contain 3 - 10 hard black seeds in the center. The fruit is considered to be very delicious and is highly desired. The sap or gum from the tree is also a source of 'chicle' the original ingredient used to make chewing gum.
fruit
food
2 comments
Turks & Caicos
US Virgin Islands
mesple
Round fruit between 5 and 9 inches in diameter. The fruit has rough brown skin and contains a single large seed. The flesh of unripe fruit is hard and becomes soft when fully ripened. The fruit is edible with tastes ranging from sour to sweet and reminiscent of apricots.
food
fruit
plant
1 comments
Haiti
militon
Chayote. Edible pear shaped green vegetable of the squash family. The vegetable bears on vines and comes in smooth skinned and prickly skinned varieties. It is typically eaten boiled or in soups.
food
Belize
milk cake
Pound cake made with caramelized condensed milk
food
1 comments
Belize
milky way
A frozen dessert made from condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and put in a plastic wrapping. Sweet corn, kraabu, papaya, guava, mango, or lime can be added.
food
Dominica
mimbre
The fruit and tree of Averrhoa bilimbi. A relative of the carambola or star fruit, the tree produces an edible, green, five pomed, cucumber like fruit.
food
fruit
plant
Aruba
Bonaire
Curacao
US Virgin Islands
mispel
Round, oblate, ovaloid, ellipsoidal, or conical fruit varying in size from 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) in width. The immature fruit is hard and has a sandpaper like texture. Typically, the fruit does not ripen until it is picked or falls off the tree. When ripe, the fruit becomes soft and juicy. The flesh may be yellow, reddish brown, or dark brown with smooth or grainy textures. While some fruits may be seedless, they typically contain 3 - 10 hard black seeds in the center. The fruit is considered to be very delicious and is highly desired. The sap or gum from the tree is also a source of 'chicle' the original ingredient used to make chewing gum.
food
fruit
plant
13 comments
US Virgin Islands
miss blyden
A drink made from prickly pear steeped in rum, sweetened with sugar, and buried for many days.
food
Guyana
mithai
Dessert made with flour and coconut milk, fried and dipped in a sugary liquid.
food
Jamaica
mix flour
Flour that is sold with a small amount of cornmeal mixed in. The ratio of flour to cornmeal is usually suitable for fried or boiled dumplings.
food
Trinidad & Tobago
mocco
Plantains
food
plant
10 comments
Trinidad & Tobago
moko
Burro bananas are more squared in shape than common yellow bananas. When ripe, the skin is yellow with black spots and the flesh is creamy white. It has a tangy, lemon-banana flavor and is generally soft, getting firmer towards the center.
plant
food
fruit
Trinidad & Tobago
monkey apple
Annona purpurea is an edible fruit and medicinal plant in the sweetsop family. The skin is covered with spiky, hook like projections.
food
fruit
plant
6 comments
Guyana
morue
Fish dried and salted for preservation. The fish is usually the Atlantic or Pacific cod, however, pollock and haddock are sometimes used. Preparation typically involves an initial step of soaking in water overnight or boiling to remove the excess salt.
food
Trinidad & Tobago
mosquito bush
A tender low-growing herb commonly known as basil.
food
plant
Dominica
mountain chicken
The Giant Ditch Frog is a species of frog that is native to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. it is hunted and prized as food. the giant ditch frog is one of the largest frogs in the world, with adult females growing up to 21 cm long. it is highly variable in colour, with the upperparts varying from a uniform chestnut-brown to being barred or even spotted. The colour becomes more orange-yellow on the sides of the body, and pale yellow on the underparts. a black line runs from the snout to the angle of the mouth, and the upper-legs often have broad banding.
food
animal
4 comments
Grenada
mountain dew
An extremely potent overproof rum with a fearsome reputation. It is sold under-the-counter (illegally) and usually available during sugar harvest time.
food
Jamaica
mullet
A perch-like fish found in both freshwater and saltwater
food
animal
Guyana
mullgatawny
A rich spicy soup made with goat meat as the main ingredient. Usually the goat's head (and sometimes tripe and testicles) is used. The soup is considered to be an aphrodisiac.
food
Puerto Rico
naranja agria
Seville orange; A thick skinned sour orange used for making beverages and marmalade.
food
plant
Jamaica
naseberry
Round, oblate, ovaloid, ellipsoidal, or conical fruit varying in size from 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) in width. The immature fruit is hard and has a sandpaper like texture. Typically, the fruit does not ripen until it is picked or falls off the tree. When ripe, the fruit becomes soft and juicy. The flesh may be yellow, reddish brown, or dark brown with smooth or grainy textures. While some fruits may be seedless, they typically contain 3 - 10 hard black seeds in the center. The fruit is considered to be very delicious and is highly desired. The sap or gum from the tree is also a source of 'chicle' the original ingredient used to make chewing gum.
food
fruit
10 comments
Jamaica
natto
The fruit and plant of Bixa orellana, commonly known as anatto. It is important for its seeds which are used to produce spices, and bright red/orange food colourings and dyes.
plant
food
3 comments
Antigua & Barbuda
Jamaica
neesberry
Round, oblate, ovaloid, ellipsoidal, or conical fruit varying in size from 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) in width. The immature fruit is hard and has a sandpaper like texture. Typically, the fruit does not ripen until it is picked or falls off the tree. When ripe, the fruit becomes soft and juicy. The flesh may be yellow, reddish brown, or dark brown with smooth or grainy textures. While some fruits may be seedless, they typically contain 3 - 10 hard black seeds in the center. The fruit is considered to be very delicious and is highly desired. The sap or gum from the tree is also a source of 'chicle' the original ingredient used to make chewing gum.
food
fruit
plant
4 comments
Belize
nero
A variety of chili pepper similar to the habanero.
plant
food
2 comments
Barbados
nigger pepper
A small, but hot chili pepper used for cooking. The peppers range in colour from green to red.
food
plant
4 comments
Antigua & Barbuda
Puerto Rico
nispero
Round, oblate, ovaloid, ellipsoidal, or conical fruit varying in size from 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) in width. The immature fruit is hard and has a sandpaper like texture. Typically, the fruit does not ripen until it is picked or falls off the tree. When ripe, the fruit becomes soft and juicy. The flesh may be yellow, reddish brown, or dark brown with smooth or grainy textures. While some fruits may be seedless, they typically contain 3 - 10 hard black seeds in the center. The fruit is considered to be very delicious and is highly desired. The sap or gum from the tree is also a source of 'chicle' the original ingredient used to make chewing gum.
food
plant
2 comments
Jamaica
nutri bulla
A small lightly leavened sweet bread distributed to school children as part of the country's nutritional program
food
Jamaica
nutri bun
A small round bun that is distributed to school children as part of the country's nutritional program
food
Jamaica
nutty buddy
A ice cream snack packaged in a hard cone, with the crown covered in chocolate and chopped nuts.
food
Jamaica
nyammins
Food.
food
1 comments
Trinidad & Tobago
nyanmaments
Food.
food
Antigua & Barbuda
Belize
Dominica
Guyana
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago
St. Vincent
okro
A green fruit bearing on plants up to 6 ft tall. The fruit are fingerlike with a pentagonal cross section and taper to a long point. It is often cooked by boiling or steaming and in some areas is regarded as an aphrodisiac.
food
plant
6 comments
Trinidad & Tobago
orinoco
A type of plaintain.
food
fruit
Jamaica
ortanique
A Jamaican hybrid of the tanderine/mandarin orange and orange. The tangor is valued for it's sweet pleasant taste.
food
fruit
plant
1 comments
Jamaica
otaheite apple
Otaheite apple; Pear shaped fruit with red skin and white flesh. Typically, they contain a single large seed. However, they may occasionally be seedless. The fruit is sweet and is usually eaten raw or used to make drinks.
food
fruit
plant
5 comments
Haiti
pacay
Inga feuilleei is a legume that produces a podded fruit with a smooth textured, sweet, edible white pulp surrounding the seeds.
food
fruit
plant
Trinidad & Tobago
padoo
Inga feuilleei is a legume that produces a podded fruit with a smooth textured, sweet, edible white pulp surrounding the seeds.
food
fruit
plant
5 comments
Trinidad & Tobago
pak choy
Bok Choy
food
plant
1 comments
Belize
panades
Traditional Belizean dish made with corn maize and shark meat
food
Puerto Rico
panapen
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 with a rough green skin with small hexagonal markings. Some varieties have a spiky exterior. The flesh is white, cream coloured or yellow and has a high starch content. It is eaten boiled, roasted, or fried as a staple food.
plant
food
4 comments
Bahamas
pancake
A fried bread typically made from baking powder leavened dough.
food
Jamaica
panganat
Pomegranate. Botanical name Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between 5 and 8 m (16 and 26 ft) tall
fruit
food
plant
8 comments
Jamaica
pap
A breakfast porridge made with cornmeal as a primary ingredient. It may also include milk, coconut milk, sugar, and spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.
food
1 comments
Jamaica
pap chow
Bok Choy
food
plant
1 comments
Puerto Rico
papa
Potato
food
plant
Barbados
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago
papaw
A torpedo, oval, or pear shaped fruit. The fruit bears on a large leafed tree up to 10m tall. When green, it is cooked as if a vegetable. The flesh contains an enzyme named papain that serves as an effective meat tenderiser. When ripe it is yellowish-orange in colour. The flesh is bright orange, soft, and sweet. The insides are hollow containing a lots of seeds with each seed contained in a small liquid filled sac. The seeds and the fluid surrounding them have a bitter taste.
plant
food
fruit
5 comments
Belize
papaya
A torpedo, oval, or pear shaped fruit. The fruit bears on a large leafed tree up to 10m tall. When green, it is cooked as if a vegetable. The flesh contains an enzyme named papain that serves as an effective meat tenderiser. When ripe it is yellowish-orange in colour. The flesh is bright orange, soft, and sweet. The insides are hollow containing a lots of seeds with each seed contained in a small liquid filled sac. The seeds and the fluid surrounding them have a bitter taste.
food
plant
fruit
1 comments
Trinidad & Tobago
paratha roti
A roti made with butter, usually ghee. Oil is rubbed on both sides, then it is cooked on a tawah. This gives the roti a crisp outside. When it almost finished cooking, the cook begins to beat it, causing it to crumble
food
Jamaica
parrot
Parrotfish
animal
food
1 comments
Trinidad & Tobago
parsad
A sweet dessert made from flour and cream of wheat.
food
2 comments
Jamaica
passion
Passion fruit
food
fruit
Puerto Rico
pastel
A dish consisting of mixed meat stewed with capers, olives, raisins and prunes, wrapped in cornmeal, then wrapped in banana or plantain leaves and boiled.
food
Trinidad & Tobago
pastelle
A dish consisting of mixed meat stewed with capers, olives, raisins and prunes, wrapped in cornmeal, then wrapped in banana or plantain leaves and boiled.
food
Jamaica
patty
A light flaky pastry filled with a savoury filling. Traditionally they were filled with ground beef, but modern incarnations can have a variety of fillings including chicken, callaloo, cabbage, or ackee and saltfish.
food
1 comments
Jamaica
patty and coco bread
A lunch or snack item consisting of a patty sandwiched inside a coco bread.
food
St. Lucia
Trinidad & Tobago
payme
A dessert item similar to bread pudding that is made from any combination of cassava, coco, sweet potato, or cornmeal along with flour, sugar and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. The mixture is traditionally wrapped in leaves (banana or taro) or cloth and then boiled until cooked.
food
Antigua & Barbuda
Barbados
Belize
Jamaica
pear
Avocado. Edible pear shaped or round fruit with an egg shaped seed. The flesh is green on the outside and turns yellow closer to the seed.
food
plant
fruit
2 comments
Barbados
Belize
Guyana
British Virgin Isles.
US Virgin Islands
peas and rice
A dish made from rice and peas or beans. Red kidney beans and gungo are commonly used. The dish is typically prepared with coconut milk and lots of seasoning.
food
5 comments
Trinidad & Tobago
peewah
Fruit of the Bactris gasipaes which is a species of palm native to the tropical forests of South and Central America. The fruit is a drupe with edible pulp surrounding the single seed, 4–6 cm long and 3–5 cm broad. The rind (epicarp) of the fruit can be red, yellow, or orange when the fruit is ripe, depending on the variety of the palm.
fruit
food
2 comments
Dominica
Trinidad & Tobago
St. Vincent
pelau
A one-pot mixture of peas and rice, cooked with meat
food
11 comments
Trinidad & Tobago
penny piece
This is the fruit of a medium to evergreen tree, endemic of the Antilles with a wide canopy of big, oval leaves. Its wood is hard, firm, strong and very heavy, so it is widely used to build furniture and light posts. Rounded fruit, with a sparse, sweetish pulp, are yellow-orange with creamy taste, sometimes mushy, with a delightful and delicate flavor.
fruit
food
plant
28 comments
Belize
peppa sweet
A hard candy surrounded by paprika.
food
Antigua & Barbuda
pepperpot
A spicy spinach based soup flavoured with pork. It is often eaten as a Boxing Day tradition.
food
2 comments
Dominican Republic
perita haitiana
Ziziphus Mauritania; A small round berry about 3/4 inches in diameter. The fruit is green and turns yellow as it ripens. Ripe fruit may occasionally develop a rust brown colour and a cracked texture. The unripe fruit is firm and slightly acidic, and grows softer and mushier when it ripens. The berries have a single hard seed.
food
plant
Guyana
Trinidad & Tobago
pholourie
Savoury fritter made from seasoned split pea flour. Traditionally served with chutney.
food
13 comments
Haiti
pied caimite
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 two colours. Inside is a purple and white milky flesh that exhibits a distinct star pattern. The fruit is sweet and eaten raw
food
plant
fruit
Trinidad & Tobago
pimento
A banana-shaped pepper that changes from pale to deep yellow or orange as they mature.
food
plant
1 comments
Jamaica
pinda
Peanuts.
food
plant
Jamaica
pinda cake
Peanut brittle. A hard candy made from peanuts and brown sugar. Some wangla include sesame seeds.
food
Bahamas
Jamaica
pine
Pineapple - a tropical plant with edible multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries, named for resemblance to the pine cone.
food
fruit
plant
5 comments
Puerto Rico
platano
Plantains
food
fruit
plant
St. Vincent
plimrose
Otaheite apple; Pear shaped fruit with red skin and white flesh. Typically, they contain a single large seed. However, they may occasionally be seedless. The fruit is sweet and is usually eaten raw or used to make drinks.
food
plant
fruit
Barbados
plum pudding
A dense steamed cake/pudding made with dried vine fruit (raisins, prunes, etc) that have been steeped in rum or wine.
food
Montserrat
St. Vincent
plumrose
Otaheite apple; Pear shaped fruit with red skin and white flesh. Typically, they contain a single large seed. However, they may occasionally be seedless. The fruit is sweet and is usually eaten raw or used to make drinks.
food
plant
21 comments
Haiti
pois congo
Pigeon peas.
food
Trinidad & Tobago
pois doux
Inga edulis (eng. ice-cream-bean) is a fruit native to South America. The pods contain black seeds which are embedded in a thick white juicy pulp that tastes slightly like vanilla ice cream.
fruit
food
3 comments
Jamaica
police button
Small yellow oval shaped cookies that resemble the brass buttons on a colonial era policeman's uniform.
food
Dominica
Montserrat
Trinidad & Tobago
pomerac
Otaheite apple; Pear shaped fruit with red skin and white flesh. Typically, they contain a single large seed. However, they may occasionally be seedless. The fruit is sweet and is usually eaten raw or used to make drinks.
food
fruit
plant
89 comments