Caribbean Food Fusion A Background
If you have ever sampled the delights of Caribbean cuisine, then you know that it is infused with delightful herbs and spices and flavors found in different parts of the world. This is because the history of the Caribbean is inflected with different cultures, East and West.
If you have already been introduced to Caribbean food, then you are someone who knows how delicious it is, however perhaps you have not yet realized how easy it is to cook Caribbean recipes at home in your very own kitchen.
That does not matter, the authentic flavors and tastes of the Caribbean can be yours with the wealth of ingredients available that are today very common, in no time you will be enjoying the delights of island cooking in your own kitchen.
Why is Caribbean cooking fusion cooking? The original south American indian tribes that inhabited the islands of the Caribbean, the Arawaks, Taino and Caribs cooked using the fruits and vegetables found on the islands. As more people from around the world arrived, the Europeans, who brought enslaved Africans, techniques, flavors and ingredients began to change.
Their ingenuity, combining the meat and vegetables with spices and herbs, slow cooking cuts that others didn’t want brought new flavours, and fantastic stews were born during this time. As slavery ended and Colonizers went to China and India to obtain indentured laborers. The Asian workers brought with them their cooking styles and added it to the melting pot that is Caribbean cooking.
If you enjoy home cooking and you like trying different cooking styles, try out some Caribbean recipes at home. Use the best ingredients that you can find and make sure that they are fresh. This will add to the intensity of the flavor and the success of the dishes.
The most important aspect of this style of cooking is in the marinades. If you are cooking a meat dish them be sure to season and leave to marinade for at least 2 hours, or preferable overnight in the fridge. This is an important part of Caribbean cooking as it is how the meat is tenderized and the flavors are allowed to soak in, giving the dish greater depth and body.
Unless you are frying the meat, it is usual for Caribbean meat to be slow cooked. This allows the seasonings to further penetrate the meat and for a good gravy base to develop. Steaming, boiling, stir frying are all techniques used in Caribbean cooking when it comes to vegetables. You may try roasting veg as well. Jamaicans, Barbadians and Trinidadians all enjoy eating roasted Yams, Corn and Breadfruit.
Although this article is more about tempting you to try cooking Caribbean food at home, don’t worry about recipes you can find those on the net. As we said Caribbean food is about great ingredients, freshness and fusion, so don’t forget to add your own little bit of flair to the mix. It will help to make the recipes you may have got from someone else, more your own.
