THE CARIBBEAN- OUR HERITAGE IN FOODS The appeal of Caribbean cuisine might be explained by the melting pot that it truly represents of several cultures which came together in the making of the West Indian nations. The story of the English Speaking Caribbean begins with the Tainos and Caribs, the two groups of Amerindians who settled the islands long before Columbus. The peaceful Taino Indians were descendants of the Arawaks who migrated to the north-eastern portion of South America about 4000 years ago. They settled in Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti and subsisted on a diet of fish and meat, smoked slowly over a fire or in large clay pots, as well as indigenous crops. To the south, in the Lesser Antilles, lived the more 'assertive' Carib hunters who ate pretty much the same foods as the Tainos but spiced things up a bit with hot pepper sauces and lemon juice. These Amerindians have not been the only influence on Caribbean cuisine. The culinary preferences of the other settlers - the Spaniards, the English, the Africans, the Indians, Jews, Chinese and other Caribbean islanders have all contributed to the enrichment of our unique Caribbean taste. The Spaniards who settled much of the region in the 1490s brought their staple, rice and, along with the Portuguese, were responsible for the introduction of codfish. They also brought cattle, goats, pigs and lard from animal fat and introduced tress and fruit from spain such as the Seville and Valencia oranges. The popular 'escoveitched fish' and empanadas and many pea and bean dishes originated in Spain. The British buccaneers used to lay strips of meat on green wood to dry over a slow fire. The popular Jamaican 'jerk' is prepared in a similar fashion. Later, more refined British settlers, would retain their traditional dishes of roasted meat, Yorkshire pudding and Christmas puddings. The Africans, brought mainly to the islands as slaves, created dishes which blended their traditional African foods with what was made available to them by their masters. The plantation owner, by law had to supply their slaves with salted meats at least once per year. The slaves, in turn supplemented these rations with food which they grew themselves. Some present day combinations such as Bammy and fried fish,ackee and salt fish and mackerel and banana are the creations of our African ancestors. After slavery was abolished in the 1830s, labourers were imported from China and India to work in the sugarcane fields. They brought with them their own culinary traditions many of which have survived. These include curried goat (Indian) rice, pak choi, and mustard(Chinese). The Hindu influence is stronger in Trinidad, Martinique and Guadeloupe where the introduction of curry powder added verve to the local culinary repetoire. So of course we know it's not all black history. But we at gracefoods take every opportunity to celebrate our history in food. We hope you enjoyed the brief history and are sure you will enjoy trying out dishes from around the islands.   Foods eaten by the Tainos The Tainos caught different types of fish including Dorado, Grouper, Snapper, Lobster and shellfish. They hunted iguanas, Indian coneys and water birds Indigenous crops Manioc, sweet potatoes, yams, corn, peanuts, hog plums, mamee apples and star apples. Trees and Fruits from Spain limes, lemons, tamarinds, ginger, plantains, figs, date palms, coconuts, sugar cane, tamarinds, pomegranates, grapes, bananas   Other crops that were brought to the Caribbean Breadfruit - Learn something about the mutinous history of this Jamaican favorite Ackee - Explore the history of Jamaica's national fruit and check out the recipe for Fiery Ackee and Mackerel Toss Coffee - Find out what makes Jamaican coffee the best in the world Coconuts - Find out why Coconut is known as the 'Tree of Heaven' Sugar Cane - 'King Sugar' has played a pivotal role in the history of Jamaica - Find out why This and more information can be found in the book "Roots to Table Top" published through Grace, Kennedy's Arts and Culture Department.

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