Barbadian Recipes

Barbadian, or Bajan, food grows out of English, West African and Caribbean traditions, shaped by the sugar estates of the past and by the sea around the island. Flying fish, steamed or fried, is the emblem of the table and is served with cou-cou, a soft dish of cornmeal and okra. Everyday cooking starts with Bajan seasoning, a paste of herbs, onion, garlic and pepper rubbed on meat and fish before cooking. Saturday means pudding and souse, and Sunday lunch brings baked chicken or pork with rice and peas, macaroni pie and salad. Breads and baked goods matter, from salt bread rolls to coconut bread and rum-soaked cakes at Christmas. Pepper sauce, often blended with mustard, is on every table, and rum is the local spirit, mixed into punch or sipped neat. Conkies, steamed in leaves, are made for Independence Day in November.

Staple ingredients

• flying fish
• cornmeal and okra
• sweet potatoes
• pigeon peas and rice
• pork
• Bajan seasoning
• scotch bonnet pepper sauce
• rum

• Main Dishes 3
• Side Dishes 1
• Breads 1
• Desserts 1
• Drinks 1
• Sauces, Dips and Condiments 1

Main Dishes

• Cou-Cou and Flying Fish (Barbadian National Dish)BB1 h 5 minMedium
• Flying Fish Cutter (Bajan Fried Fish Sandwich)BB35 minEasy
• Pudding and Souse (Bajan Saturday Dish)BB2 h 50 minMedium

Side Dishes

• Bajan Macaroni Pie (Baked Macaroni and Cheese)BB1 h 5 minEasy

Breads

• Bajan Salt Bread (Barbadian Soft Rolls)BB50 minMedium

Desserts

• Conkies (Barbadian Steamed Cornmeal and Pumpkin Parcels)BB1 h 50 minMedium

Drinks

• Bajan Rum Punch (One of Sour, Two of Sweet)BB15 minEasy

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

• Bajan Seasoning (Barbadian Herb Marinade)BB20 minEasy