Food of Barbados - Part II

[ShawtyCat]

Ham Cutters and Cheese Cutters

What else is there to do with leftover Christmas Ham?? Make sandwiches! That is essentially what a "Ham Cutter" is. Fresh, sliced ham on a hard roll with hot sauce. Hard to imagine that a simple ham sandwich could become an unofficial national snack. When you substitute cheese (for those Seven Days Adventists who don't eat pork) for the ham, then you have a "Cheese Cutter". You will find these two sandwiches at many shops throughout the island.

Jam Puff

If you have ever visited a New Jersey diner and have seen the Apple Turnovers then this is what a Jam Puff basically looks like. It resembles a Turnover but is filled with what I believe to be raspberry jam, glazed and sprinkled with sugar. Very sweet.

Tamarind Balls

A sweet-tart treat loved by school children everywhere. Composed of Tamarind, Brown Sugar and a spice I will ask my mom to identify. I never asked....I've always made mine with only tamarind and sugar.

Tamarind Jam

Tamarinds

Sugar

Water

Cinnamon Stick

Add everything to the pot and reduce. Dont reduce too much or you will end up with Tamarind Paste. Strain to remove seeds and cinnamon stick.

Gooseberry Jam

See tamarind jam.

[ShawtyCat]

Cassava Pone

grated coconut

sugar

salt

half an orange rind

shortening

eggs

vanilla

milk

mixed spice

cassava flour

Stir together all the dry ingredients, add shortening, milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix till everything comes together. Put mixture into a baking pan and bake for an 1 1/2 hours at 350F. Slice into portions and serve.

Shugga Cakes ...err..Sugar Cakes

grated coconut

sugar

water

Add sugar and water to a pot and simmer till the sugar melts. Add the grated coconut and let it go to a slow boil. Make sure you stir so the mixture doesn't burn. Cook it till it looks greasy, then drop it by the spoonful onto a plate that you've wet with a little water. Let it set.

[SamanthaF]

Ham Cutters and Cheese Cutters

I used to love flying fish cutters, purchased from Mr Delicious on Enterprise Beach.

[ShawtyCat]

I love Oistins! Flying Fish Cutters are great! Although my grandmother once substituted the Flying Fish with Red Herring... Oistins at least HASN'T changed much. I love the Fish fries. I remember buying fried chicken gizzards somewhere....can't quite remember since it was about 15 years ago.

Speaking of Flying Fish...I should post ingredients and the method for making Cou Cou and Flying Fish sometime soon.

[Holly Moore]

The reading I've done on the Oistins fish fry is that it happens mostly on Friday night. I will be in Barbados on a Monday or Tuesday. Is Oistins still worth checking out on these days. Is it both lunch and dinner. Where else might one "dine" for casual, informal and representative Barbados cooking.

[Scottf]

Holly

The big night in Oistins is Friday. All of the huts open and the atmosphere is like that of a carnival. During the week I only noticed a couple of the huts open, and the queues were long. I would say that it was the best place for casual dining.

[Holly Moore]

Yeah, looks like I'll have to figure out a way to be in Barbados on a Friday.

When I asked for authentic local cuisine from a restaurant that's been around for awhile, my hotel sent me to Brown Sugar in Bridgeport. Nice place, but fancier than I was seeking. Started with a pepperpot stew of lamb and beef shin, then a plate full of flying fish. The stew was great, a nice sweet, peppery hot. The flying fish were ok, but a very heavy breading. Don't know if that's typical of Barbados cooking or not.

On the return to the hotel, my cab driver drove me through Bridgeport. We went down one street, don't remember the name, but he said this street used to have partying going on all through the night. There was a woman vendor frying fish under a tin roof and surrounded by a bunch of people waiting their turn. I've got a feeling this was where I should have had dinner, but there was no way the hotel was going to send me here. Hopefully I can find it when I return.

[coastcat]

We went down one street, don't remember the name, but he said this street used to have partying going on all through the night.

Could it have been Baxter Road, which Calvin Trillin wrote about it in Travels With Alice?

Gosh, that book made me hungry.

[ShawtyCat]

No. Brown Sugar Restaruant is on Aquatic Gap in Bridgetown. And yes, heavy breading is very typical to Bajan Fried Fish. If you think that was alot you should see our Fried Chicken.

If you want to see Brown Sugar's site, go here:

Brown Sugar Restaurant

....and yes....I am still alive.

Edited February 28, 2003 by ShawtyCat (log)

[ngatti]

Welcome back, Shawty!

Nick

[Jason Perlow]

Hey Shawty! Did you notice that the official eGullet cocktail now has a very Bajan ingredient?

http://recipes.egullet.com/showrecipe.php?r_id=109

[october271986]

So ShawtyCat, did you ever post a recipe for Bajan Rum cake?

I came back from Barbados last week with a healthy amount of rum (or unhealthy amount) and I thought a cake might be fun thing to do with it.

[oliveDC]

Holly

The big night in Oistins is Friday.  All of the huts open and the atmosphere is like that of a carnival.  During the week I only noticed a couple of the huts open, and the queues were long.  I would say that it was the best place  for casual dining.

←

I realize this thread is ages old, but I'm headed to Barbados (near Oistins) this weekend, but won't be there Friday night. Anyone out there know if the fish fry goes down on Saturdays, too? Any other culinary adventure tips?

Many thanks.

[Free Martha]

I just returned from Barbados last week, and I went to ostins on friday, I ran into my old fish vender, Mr Haynes. He owns the Fish Net and grills Dophin, king fish etc. only on friday night and is open for business daily selling fish (Market).

You will find a few stalls open nightly, but not much is happening.

I was an Executive Chef in Barbados 94-97 living on the west side. I returned to my favorite Rum shop for dinner, Marshals ,which is located across from the cricket field on Holders Hill. You can order rum by the bottle, along with bottles of cokes, ice and a bowl of limes and enjoy a good Bajan meal.

If you are on the east side, try the Alantis hotel, Especially on sunday, The place is true, Old Caribbean and Mr. Williams (owner) is always there as a gracious host.

Don't forget the lunch trucks, one is by Sandy Lane and another is behind Super Center in Hole Town.

[oliveDC]

Thanks for the tips. We had a fantastic trip (stayed at the tiny Little Arches which was great), and had lunch at Lexie's over among the fish fry stalls, even though we missed Friday night. Fried flying fish and marlin with a little of that tasty yellow hot sauce.

Cafe Luna (on the roof of Little Arches) proved to be a great food spot though it's currently closed to the public (something about liquor license problems). They bring in Caribbean lobster on Saturday night and serve it either grilled with herbs and butter (my choice), Chinese style in a sauce (my hub's choice) or as thermidor. They also did a very nice tuna tartar with capers and great smoked marlin.

Also ate at Josef's (which I suspect is a tourist trap we fell into) and South Seas which was much better, both in St. Lawrence Gap.

Ah, if only I was still munching on a flying fish cutter and drinking rum instead of looking out at the frigid DC day.