Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dusted pork chops and delectably greasy BBQ ribs. Mutton is common too, often served as
a curried stew or souse.
Peas 'n' rice, a humble combination of rice and red beans, is the island's top starch,
its name synonymous with home for lonely overseas Bahamians. Mac 'n' cheese - dense
squares of baked noodles mixed with gooey cream cheese and topped with bubbling ched-
dar - vies for a close second. Other down-home favorites include potato salad, pea soup
with dumplings (chunks of boiled pastry dough), coleslaw and plantains.
Meat patties, spiced ground beef or chicken served in a fried pastry shell, are a lunchtime
treat, as is roti, a West Indian dish of flatbread and meat or vegetables.
Colonial cultural hangovers are often retained on menus in tourist spots as well as in res-
idential suburbs. Regular dishes include steak and kidney pudding, bangers and mash, and
shepherd's pie.
If you're overwhelmed by all this meat and starch, keep your eyes open for roadside
stands selling local fruits like plantains, cassava, mangoes, finger chilis, papayas, pine-
apples and soursops.
Seafood
Many Bahamians still make their living pulling fish from the glittering turquoise seas, and
seafood is unsurprisingly a staple of Bahamian cuisine. Look out for conch, crab, grouper,
jack, shrimp, snapper, turbot, and tuna, often fried or served in sandwiches or stews. Carib-
bean spiny lobsters (crawfish) are a favorite. They're delicious cooked in butter with pep-
pers and onions.
After conch, grouper is the hands-down favorite seafood. With mild, firm white flesh, it
holds up well to frying - deep-fried 'grouper fingers' are a mainstay.
DOS & DON'TS
» Do tip 15% with a smile at all restaurants and bars.
» Do take a small gift when dining at someone's home.
» Don't smoke indoors at restaurants.
» Don't assume drinking alcohol is the norm, many islanders are teetotalers.
Dessert
In Nassau, Mortimer Candies has been serving up sweet treats like
benne (sesame seed) bars, fudge, and mints in the colors of the Bahami-
an flag for more than 80 years. You can find their products in grocery
stores nationwide.
