Andrew Hulsmeier
Shopping
“Dig your own” sweet potatoes being sold by the rod in the St. George valley
Healthy Barbadian Produce Fish Caught daily from the waters around Barbados and served fresh are flying fish, barracuda, mahi mahi (also called dolphin, but not the mammal), king fish, marlin, tuna, snapper, amber jack and many others. While on the subject of fish, there’s also shark oil, sold in the Cheapside Market.
Ground Provisions Almost weekly, local newspapers feature photographs of centenarians being visited by the Governor General. When interviewed about the secrets of their longevity the first answer is usually ‘the Lord God in heaven’ often followed by ‘ground provisions’. Yam, sweet potato, eddo and cassava, and other tropical root crops, are the staples in the traditional Barbadian diet, served in a variety of delicious ways. Cassava flour has surged in popularity as a wheat free alternative for baking. Cassava bread is sold in most supermarkets and there’s a small shop in St. George Street in Bridgetown that brings in the large, frying-pan-sized ones from Guyana. They keep, without refrigeration, for months.
Local Herbs and Spices The royal herbs of parsley, basil, broadleaf thyme and marjoram are all grown in Barbados and available fresh year round. They are added to spices, onion and fresh pepper to make “Bajan Seasoning” used like a rub in the preparation of fish, chicken and meat. Numerous wild plants are dried and used for making “bush tea” which is prescribed for just about any ailment. There are ladies that sell dried bush of various types in Bridgetown’s Cheapside Market.
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Ins & Outs of Barbados
Honey The extraordinary healing properties of honey are myriad and it is an excellent sweetener. Farmed locally and also brought in from neighboring islands, honey is often sold in the market in recycled rum bottles.
Goat’s Milk If you can’t tell the goats here from the sheep, a simple way is to remember that the goat’s tails stick up and the sheep’s hang down. Gentle enough on the stomach to be given to babies, locally produced, fresh goat’s milk is sold island wide in supermarkets.
Vegetables Breadfruit, a popular starchy vegetable hangs from beautiful foliage trees all over the island. Spinach, pumpkin, finger squash, christophene, string beans, pigeon peas, cabbage, zucchini, Chinese cabbage, corn, cauliflower, carrot, lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, tomato, sweet pepper, a local dark green variety of celery, radish and eggplant are all grown in Barbados, sold at reasonable prices and available freshly harvested from supermarkets, markets and roadside hucksters.
Chicken, Pork, Beef and Black Belly Lamb Bajan Pork, the other white meat, is considered by many to be some of the best in the world - possibly something to do with the quality of the water. Black Belly Lamb is a very lean and cholesterol-free red meat.
Molasses and Straw Crystal Sugar Black Strap Molasses made from local sugar cane is rich in iron, calcium and vitamin B6. If you must have a little sweetness in your life, Barbados sugar is also a good way to get it. The occasional nip of Barbados rum can also be good for you.