The Scottish Caribbean Food Influence, Man

The Caribbean. Sun. Sea. Rum. Everything you need as you dip your toes into the sandy bed of the salt water and bask in the rays of total and utter paradise. But what if you can’t get to the real Caribbean? What if your entire experience is just the morsel that hits your palette? In the jungle that is Glasgow city, the Caribbean culture thrives.

There are numerous societies and clubs that provide social interaction and a shared cultural understanding such as the African Caribbean Society promoted by Glasgow Caledonian University and the African Caribbean Women’s Association. Glasgow University also has its own Afro-Caribbean group.

This article is all about Caribbean food. And Glasgow loves Caribbean food. A tropical twist to a damp rainy Scottish city. What a vibrant and ecstatic addition to the Glasgow cultural salad. There are various Caribbean restaurants in Glasgow City Centre such as the Rum Shack. Their menu consists of traditional Caribbean ingredients with a Scottish twist. They even have a performance space for live music and dance.

And there are other places to go such as Bantaba Afro Caribbean Restaurant, the well-known food chain Manjaros and, in other parts of Scotland, as favourable mentions, there is Kool Runnings in Inverness, Jamrock Jerk in Edinburgh and Tango Turtle in Aberdeen.

Caribbean cuisine is an emulsion of colour and flavour. Plantain, Jerk, Pepper pot, Roti, Breadfruit, Rice and Peas as well as many other tasty dishes. According to Trip Advisor, the best Caribbean restaurants in Glasgow are Pepe’s Piri, The Calabash African Bar and Restaurant, Wingerz and The Rum Shack.

By Eilidth Hamilton

According to the reviews, there is love all around. For example, one customer wrote of The Rum Shack in 2018:

“Arrived early today for lunch, warm friendly greeting. Ordered jerk chicken Pattie (Scottish edition!), with jerk salmon and jerk chicken with a side on homemade hot sauce!

Portions big enough not to merit a Starter. Plenty of food, ginger beer perfectly complements the food. Will definitely be back!”

Another customer wrote of Pepe’s Piri Piri in 2019:

“Brilliant customer service great food I tried the one in Thornliebank yesterday and it had the best chicken and fries ever. Great friendly staff, even though they were run off their feet. Extremely busy but kept the high standards of food and service. I would highly recommend.”

And someone was very happy when they went to

Wingerz:

“Stumbled upon this hidden Gem on the way home from meeting some friends. The wings are seriously good. I have tried 4 different combos and all have been great. It is reasonably priced, and the taste is fantastic. Would thoroughly recommend if you’re thinking of grabbing something quick to eat with a friend. Very, very, very good!”

The Caribbean food market in the UK has gotten more influential and popular in recent years. This is probably due to the reinforcement of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Windrush Scandal. In an article by the Guardian, ‘Beyond the Scotch Bonnet: The Rise of Caribbean Food in the UK’ written in 2019, it addresses:

“Against the backdrop of the Windrush scandal, it feels as though more British people of Caribbean descent are taking pains to learn about their history but, in general, the rich narrative of British-Caribbean food is not as widely known as it ought to be. Twelve years ago, Jamaican food entrepreneur Wade Lyn declared in the Guardian that it was “still difficult to find a Caribbean restaurant in most of our major cities, let alone some of our smaller towns”. Interest has grown since then, with the expansion of chains such as Cottons and Rum Kitchen, plus the arrival of McDonald’s jerk burger and Jamie Oliver’s jerk rice: Caribbean food is, for better or sometimes worse, part of the mainstream.” Caribbean food is essential to the overall British identity. In Scotland, both the African and Caribbean communities live for their food and express great pride in sharing their cuisine with the Scots. Recipes passed down from generation to generation brought forward. Through the good times and the bad, through slavery

and oppression, the Caribbean cuisine has survived and created a lasting impression on the Scottish tongue.

In 2019, The Daily Record reported that a multi-racial couple, Derrick and Sharon Vaughan, based in East-Ayrshire, had purchased a van, renovated it and used it to go around cooking and selling Caribbean dishes. Mr. Vaughan commented:

“There’s really not a lot of Caribbean food on offer in Scotland. “I’ve been trying the meals out on friends and colleagues and they have loved it. They told us we had to do this.”