A family holiday to the Bahamas? Ah! Doesn’t that sound like heaven? Days spent on blue, wavy seas on a luxury cruise ship with the people you love. Then, roaming the islands together, enjoying a new culture and Bahamian cuisine.
When you board a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, you have no idea what an adventure awaits you!
However, no matter how much pleasure you gain from sightseeing, discovering Bahamian cuisine is something else! After all, food is a global language of love and connection, and the Bahamas offers visitors a truly unparalleled culinary experience.
Get ready with your family to enjoy the friendly hospitality of the Bahamas. Be prepared to be amazed by the colourful tastes of the Bahamian food.
Explore the Exotic Essence of Bahamian Cuisine
Bahamian cuisine truly reflects the region's long history. Did you know that Bahamian cuisine combines distinctive Caribbean, European, and African flavours to create something new? The end product is a blend of tropical fruits, fresh seafood, and various spices that make an unforgettable experience!
When you visit the place with your family, be prepared to be a bold eater! After all, the food culture here is more like touring a festival than sitting primarily on a formal dinner. Now, let's look at the items you couldn’t miss during this memorable holiday.
10 Must-Try Bahamian Dishes
1. Conch Salad
If you're in the Bahamas, never even think about leaving without trying conch salad at least once! The main ingredients are diced conch, chopped tomatoes, onion, and additional items such as peppers. A marinade of lime, lemon, and orange juice is used during its preparation, and even though the Conch is somewhat "cooked" by the marinade, your conch salad will be largely raw.
2. Steamed Crawfish
Share the exotic steamed crawfish dish with your family during a joyful dinner after a long day of travelling around! Crawfish are rather fierce-looking lobster-like seafood that goes by a variety of names. A must-try Bahamian delicacy, these delicious pieces of sweet, meaty crustacean can be prepared in various ways. However, in the Bahamas, steamed crawfish are offered with tropical fruit salad and lime juice to compliment the saltiness of the crawfish.
3. Baked Crab
We promise you try this just once, and your entire family will get hooked! You might be thinking, what’s so new about baked crab? That's because you haven’t tried it in Bahama yet! The crab is cooked within the shell before being taken out and dressed with various spices, and then the prepared food is crammed back into the shell and served hot.
4. Grits
This is such a staple on the island, a simple dish of cooked cornmeal. There are countless ways to season and spruce up this dish, so every time you order it in a new restaurant during your travels, it will taste a little different! This traditional dish, which has a delicate yellow-white hue, is made by combining cornmeal and milk, then constantly stirred after adding butter, cream, cheese, and salt. Grits are seasoned with paprika, garlic, and cayenne pepper and can be a bit hot, so be ready for that burn! The meal is served with broiled shrimp, bacon, or sausage on the side to make it even more mouth-watering.
5. Stewed Fish
Made with fresh local seafood, such as snapper or conch, the Bahamian stewed fish dish is simply perfect! Local herbs, such as thyme, onion, potato, carrot, and celery, are the common ingredients, along with a little tomato paste. The best way to have Bahamian stewed fish is with a cool bottle of local beverage such as Kalik (for the adults) or a thick slice of buttered Johnny cake.
6. Cracked Conch
The cracked conch dish is just as popular among touring families as conch salad! Cracked conch is prepared by tenderizing the conch flesh with a mallet before seasoning, coating it in batter or breadcrumbs, and then frying it. In most places, it is served with Old Sour sauce as a dip for the savoury chunks of perfectly cooked conch.
7. Souse
This well-known Bahamian meal can be exotic for your family, but you are on holiday, so why not try something new? Souse stew uses common ingredients like onions, lime juice, peppers, potatoes, and bay leaves, but the meat is tricky! The meat ranges from chicken or sheep's tongue to pig's feet or oxtail. This is such a savoury dish, so never say no before trying it!
8. Rum Cake
No family dinner is complete without dessert, and a slice of Rum cake is just what the tourists like! The rum cake is prepared with hand-blended rum, and vanilla gives this deliciously light buttery cake the right flavour. This is simply ideal for anybody with a sweet tooth; what’s more, it comes in multiple flavours, including pineapple, banana, and coconut.
9. Johnny Cake
Johnny cakes are prepared with only a few common ingredients like milk, butter, sugar, and flour, and it's a great alternative to rum cake if you want something simpler for the children! They are also often served during breakfast, cut in large slices, and even though you can eat the cake without adding anything else, spreading some butter or jam on top makes it more delicious!
10. Guava Duff
Try it just once, and you will forever remember its taste! The rum sauce poured over the dessert before it is served is the key to making this chopped guava cake perfect. Well, yes, it is not for small children, but you can always order some Johnny cake for them while you eat a finger-licking slice of this cake!
Well, that’s our special list of 10 foods you can't miss in the Bahamas, but you can always pack some storable items to return home! Why not stock up on local items like guava jam, pure coconut oil, or Bahamian spicy sauce to bring some of the Bahamas with you? Visit a local market such as Potter's Cay Dock or the Nassau Straw Market to buy distinctive Bahamian spices and sauces. After you return, you can also gift those items to friends or try cooking Bahamian dishes at home with real Bahamian ingredients!
