Caribbean Food Fusion A Background
If you have ever sampled the delights of Caribbean cuisine, then you know that it is infused with delightful herbs and spices and flavors found in different parts of the world. This is because the history of the Caribbean is inflected with different cultures, East and West.
If you have already been introduced to Caribbean food, then you are someone who knows how delicious it is, however perhaps you have not yet realized how easy it is to cook Caribbean recipes at home in your very own kitchen.
Whatever the reason, sampling Caribbean dishes changes your world. The enjoyment factor when you get a little taste of the caribbean in dishes using authentic flavors, makes life that little more enjoyable.
Why is Caribbean cooking fusion cooking? The original south American indian tribes that inhabited the islands of the Caribbean, the Arawaks, Taino and Caribs cooked using the fruits and vegetables found on the islands. As more people from around the world arrived, the Europeans, who brought enslaved Africans, techniques, flavors and ingredients began to change.
As the Africans eat what was left from their slave masters, they coupled their own cooking techniques with the new ingredients and made from them delicious slow cooked stews and energy sustaining meals. They added herbs and spices to flavor the meat, and added vegetables to make the meals stretch. Later the influx of Chinese and Asian workers from Asia, added to the culinary mix.
If you enjoy home cooking and you like trying different cooking styles, try out some Caribbean recipes at home. Use the best ingredients that you can find and make sure that they are fresh. This will add to the intensity of the flavor and the success of the dishes.
The most important aspect of this style of cooking is in the marinades. If you are cooking a meat dish them be sure to season and leave to marinade for at least 2 hours, or preferable overnight in the fridge. This is an important part of Caribbean cooking as it is how the meat is tenderized and the flavors are allowed to soak in, giving the dish greater depth and body.
Cooking meat slowly is another feature of Caribbean food. Remember the islands are a relaxing place. So should the method by which you cook island food. Slow cooking helps meat to develop flavor and tenderness if cooked over a low fire.
I hope this article has given you a little taste of the Caribbean and has even, possibly got you in the mood to try out some Caribbean recipes for yourself. As said before, Caribbean food is really a fusion style of cooking. The inhabitants of the Islands took what was available to them and created dishes that are still with us today.