Healthy and delicious food has always been an integral part of the Caribbean island nicknamed The Nature Island, for obvious reasons, of course. Indeed, Dominica offers exquisite culinary experiences, where farm-to-table endeavours, seafood dishes and freshly-caught fish (in sustainable ways), herbs, plants with medicinal properties, spices from locally grown farms, and fine dining all intertwine and excite the senses. With influences from African, Asian, French, and Caribbean cuisine, Dominican foods are absolutely flavoursome with an emphasis on local, fresh ingredients. Below is a small sample of the most popular dishes you can spoil your taste buds with!
Mountain Chicken – A Chickenless Dish!
There is a local giant frog species locally known as mountain chicken! So, this is merely a classic chicken recipe rather than a dish featuring frog legs. Also regarded as a national Dominican food, the mountain chicken recipe involves frying up the frogs' legs and then spicing and seasoning before they are served with plantains, pumpkin, yucca, yams, or other local vegetables and a spicy sauce.
Manicou – An Appetising and Delectable Delicacy
Manicou is a special Dominica food made from opossum that is either cooked like a stew or slowly smoked over a really low fire. The yummy treat is seasoned (when smoked) with various spices, but the list of ingredients differs among the local eateries, as each one appears to be using their own special blend. Finally, although it is often served with rice, you may also find it paired with local vegetables and a touch of scotch bonnet peppers!
Agouti – A Tasty Stew With Unique Flavours
A hearty stew made from agouti meat – an animal that looks like a guinea pig or squirrel that’s native to Dominica. Most agouti recipes are very similar to manicou. The only difference is that agouti is always prepared as a stew, which is then served with various vegetables and a spicy curry sauce, adding an inviting heartiness to any meal.
Callaloo Soup – A Popular National Dish
Callaloo soup is another of Dominica’s national dishes made from coconut milk and dasheen or callaloo leaves (they look pretty much like spinach). The Creole specialty is a hearty dish traditionally served in October, during the Creole season. However, you will find it on almost all menus across the restaurants in Dominica. The soup is filled with many local vegetables and seasoned with various spices and herbs. It is one of the many heritage dishes prepared in Dominica, along with goat meat soup, chatou water (octopus soup), crab back (land crab meat spiced and cooked in its own shell), codfish in coconut milk (codfish sancoche), and pelau (chicken and rice meat heavily seasoned).
Chatou Water – A Waterless Dish!
You probably start to realise that the names given to the local dishes usually have very little to do with what you expect to be served. So, chatou water is not a water brand but rather a finger-licking octopus soup with a distinctive taste and a fantastic broth that definitely waters the mouth. The one-pot meal contains chopped octopus, vegetables, and dumplings.
Sancocho – Stove-Cooked Exquisiteness
Another delicious stew made from chicken or beef meat and an assortment of local vegetables, such as plantains and cassava melon. Spiced and seasoned with paprika, cumin, garlic, and cilantro, it is even more augmented, flavour-wise, with a tomato and onion sauce that’s scooped over when the dish is served. Stove-cooked and filling, sancocho is definitely one of the most comforting foods to eat in Dominica.
Codfish Sandwich – An Energy Boost
This is an utterly bud-pleasing food where fresh cod is the star. Fried or sautéed, the fish is perfectly seasoned and served between two pieces of specially made type of bread that’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. As for the filling, you can pair codfish with anything you desire, from lettuce and tomatoes to whatever it is to your heart’s content for an extra energy boost while exploring the island.
Rum and Sorrel punch – Refreshing & Popular
Local rums come in abundance on the island, making rum a drink of choice for both locals and tourists alike. Rum is also a main ingredient in many cocktails served at beachside bars, cafes, and restaurants, and it is even infused with cinnamon, rosemary, and other spices!
As for sorrel punch, it is a sweet beverage made from boiled sorrel plant that is then blended with ginger and various spices. It is primarily a Christmas favourite but is also served in many places across the island throughout the year.
Local Fruits, Herbs, and Plants
African and Amerindian people going back several generations have introduced herbs and plants as traditional medicines (aka bush medicines) in Dominica. Even today, the locals drink garlic and ginger tea for colds, soursop leaf tea to combat insomnia, guava leaf tea for upset stomachs, peppermint tea to fight a bad headache, and so on.
As for the fresh fruits that are used to make cocktails, healthy juices, or accompany food recipes, these include lime, watermelon, pineapple, passionfruit, guava, orange, grapefruit, papaya, mango, and green banana, which is also eaten as a side or part dish for stews after it has been boiled.
Now, regarding the most common salad and vegetable crops and seasonings, you will definitely see peppers, parsley, garlic, chive, and celery be the ultimate stars in the local cuisine.
Fish and Seafood
The most commonly caught fish in Dominica is dolphin or dorado or mahi-mahi, along with wahoo and marlin. Inshore fishermen, though, also tend to catch squirrelfish, grunts, jacks, and other small reef-dwelling fish. Of course, lobster is found in abundance throughout the year in the waters around the island, and the same applies to red snapper, crayfish, and barracuda.
Most Popular Kalinago Dishes
Although it is impossible to keep this guide short when it comes to traditional Kalinago foods, the highlight is cassava bread, which is a flatbread made with coconut milk and spices and cooked over an open fire on a hot plate. Another traditional Kalinago dish is kanki, which is actually made with sweetened cassava and spices before it is steamed as a wrap in a banana leaf.
Healthy and delicious food has always been an integral part of the Caribbean island nicknamed The Nature Island, for obvious reasons, of course. Indeed, Dominica offers exquisite culinary experiences, where farm-to-table endeavours, seafood dishes and freshly-caught fish (in sustainable ways), herbs, plants with medicinal properties, spices from locally grown farms, and fine dining all intertwine and excite the senses. With influences from African, Asian, French, and Caribbean cuisine, Dominican foods are absolutely flavoursome with an emphasis on local, fresh ingredients. Below is a small sample of the most popular dishes you can spoil your taste buds with!
Mountain Chicken – A Chickenless Dish!
There is a local giant frog species locally known as mountain chicken! So, this is merely a classic chicken recipe rather than a dish featuring frog legs. Also regarded as a national Dominican food, the mountain chicken recipe involves frying up the frogs' legs and then spicing and seasoning before they are served with plantains, pumpkin, yucca, yams, or other local vegetables and a spicy sauce.
Manicou – An Appetising and Delectable Delicacy
Manicou is a special Dominica food made from opossum that is either cooked like a stew or slowly smoked over a really low fire. The yummy treat is seasoned (when smoked) with various spices, but the list of ingredients differs among the local eateries, as each one appears to be using their own special blend. Finally, although it is often served with rice, you may also find it paired with local vegetables and a touch of scotch bonnet peppers!
Agouti – A Tasty Stew With Unique Flavours
A hearty stew made from agouti meat – an animal that looks like a guinea pig or squirrel that’s native to Dominica. Most agouti recipes are very similar to manicou. The only difference is that agouti is always prepared as a stew, which is then served with various vegetables and a spicy curry sauce, adding an inviting heartiness to any meal.
Callaloo Soup – A Popular National Dish
Callaloo soup is another of Dominica’s national dishes made from coconut milk and dasheen or callaloo leaves (they look pretty much like spinach). The Creole specialty is a hearty dish traditionally served in October, during the Creole season. However, you will find it on almost all menus across the restaurants in Dominica. The soup is filled with many local vegetables and seasoned with various spices and herbs. It is one of the many heritage dishes prepared in Dominica, along with goat meat soup, chatou water (octopus soup), crab back (land crab meat spiced and cooked in its own shell), codfish in coconut milk (codfish sancoche), and pelau (chicken and rice meat heavily seasoned).
Chatou Water – A Waterless Dish!
You probably start to realise that the names given to the local dishes usually have very little to do with what you expect to be served. So, chatou water is not a water brand but rather a finger-licking octopus soup with a distinctive taste and a fantastic broth that definitely waters the mouth. The one-pot meal contains chopped octopus, vegetables, and dumplings.
Sancocho – Stove-Cooked Exquisiteness
Another delicious stew made from chicken or beef meat and an assortment of local vegetables, such as plantains and cassava melon. Spiced and seasoned with paprika, cumin, garlic, and cilantro, it is even more augmented, flavour-wise, with a tomato and onion sauce that’s scooped over when the dish is served. Stove-cooked and filling, sancocho is definitely one of the most comforting foods to eat in Dominica.
Codfish Sandwich – An Energy Boost
This is an utterly bud-pleasing food where fresh cod is the star. Fried or sautéed, the fish is perfectly seasoned and served between two pieces of specially made type of bread that’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. As for the filling, you can pair codfish with anything you desire, from lettuce and tomatoes to whatever it is to your heart’s content for an extra energy boost while exploring the island.
Rum and Sorrel punch – Refreshing & Popular
Local rums come in abundance on the island, making rum a drink of choice for both locals and tourists alike. Rum is also a main ingredient in many cocktails served at beachside bars, cafes, and restaurants, and it is even infused with cinnamon, rosemary, and other spices!
As for sorrel punch, it is a sweet beverage made from boiled sorrel plant that is then blended with ginger and various spices. It is primarily a Christmas favourite but is also served in many places across the island throughout the year.
Local Fruits, Herbs, and Plants
African and Amerindian people going back several generations have introduced herbs and plants as traditional medicines (aka bush medicines) in Dominica. Even today, the locals drink garlic and ginger tea for colds, soursop leaf tea to combat insomnia, guava leaf tea for upset stomachs, peppermint tea to fight a bad headache, and so on.
As for the fresh fruits that are used to make cocktails, healthy juices, or accompany food recipes, these include lime, watermelon, pineapple, passionfruit, guava, orange, grapefruit, papaya, mango, and green banana, which is also eaten as a side or part dish for stews after it has been boiled.
Now, regarding the most common salad and vegetable crops and seasonings, you will definitely see peppers, parsley, garlic, chive, and celery be the ultimate stars in the local cuisine.
Fish and Seafood
The most commonly caught fish in Dominica is dolphin or dorado or mahi-mahi, along with wahoo and marlin. Inshore fishermen, though, also tend to catch squirrelfish, grunts, jacks, and other small reef-dwelling fish. Of course, lobster is found in abundance throughout the year in the waters around the island, and the same applies to red snapper, crayfish, and barracuda.
Most Popular Kalinago Dishes
Although it is impossible to keep this guide short when it comes to traditional Kalinago foods, the highlight is cassava bread, which is a flatbread made with coconut milk and spices and cooked over an open fire on a hot plate. Another traditional Kalinago dish is kanki, which is actually made with sweetened cassava and spices before it is steamed as a wrap in a banana leaf.