Culinary Discoveries Antigua & Barbuda

I first visit the island of Antigua in the Caribbean ten years ago. It was the first time I had ever left the United States. Within these past ten years, I have seen the island nation thrive more and more each year, especially with its recent renovation of the VC Bird International Airport. When I come to Antigua, I stay in the town of Willikies on the eastern Atlantic coast near Long Bay. I have since visited the island at least five times and am always learning more about the food culture.

A typical breakfast on the island includes toast with local jam, grilled plantains, avocado slices, local eggs, and freshly brewed tea. There is also always a generous bowl of fruit at the center of the table, with grapefruit from the nearby grapefruit trees, oranges, pineapple, and bananas. The pineapples on the island are famously known as Antigua Black Pineapples or Antigua Black for short. These golden colored pineapple slices are considered to be the sweetest pineapples in the world. A refreshing and invigorating way to start any day or spend the afternoon.

A typical breakfast

A local, notable jam that you could find in any grocery store or roadside market is guava jam. And are you ready to sound like a local? Ask for guava cheese. Similar to quince, guava cheese is a fudgy, sticky treat made from guavas that is fun to eat as a sweet treat during the day.

For drinks, Antigua is known for their rum, particular their English Harbour rum label. Their Reserve rum that is aged ten years is exceptionally smooth. A non-alcoholic favorite is Ting, which is a gently sweetened grapefruit soda.

Ting

When in Antigua, the majority of my day is spent at the beach. I love getting fresh coconuts that the local vendors will crack open fresh for you to drink the coconut water. When you are done, they will chop it up so that you have pieces of coconut meat to enjoy for the rest of the day.