Foods you don’t want to miss in the Cayman Islands

There’s nothing better than sitting down to a delicious meal while on vacation.  Half the fun of going on vacation is the food, right?!  On vacation someone else prepares the food and cleans up the mess; what could be better than that?  Another fun part of food during vacation is really getting a feel for the people and culture by tasting and trying all the new flavors.  Well, if you are heading out for a fabulous vacation to the Cayman Islands, here are some foods that you don’t want to miss.

Well number one, any vacationer in the Cayman Islands has to try the conch.  This is a very local food, and probably would be hard to miss anyway.  The conch is used in soups, salads, fritters, and all over the place.  What is the conch?  Have you ever seen a conch shell?  They are a big sea shell that is spiraled, and they are sometimes turned into a bugle of sorts.  Well, a conch is the mollusk that lives inside of that shell.  The meat of the conch is sometimes eaten raw, but it is also cooked or fried.  So to really enjoy the Cayman Island culture, be sure to try some conch chowder, conch salad, or fried conch.

Another traditional dish is found at the bakery on North Sound Road.  They have a rum cake that has been around for fifty years.  The cake is soaked in the local’s Tortuga rum.  Don’t miss out on this tasty treat; it’s got Cayman Islands written all over it.

If you really want to be exotic, try out some of the turtle.  The Cayman Islands were once called Las Tortugas (the turtles) by Christopher Columbus because of all the sea turtles in the area.  Because of their abundance, turtle has been a main staple of Cayman locals for years.  You could try out a turtle steak or a turtle soup for a real Cayman Island food experience.

The Cayman Islands’ cooking has had many different influences.  It is heavily influenced by Jamaican spices while on the other hand it is still a colony of the United Kingdom and so has aspects of this in its cooking as well.  You will find that local foods are spiced up by Jamaican jerk, curries, coconut, and plantain.  Be sure to check these out for a real authentic taste of the Islands.

Obviously seafood is a big hit in the Cayman Islands.  With all of the surrounding water, any visitor could guess that there are sure to be some very fresh and tasty fish on hand.  There is an abundance of tuna, eel, mackerel, and dolphin.

A favorite at the Cayman Islands are the meat patties simply known as `patties’.  These are like the English pasties and are simply a pastry shell stuffed with beef.  Cassava is also a staple in the Cayman Islands.  Cassava is root-type vegetable that looks like a sweet potato before it is prepared and cooked.  It is never eaten raw, but when it is boiled it is much like a potato.  Another local favorite is Ackee and Codfish.  Ackee and cod is actually the national dish of Jamaica, again showing the heavy Jamaican influence in the Cayman Islands.

If all of these local favorites seem too frightening for any travelers headed for the Cayman Islands, be assured that there are many restaurants that cater to tourists.  Typical American dishes are served right alongside these more exotic local favorites.  It shouldn’t be hard to find something for every appetite in the Cayman Islands.  But be sure not to miss out on tasting some of the local favorites.