Cuisine

Authentic island food you’ll find on local menus include fish and fungi, or “foon-jee,” a cornmeal with a light and creamy consistency similar to polenta. Stew conch, another local delicacy, uses a pressure cooker to make the meat incredibly tender. Salt fish consists of cod that’s salted for preservation and soaked overnight to make it flaky and tasty. Reef fish caught in traps, or pots, are deep-fried whole until crispy. Traditional Kallaloo soup is made with leafy greens and a hearty broth brimming with chunks of meat and fish.

Street food you can easily pick up and enjoy include pates — fried turnovers filled with ground meat or salt fish. Rotis are savory East Indian flatbreads rolled with curried or stewed meat and vegetables. Favorites at any island meal are Johnny cakes — slightly sweet, deep-fried dough. Another dough delight is dumb bread, baked in a lidded skillet in the ancient dum style of cooking that originated in India. The rich, golden loaves are often flavored with shredded coconut.

Puerto Rican influences can be found throughout our islands, especially on St. Croix. A traditional dish you’ll likely see on restaurant menus is mofongo, which is made up of mashed and fried green plantains. Other plantain delicacies you’ll want to try include amarillos and tostones. Although seafood and beef appear on Puerto Rican menus, perhaps the most luscious dish is lechón asado, or slow-roasted pork. Side it with arroz con habichuelas, a rice-and-beans comfort food.