Forget voodoo, zombies and Baron Samedi, the real magic among the islands and jungles of the Caribbean comes from Creole cooking. A strange and wonderful combination of food was brought here from all corners of the world as Empires and Republics vied for control of the trade routes, harbours and plantations.

Indian spices arrived with indentured labour from the subcontinent and mixed with West African ingredients planted by slaves. Local ingredients such as Mexican chillies and sweet potato where thrown together with court-boullion and spicy sausages from the Mediterranean, and there is the vividly coloured local seafood, fruit and vegetables. (more…)