Top 3 Foods You Need to try in Antigua

Every nation has its own cuisine that just makes your mouth water or is just so weird you cannot imagine putting it into your face. While Antigua & Barbuda has a variety of different flavours and a mixture of cuisines, when I travel I prefer to eat things that are authentically match the culture or at least come from the culture that I am experiencing. Along my travels on the island I have come across the following five must try meals as well as a couple of cooking classes you need to try if you are a foodie.

If you are like me and want to try the local flavours then you will want to try these three:

1. Fungee: The one of two national dishes of Antigua and Barbuda is Fungee (Fun-J-ee). Based on the African dish with the same name, this cornmeal and okra mixture is usually served as the shape of the container that it was made it. It is usually served with vegetable mash and a sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, and salted codfish or with the second national dish Pepperpot.
   
   
2. Pepperpot: this super spicy stew is the second national dish of Antigua and Barbuda however it originates from Guyana but the Antiguan version has a bit of a twist. The Antiguan style Pepperpot is made with salted beef various "exotic" pig parts as snout or tail and scotch peppers.
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3. Beer: if you are headed to the island there is the local Wadadli beer and Caribe. Both are lagers but Wadadli is the preferred brand but it does run out.

If Antigua and Barbuda are the only island(s) that you are going to visit while in the Caribbean then you might want to try some other treats that are made on the island but have come from other islands. These five dishes are some of my favorites.

Conch: This is a mollusk (sea snail) is found in a gorgeous pink spiral shell. You can eat it raw, steamed, fried, stewed, or even as part of a recipe like conch balls. While there are things like conch which is found on many islands, it is starting to be come endangered due to the amount of people eating the shellfish and taking their shells as a souvenir.

Souse: made all throughout the Caribbean, Souse is a light, cold soup of clear broth with super tender pickled pig feet and flavoured with onion, garlic, lime, hot peppers and other spices.

Ducana: Found across multiple Caribbean Islands but usually found in Antigua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines this sweet potato side dish is super tasty. Either served in the form of a dumpling or pudding, they are made by grating sweet potatoes and mixing it with grated coconut, sugar, flour, coconut milk, and/or water, raisins, ginger, grated nutmeg, salt and vanilla extract.

Tamarind Balls: known more in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, Tamarind balls are also found on Antigua as it is a super simple treat. The tamarind flesh is removed from the fruit and then rolled in brown sugar before being formed into round balls.

Saltfish: aka Cod that has been preserved in salt until all the moisture is drawn out. The best saltfish I had was in St. Lucia and it was served with green banana's. You can find saltfish in a variety of different recipes all over the Caribbean but it is not served as a jerky.