Blog Appétit

With its complex history and racial heritage, St Lucia has an interesting tradition of local food - with some strong French Creole influences of course – which is worth investigating. If you are staying in one of the large hotels then you are quite likely to be served up a fairly international menu, but there may be a local food night during the week. Outside the hotels there are plenty of restaurants, particularly in the Rodney Bay area.

Like much West Indian food, St Lucian food is quite hearty, with stews accompanied by rice ‘n’ peas or hefty vegetables such as plantain or sweet potato. The creole aspect introduces quite a few spices into the dishes, including féroce for example, a spicy fish filling that is often served in avocados. Other St Lucian specialities are puoile dudon a chicken stew flavoured with treacle and coconut. There are of course plenty of fish dishes.

Two other specialities worth noting are accras, which are made with saltfish, which was once looked down on as a slave staple, but which is now fondly retained. They are a favourite and make a good starter, battered balls of salted cod, full of herbs and pepper. They are served with hot pepper sauce. Boudin, or black pudding, is a local delicacy and a treat made on holidays. The black pudding is a blood sausage with sweet potato and herbs.

Local fare like this is most often found at street festivals, rum shops, and on occasions even at fresh food counters at supermarkets. For a fun evening out you can try Seafood Friday, a fish fry with the best in local fish and seafood set out on the streets of Gros Islet in the north and Anse la Raye on the west coast. There is also a weekly Fish Fiesta at Dennery on the Atlantic coast on Saturdays. For hearty local food at lunchtime, or even a cocoa tea at breakfast, you can try the stalls around the market in Castries. Also, there is always someone cooking up in Gros Islet.