Authentic Cayman Food
The great taste of traditional Cayman food comes from from the fact that it is based on whatever grows naturally on the island and whatever can be caught in the surrounding ocean. Dishes from the Cayman Islands are similar to other Caribbean foods because many of the vegetables like ackee, yams, and bananas grow on all of the islands.
Local Cayman restaurants and Cayman Kitchens are a great way to get exposed to the local flavor. If you are open to trying new things, you will be in for a wonderful journey. A typical menu may have rice and beans, dolphin fish (mahi-mahi), and dumplings.
Typical Cayman Cuisine
Coconut
The main ingredient in traditional Cayman food is the coconut ("Miss Cleo's Cayman Kitchen" by Cleopatra Conolly). Of course, coconut is not unique to Caymanian cuisine; Caribbean food also has a lot of dishes with coconut. Coconut is stirred into stews, dropped into seafood platters, and baked into cakes. The most amazing thing about the coconut is its versatility.
Before I moved to the Cayman Islands, I used to think I didn't like coconut. I now know, I had just never had it cooked well. I have had coconut in stews, in rice, and deserts. It's all wonderful. There is something to be said for eating food that is made locally.
There are wonderful rice dishes that use coconut water (the liquid from green coconuts). In addition, there are delicious deserts that call for coconut milk (grated coconut meat that has been boiled in water and strained).
Beans and Rice
Another staple of Cayman food is rice and beans. There are many versions of this dish and every local restaurant has their own recipe. Basically, this is a dish where rice, beans, and coconut milk are boiled together.
No Caymanian dish seems complete if it doesn't have rice and beans on the plate. I personally really like the dish when it is moist, but not soggy and not dry. It really goes well with fish and beef dishes.
Steamed Fish
The fish that come out of sea around the Cayman Islands are as plentiful as they are diverse. For example, in a Cayman restaurant you may find king fish, red snappers, or dolphin fish (same as mahi-mahi). Generally speaking fish is cooked very simply.
Ingredients
- 1 lime
- fresh fish (snapper)
- 1 onion
- 1 seasoning pepper (native to Cayman, but related to Scotch Bonnet peppers)
- salt
- pepper
- coconut oil
Preparation
- Wash the fish in lime and then season it with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the fish and cook both sides until they are golden brown.
- Add a sliced onion, a little water, and seasoning pepper.
- Cook on low heat for a few minutes until done.
Fritters (Flitters)
These are little fried pieces of dough that are usually eaten with fish. (Jamaicans call them Johnnycakes) Many Caymanian cooks have their own recipes. I had them for the first time at the Heritage Kitchen, and I really loved them. They reminded me a little of the fried cornbread my Louisiana grandmother used to cook.
Ingredients
- Self-rising flour
- water
- oil
- salt
Preparation
- Add the flour and water slowly to create your dough.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Knead it a few times to make sure the dough holds together.
- Pinch of enough dough to create 2 inch flat rounds.
- Cook them in the oil until they are golden brown.
Breadfruit
This is another dish that I've only had in my home. Again, my adventurous husband became curious about breadfruit and asked one of his Jamaican clients how to prepare it. It turned out to be very simple. You have a choise of either baking it in the oven and eating it with a little butter or frying it up. We chose to fry it and the result was scrumptious. After frying, it tastes a bit like potato, but with an interesting texture. We fried small batches over the next few and we all enjoyed it.
Ingredients
- Breadfruit
- oil
- pinch of salt
Preparation
- Place the whole breadfruit in the oven for about an hour. This step is necessary so that you can easily cut the fruit.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Peal and cut the breadfruit.
- Fry for just a couple of minutes. This fruit burns easily.
- Salt to taste.
Cassava Heavy Cake
This is a dish I've only had one time at Vivine's Kitchen. This cake is made from cassava, coconuts, and spices (nutmeg and cinnamon), as well as sugar, salt, and cornstarch. The cake was delicious! It's dense like a pound cake, but it has flavor and an interesting texture. It was one of the best local deserts I've had here on the Island.
Caymanian heavy cake comes in many different flavors. Probably the most popular is made from cassava. However, other recipes call for Yams, cornmeal, sweet potato, and papaya. Basically, you make this cake with what ever is in season.
"Miss Cleo's Cayman Kitchen" by Cleopatra Conolly
This is one of the best books I've discovered here on the Island for traditional Cayman food. One of the reason's I really like this book, is the first part of the book is a little bit of an autobiography. She tells quite a bit about her life, but as it relates to food, the ingredients and preparation. This book is worth reading just for the little bit of Caymanian history, but I'd also recommend if for its recipes.
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