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Food-focused travelers are always looking for a list of essential must-trys before hitting the road. In this series, The Dish List, we'll tell you what the top 5 local dishes are for a given region, how to say it like a native when necessary, and where to find the best. To kick it off, we're starting with the ultimate snowbird location, Barbados. Here's the quick list of what to eat, and where.
Photograph of the fish sandwich from Cuz's by Krista Simmons
Fish cutters A cutter is basically a Bajan sandwich, and like any good Sammy, you have to start with the right bread. In this case, that means salt bread, which actually isn't salty at all; it's more like a potato bun than anything else. At Cuz's Fish Shack, you'll find what most Bajans agree to be the best cutter, stuffed with fried flying fish and topped with your choice of cheese, an egg, and of course some famous fiery Bajan hot sauce. A Banks beer is requisite for sipping on the beach while you chow down looking out at Carlisle Bay.
Cou Cou Pronounced coo-coo, this dish —somewhat similar to a polenta cake — is a staple in most Bajan households. It can be made with either cornmeal or breadfruit mixed with okra as the base. The origins stem back to the country's African ancestors, and can be difficult to find outside the home, but Brown Sugar's does a good corn rendition. They also serve perpperpot stew (a West Indies dish), macaroni pie (another Bajan staple), and bread pudding.
Photograph of curry chicken roti from Chefette by Krista Simmons
The Bajan rendition of roti (pronounced roh-tee) is what one might consider an islander's burrito. The thin, almost tortilla-like flour wrap called a roti is stuffed with everything from curried potatoes and tender chicken to salt fish, lamb, or goat.
The first thing RiRi does upon returning to her hometown is hit up Chefette, a local chain producing roti and broasted chicken. It's fast food at it's finest, but if you're after something less commercial, go for The Roti Den, where they whip up rotis with West Indian sides like channa masala, fried okra, and pumpkin.
Rum punch A trip to Barbados is hardly complete without popping in to one of the many rum shacks on the island. Rum punch is so popular in this part of the planet that they even have a rhyme to help you remember the ratios: "One of sour [lime], two of sweet [simple syrup], three of strong [rum], four of weak [water]."
Most rum punch recipes use the local Mount Gay rum in their blends. A local favorite stop for rum punch is at Lexies at Oistins Fish Market, an open-air hang where you can sip with the local fisherman as steel drums hum in the background.
Flying Fish Deemed the national dish of Barbados, the flying fish is so prominent that it's actually featured on the country's coinage. The flakey, white-winged seafood is found pretty much everywhere on the island, dressed heavily with Bajan seasoning—a blend usually made with Scotch Bonnet peppers, marjoram, thyme, and other herbs—then grilled or fried.
The aforementioned Oistins does a great fish fry, but if you're up for a drive North, head to Six Men's Bay Fishing Village for the Friday and Saturday nights, where you'll find the catch of the day served with a side of salad and rice. If it's a weekday, try Fisherman's Pub on Queen Street, in Speightstown in the North.
A native Angeleno, Krista Simmons is a culinary travel writer and the Food Editor at LAist. She's also a regularly-occurring judge on Knife Fight and Top Chef Masters and her stories have appeared regularly in the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, and The Today Show. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
