Antigua and Barbuda, two stunning islands nestled in the heart of the Caribbean, offer a vibrant blend of rich cultural heritage and delectable cuisine that reflects their unique history and tropical environment.
Exploring Antigua and Barbuda: A Guide to Local Diets, Cuisine, and Traditions invites you on a culinary and cultural journey through these enchanting islands. From the lush tropical fruits and vegetables that thrive in their fertile soil to the mouthwatering traditional dishes prepared with passion and care, this guide delves into the heart of Antiguan and Barbudan life.
Discover the flavors that define local dining, learn about the customs that shape daily life, and immerse yourself in the festive traditions that make these islands a truly captivating destination.
Diet and Eating
Tropical fruit (coconuts and mangoes) and vegetables (yams, pumpkins and potatoes) grow well in Antigua, and many people keep small gardens for growing vegetables, but most food is imported. There is some fishing, but hotels are increasingly expanding into the spawning areas of the mangrove wetlands, threatening future catches.
The basic diet consists of rice, peas, beans (usually red beans or white pigeon peas), meat (usually chicken, pork, beef, or goat), and fish, plus fruit and vegetables.
During the mango season, it is not uncommon for people to ‘turn their pots down’ (cook less) and eat large amounts of fruit. At Christmas time, bright red sorrel fruit is mixed with sugar and spices in a delicious tea. Antiguans boast that their local pineapple (called Antigua Black) is the sweetest in the world.
A popular dish is seasoned rice (rice, peas, vegetables, and meat with seasonings). Fungee is a bread made with maize meal and okra. Doucana is made with coconut, sweet potatoes, flour, sugar, and spices, and is served with spicy saltfish (dried cod).
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| Antigua and Barbuda breakfast Recipe Antigua Fungee and Pepperpot. Image right: Exceptional Caribbean |
Pepper pot, a spicy vegetable stew, is prepared in many different ways, the recipe varying from home to home. After fishermen have returned with a good catch, a pot of ‘fish water’ (fish stew) is often shared among family and friends. At church picnics or celebrations many cooks cooperate on a large scale, serving such dishes as ‘goat water’ a spicy stew made with goat meat.
Local specialities include Johnnycakes (sweet fried dumplings), souse (pickled pigs’ feet), and black pudding (blood sausage). Children usually help with cooking at home. ‘Coal pots’ (clay ovens), placed outside the kitchen, are often used to cook food.
Street vendors sell roasted maize or peanuts as snacks. Also fast food is making its way into the national diet.
During the working week people start the day with a simple breakfast of fruit, porridge, or eggs. Most workers stop at midday for a full meal, which is eaten in the workplace, at restaurants, or at home. The evening meal is then usually light.
On Saturday, which is a busy day for chores and errands, people may buy barbecued chicken or fried fish at the market for the main meal.
On Sundays, the family generally has a large breakfast. Grand preparations precede the evening meal of roast pork, lamb, or beef, served to members of the extended family.
There is usually more than enough food, some of which is sent home to those who could not come via their relatives who were present at the meal.
Recreation
Antiguans and Barbudans have a passion for sport. Cricket is the most popular, and during the season, which lasts from November to May, both organized matches and informal games are played. Antiguans are very proud that two famous captains of the West Indies cricket team, Viv Richards and Richie Richardson, are from Antigua.
Football and basketball are popular the rest of the year. Girls are less involved with sports than boys, but they compete in netball leagues.
Water sports remain the domain of tourists and some of the upper class. Most Antiguans and Barbudans do not swim-at beach parties, they ‘sea bathe’ in shallow water.
Antiguans and Barbudans enjoy music and dancing; anyone with a good sound system can get a party going at a restaurant or picnic. Church choirs (with a membership mostly of women) are numerous, and they practise regularly. Other social activities for women usually centre around the home or their children’s activities.
Dominoes and draughts are popular with men and boys, who play on tables set up under trees or on porches. A direct link to the nation’s African heritage is the strategy game Warri. Complicated stratagems are required to win the game by capturing the opponent’s 24 seeds (four each in six cups).
Holidays and Celebrations
The most important religious holidays are Easter (from Good Friday to Easter Monday) and Christmas. Christmas Day is celebrated on 25 December.
Boxing Day, 26 December, named after an old British tradition of putting tips and bonuses into small earthenware boxes for servants and tradespeople, is a day for visiting and relaxing. The festive season is rounded off by Old Year’s Night (31 December) and New Year’s Day (1 January).
Labour Day (the first Monday in May) is important because of the role labour unions played in gaining independence for the country.
In 1981 Antigua, with Barbuda as a dependency, achieved full independence from the United Kingdom under the leadership of Vere C. Bird Sr’s Antigua Labour Party. Pentecost (50 days after Easter) is a time of spiritual renewal and also coincides with Barbuda’s Caribana (carnival). CARICOM Day (first Monday in July) celebrates Caribbean unity.
Emancipation from slavery is celebrated on 1 August, towards the end of Antigua and Barbuda’s week-long carnival and national arts festival. This is a time when many Antiguans and Barbudans living abroad return home.
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| Antigua festival |
Parades, dancing, and music fill the streets during carnival week, and many calypso music competitions are held, at which aspiring “Calypsonians” perform original songs. Calypsos can be comical, political, or lyrical, and the event is long anticipated.
The climax of the carnival is the Calypso King show when the person judged the best Calypso performer is crowned. Street dancing at dawn the next morning celebrates the first morning of freedom from slavery.
The prime minister can also call for holidays, such as the holiday declared in 1994 during an important cricket match in Antigua and Barbuda between the West Indies and England.