Bahamas
Ask what the Bahamas eats and the answer starts with this: conch every way—cracked, frittered, in citrusy salad—alongside peas n’ rice and rum-splashed sweets. Look for Cracked conch (pounded conch battered and fried, with peas n’ rice), Conch salad (raw conch diced with citrus, peppers, onion) and Boiled fish (grouper broth with lime, onion, potato; eaten with grits). Queen conch pounded tender, battered and fried; conch is the national food and its fishery is limited by closed seasons and export rules. This atlas has 26 Bahamas dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.
26 dishes.
Bahama MamaDark and coconut rum with pineapple, orange and grenadine over ice
Bahamian rum cakeDense butter cake soaked in dark rum syrup, sold in tins
Baked macaroni and cheeseFirm sliceable baked mac with cheddar and pepper
Benny cakeChewy sesame and molasses candy sold in small squares
Boiled fishGrouper broth with lime, onion, potato; eaten with grits
Chicken souseLimey chicken broth with allspice, weekend breakfast
Conch chowderTomato broth with pounded conch, potato and thyme, peppered hot
Conch frittersBattered conch balls with spicy dipping sauce
Conch saladRaw conch diced with citrus, peppers, onion
Crab and riceLand crab cooked down with rice, thyme and tomato until dark
Cracked conchPounded conch battered and fried, with peas n' rice
Fire engineCorned beef stewed with tomato and onion, spooned over buttery grits
Goombay PunchSweet carbonated pineapple soda, drunk cold or mixed with rum
Goombay SmashCoconut rum, pineapple and juices in a tall, deceptively strong glass
Guava duffBoiled guava-swirled dough with rum-butter sauce
John Watling’s rumPale and aged rums bottled in Nassau, drunk neat or in punch
JohnnycakeSlightly sweet dense pan bread
KalikLight lager drunk cold at Junkanoo and on the beach
Nassau RoyaleGolden vanilla and spice liqueur, sipped over ice or poured on desserts
Peas n’ ricePigeon peas and rice with thyme and salt pork
Potato breadDense sweet loaf made with mashed sweet potato, sliced thick
SandsPale lager brewed in Nassau, drunk on the beach and at fish fries
Scorched conchRaw conch scored, dressed with lime, onion and hot pepper, eaten from the shell
Sheep tongue souseSheep tongue simmered in a peppery lime and onion broth
Sky juiceGin and coconut water with condensed milk
SwitchaBahamian limeade of fresh key limes, sugar and water over ice-
Bahamian rum cake
Dense butter cake soaked in dark rum syrup, sold in tins. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 1 hour cooking.…
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Baked macaroni and cheese
Firm sliceable baked mac with cheddar and pepper. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 50 minutes cooking. One tray, 9…
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Benny cake
Chewy sesame and molasses candy sold in small squares. Ready in 15 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking. About 24…
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Chicken souse
Limey chicken broth with allspice, weekend breakfast. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 1 hour cooking. Serves 6. A soup…
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Conch chowder
Tomato broth with pounded conch, potato and thyme, peppered hot. Ready in 40 min prep and 1 hr cooking. 6…
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Conch fritters
Battered conch balls with spicy dipping sauce. Ready in 40 minutes prep and 20 minutes cooking. About 30 fritters. A…
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Crab and rice
Land crab cooked down with rice, thyme and tomato until dark. Ready in 45 minutes prep and 1 hour cooking.…
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Fire engine
Corned beef stewed with tomato and onion, spooned over buttery grits. Ready in 15 min prep and 35 min cooking.…