Cuisine in Antigua and Barbuda

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It would be a missed opportunity to visit Antigua and Barbuda and not try any of the local dishes, many of which reflect the history of the country, resourcefulness, Amerindian and African roots of the people. In Antigua and Barbuda’s colonial days past, when food was scarce for the predominantly black population, people made nourishment out of whatever they could grow or gather, and what might have otherwise been discarded as waste.

The hearty national dish of Antigua and Barbuda, Fungee (pronounced foon-jee, and also spelt as fungi ) and Pepperpot, was birthed because of this notion. Fungee is made of cornmeal and okra which is boiled and turned in a pot until thick, then swirled in a bowl until it forms a ball. Pepperpot is a one-pot stew traditionally made with spinach, eggplant, peas, and any variety of meats usually chicken and salted pork and beef.

Ducana, another popular dish available at local restaurants , is traditionally eaten on Good Friday, the end of Lent, with saltfish. Ducana is made from a mix of grated coconut, sweet potatoes, and spices, wrapped in banana or sea grape leaves, and boiled until cooked into a firm dumpling. Saltfish is in fact, codfish which has been dried and salted for preservation. It is prepared, by soaking to remove some salt, then sautéed with onions, peppers, tomato paste and other seasonings. It is also a common Sunday breakfast food item, paired with wood-oven baked bread, boiled eggs and chop-up (a mix of boiled and mashed spinach, eggplant, and okra.)

Other local delicacies include rice/black pudding, seasoned rice (a one pot rice and meat dish), conch water, goat water, maw, and souse (made from pork parts – feet and ears). Visit the market or streetside fruit vendors and also enquire about the Antigua Black Pineapple, considered the ‘sweetest pineapple in the world’. When in Barbuda be sure to ask for the roast dumpling filled with fat meat, the fresh seafood and while in season the famous Barbuda spiny lobster.

Antigua and Barbuda has a plethora of first-rate local and International restaurants around the island, all of which are a short car ride away. It’s possible to “Eat like a Local” from roadside vendors who are all regulated by the Central Board of Health and are food handler certified. Visitors to Antigua and Barbuda, can follow the “Eat Like a Local’ map created specially to highlight local food spots during Antigua and Barbuda Restaurant Week.

Visitors on island late October to early November should ensure they attend the popular Independence Food Fair where every variation of local food can be tried including sweet treats like tamarind balls, sugar cake, peanut brittle, hand-churned local ice creams and local fruit juices.

For a taste of the island, there are several rums, most notably English Harbour and Antigua Cavalier, and hot sauces like Susie’s, and Grannie Annie’s which are also available in international markets.