There are many online sites which list Caribbean national dishes and provide recipes, including YouTube videos with directions and ingredients. We have woven some of these sites into the listing of national dishes below. Beginning In 2025 we will weave in historical and personal stories around these dishes.
We’ve alphabetically listed Caribbean countries and their national dishes. You’ll notice some similarities in ingredients (cornmeal, okra, coconut milk, callaloo, ground provisions, plantains, rice and beans, fresh and salted fish, use of less expensive cuts of meat) and techniques (seasoning-up or marinating, one pot stews, light pan-frying).
On the other hand, you’ll also notice different techniques, and unique ingredients, particularly reflecting different influences. There are also differences in the use of spices and flavorings, and different names for similar dishes or the same name for different dishes, which can be initially confusing. But we must remember that we are looking at a region and nations with myriad influences joined by their love of flavor. Our goal is to raise your awareness and send you on a journey to explore and enjoy. While with some dishes, you may have to travel to the Caribbean to fully enjoy the intensity of flavors contributed by ingredients grown in the Caribbean sun and soil, our goal is to begin to take your taste buds on that journey.
Thirty national Caribbean dishes are listed at below https://www.endlesscaribbean.com/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
- Anguilla: Pigeon Peas and Rice
- Antigua and Barbuda: Fungi and Pepperpot
- Aruba: Keshi Yena
- Bahamas: Cracked Conch with Peas and Rice
- Barbados: Cou Cou and Flying Fish
- Belize: Rice and Beans With Fish Stew
- Bonaire: Stewed Goat Meat
- British Virgin Islands: Fish and Fungi
- Cayman Islands: Turtle
- Cuba: Ropa Vieja
- Curacao: Keshi Yena
- Dominica: Callaloo Soup
- Dominican Republic: Sancocho
- Grenada: Oil Down
- Guadeloupe: Porc Colombo
- Guyana: Pepperpot
- Haiti: Griots/Rice and Beans
- Jamaica: Ackee and Saltfish
- Martinique: Grilled Snapper With Sauce Chien
- Montserrat: Goat Water
- Puerto Rico: Arroz con Gandules
- Kitts and Nevis: Stewed Salt Fish with Dumplings, Spicy Plantains and Breadfruit
- Lucia: Green Figs and Salt Fish
- Maarten: Conch and Dumplings
- Martin: Callaloo Soup
- Vincent & the Grenadines: Roasted Breadfruit and Jackfish
- Saba: Goat Meat With Peas and Rice
- Trinidad and Tobago: Crab and Callaloo
- Turks and Caicos: Conch
- United States Virgin Islands: Fish and Fungi
See partial listing below which provides a deeper description:
Antigua & Barbuda
National Dish – Fungee and Pepperpot
Fungee (pronounced “foon-ji) is a cornmeal dish made with okra. Pepperpot is a hearty flavorful stew with meats, ground provisions and greens, aromatics and peppers.
https://nationalfoods.org/recipe/fungee-national-dish-of-antigua-and-barbuda/
Aruba
National Dish – Keshi Yena
The main ingredient in this dish – cheese –is unique in the Caribbean and reflects the Dutch influence. According to Author Elizabeth Ortiz in The Complete Book of Caribbean Cooking, “Keshy Yena is a baked Edam or Gouda cheese with a variety of fillings. It originates in Curacao and the name, which derives from the Spanish queso (cheese) and reliano (stuffed) is in Papiamento, the patois of the Netherlands Antilles ( a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English and African words).
Bahamas
National Dish – Conch (pronounced Conk)
This mollusk is uniquely Caribbean reflecting the bounty from the seas around the 700 coral islands which make up the Bahamas archipelago.
https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-dishes-in-the-bahamas
Barbados
National Dish – Cou Cou & Flying Fish
https://nationalfoods.org/recipe/national-dish-of-barbados-flying-fish-and-cou-couhttps://www.chefspencil.com/top-25-foods-of-barbados-with-pictures
Cuba:
National Dish: Ropa Vieja
Ropa Vieja is a shredded beef dish slowly cooked in fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, olives, and wine and is accompanied by white rice, black beans, and sweet plantains.
https://www.daringgourmet.com/best-ropa-vieja-the-national-dish-of-cuba/
https://barbados.org/blog/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
Commonwealth of Dominica
National Dish – Callaloo Soup
“A rich and leafy soup, the recipe combines verdant greens such as spinach and dasheen (a root vegetable also known as taro) with coconut milk for the base. Yams, peppers, onions, salted meats (or crab), and green bananas round off the hearty soup, with cornmeal dumplings added for good measure.”
https://barbados.org/blog/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
Grenada
National Dish – Oil Down
Oil down is made with breadfruit and other ground provisions along with layers of your choice of meats and the other vegetables.
https://barbados.org/blog/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
Guyana:
National Dish – Pepperpot
While on many Caribbean islands, the name pepperpot describes a stew , this is different from Guyanese Pepperpot, which is heavily influenced by its Amerindian natives and is made with cassareep, a flavoring and preservative derived from cassava, a wide choice of meats, and is served with white rice or bread.
https://barbados.org/blog/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
Haiti:
National Dish: Griots with Rice Beans
This dish reflects the Haitian art of twice cooking meats. Cubes of pork are boiled then fried. It is usually served with rice and peas.
https://barbados.org/blog/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
Jamaica
National Dish: Ackee & Saltfish
This is one of the more unique national dishes due to the use of Ackee, a fruit (originated in West Africa), that when prepared resembles scrambled eggs. The saltfish is soaked or boiled to remove much of the salt from the salted fish. It is then added to a sauté of onions (scallions), garlic, sweet and hot peppers, fresh thyme, pimento (allspice), and black pepper. Some add a few chopped fresh or roasted tomatoes and some add crumbled bacon for an extra umami (depth of flavor).
https://barbados.org/blog/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
Saint Lucia:
National Dish: Green Fig & Saltfish
Green figs, or green bananas, are boiled or stewed and served with salt fish, similar to the treatment of saltfish in Jamaica’s ackee and saltfish. Interestingly, this is also most often served as a breakfast meal.
https://barbados.org/blog/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
Saint Vincent & The Grenadines
National Dish: Roasted Breadfruit and Fried Jackfish
The breadfruit is roasted on firewood, then baked in an oven until soft. The jackfish is then fried and the pair is usually served with local golden apple juice.
https://barbados.org/blog/national-dishes-of-the-caribbean/
Trinidad & Tobago
National Dish: Crab & Callaloo
Callaloo, using similar to the Antiguan pepperpot, is a cook up of a combination of vegetables and meats. The dark green soupy concoction is well seasoned and is a staple of Trinis everywhere.