Taste Of The Caribbean: Kilibibi

When the going got really tough during the Great Depression, people ate dirt. Literally! Thankfully, the current global economic mess hasn’t had as profound an impact on most of us, but really, who isn’t trying to slash their grocery bill these days? Enter the magical chefs from the island of Martinique with a gourmet twist on the most desperate of Great Depression meals, Kilibibi.

A simple, sweet cereal enjoyed plain, with milk or molasses, Kilibibi consists primarily of sand – yes, the same impossibly ubiquitous granules that we scold our kids for putting in their mouths and whipping at their friends. Here’s how you turn grains of sand into gastronomy:

Rinse sand and heat it in a large pot. Add uncooked popcorn and stir, bringing popped grains to the surface. Once all the popcorn has popped, sift out the sand with a strainer and store in a large bowl. Grind popcorn to a powder using a mortar, then combine with sand, add 300g of cane sugar, cinnamon, grated nutmeg.

Bon appetit!

Food plays a central role in family life and traditions in the islands. Cooks spend days preparing menu offerings for holidays, festivals, and special family gatherings. The cuisine of the Caribbean is like a cultural patchwork quilt. Each “patch” or dish represents the plentiful bounty of the islands' lush tropical vegetation, combined with the one or more diverse groups of people that have lived there, including the original Carib and Arawak Indians, followed by the Spanish, British, French, and Dutch settlers, as well as Africans, who have had a profound influence on the food and cultural traditions of the islands. Later followed Indian and Chinese settlers, and travelers from the United States.



Caribbean recipes combine African, Amerindian, French, East Indian, and Spanish styles of cooking. These traditions are a reflection of the early settlers of the region. Rice is the staple of a Caribbean meal and isn't complete without a generous helping. It is eaten with a variety of sauces and beans. You'll find the rice on each island may be a little different. Some season their rice, or add peas and other touches - like coconut. Sometimes the rice is yellow, but other times it is part of a dish.

Jamaican , Haitian, Guadeloupean, and other French Caribbean islands enjoy goat meat. Goat water stew has been chosen as the official national dish of Montserrat and is also one of the signature dishes of St. Kitts and Nevis. It is a tomato-based stew, made with goat meat, breadfruit, green pawpaw (papaya), and dumplings (also known as "droppers").

Another Caribbean recipe favorite is called "Cook-up", or Pelau. This dish combines meats like chicken, beef, pig tail, saltfish, and vegetables with rice and pigeon peas.

Seafood is one of the most common Caribbean recipe delicacies in the islands due in part to their geographic location. Each island will likely have its own specialty. Some prepare lobster, while others prefer certain types of fish. Barbados is known for its "flying fish," while Trinidad and Tobago is known for its cascadura fish and crab.