Everyday Exotic Spices Presents Food Ways ~ Let's Explore Together!

"Food ways" is an expression that dates back to 1946. It refers to the eating habits and culinary practices of a people, region, or historical period. This blog shares finds for foodies and food lovers - curated content from around the web, sharing the ways we all like to enjoy our food! Food history, recipe sharing, and all things food-related. This foodie blog is aimed at newbie cooks or beginners. But everyone is welcome! (https://eesfoodiejournal.blogspot.com/)

Thursday, June 4, 2026

Recipe Sharing: Global Flavors: Bahamian Food

My ethnic background is Bahamaian-American. My mother was American, and my father was from The Bahamas. I sort of have a tradition of sharing a little something about my Bahamian roots in every community that I join. What I would like to share with this group is Bahamian food. Matador Network published an excellent article titled “Traditional Bahamian food and dishes from the Bahamas”. The 8 foods are listed below.

🏝️1. Johnny cake

Johnny cake is considered the unofficial bread of the Bahamas, with roots tracing back to Indigenous and early colonial cooking. Despite the name, it’s not a cake at all but a dense, slightly sweet bread baked in a skillet. Many Bahamians enjoy it with butter, cheese, or alongside savory dishes like stews and souse.

🏝️2. Conch salad

Conch salad is a national treasure made with raw conch “cooked” in citrus, similar to ceviche. It became popular as fishermen prepared it fresh right on their boats. Locals often debate who makes the best version — spicy, tropical, or classic.

🏝️3. Chicken souse

Chicken souse is a light, tangy broth seasoned with lime, allspice, and peppers, traditionally served as a weekend comfort food. Historically, souse was made with whatever meat was available, making it a thrifty but flavorful dish. It’s also a beloved Bahamian “hangover cure.”

🏝️4. Guava duff

Guava duff is a steamed Bahamian dessert featuring rolled dough filled with guava and drenched in a warm rum butter sauce. Its origins reflect British steamed puddings adapted with Caribbean fruit. Many families guard their duff recipes like treasure.

🏝️5. Rum cake

Rum cake became popular in the Bahamas thanks to the islands’ long history of rum production dating back to the 1700s. The cake is soaked in rum syrup, making it incredibly moist and long-lasting — perfect for gifting. Some bakeries even ship them worldwide as a taste of the islands.

NOTE: There is Non‑alcoholic rum is a zero‑proof spirit designed to mimic the flavor of rum — the molasses, caramel, spice, and oak — without the alcohol content. You can make rum cake without rum.

🏝️6. Pigeon peas and rice

Pigeon peas and rice are a staple Sunday dish, flavored with tomatoes, thyme, salted pork, and coconut milk. The dish reflects West African culinary influences brought to the Caribbean. It’s so iconic that many Bahamians judge a cook’s skill by their peas and rice.

NOTE: This recipe varies by cook. Some omit the salt pork. Some use chicken broth instead of coconut milk. Some use bay leaf instead of thyme. Some use tomato sauce or paste instead of tomatoes.

🏝️7. Goombay Smash

The Goombay Smash was created in the 1960s by Miss Emily at her bar in Green Turtle Cay. This fruity rum cocktail is named after “Goombay,” a Bahamian music style featuring goatskin drums. Visitors still travel to the original bar to taste the authentic version.

NOTE: A non-alcoholic Goombay Smash (often called a Virgin Goombay) is a fruity, tropical mocktail that captures the essence of the Bahamas. It typically blends pineapple, orange, and apricot flavors with a hint of coconut. [1, 2, 3]

The Recipe

This single-serving recipe perfectly balances sweet and citrusy flavors to mimic the iconic island classic:

Pineapple Juice: 3 oz
Orange Juice: 1.5 oz
Cream of Coconut: 0.5 oz (use canned, unsweetened coconut cream or coconut milk)
Apricot Nectar or Jam: 0.5 oz (acts as a stand-in for the traditional apricot brandy)
Fresh Lime Juice: 0.25 oz
Angostura or Orange Bitters: 2 dashes
Garnish: Pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry [1]

Instructions:

Fill a cocktail shaker or mason jar with ice.
Pour in the pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut cream, apricot nectar, lime juice, and bitters.
Shake vigorously for 15 seconds until the mixture is chilled and frothy.
Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry! [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Pro-Tips & Shortcuts

To nail the coconut flavor without real cream: You can use 0.5 oz of a non-alcoholic coconut syrup (like Monin).
Want it frozen? Throw all the ingredients into a blender with a cup of ice and pulse until you have a slushie consistency.
Want a shortcut mix? Brands like Margarita Man sell ready-made Goombay Smash concentrate that you can simply mix with water and blend for a virgin slushie. [1, 2]

SOURCE

🌴🍹🍉⛱️🥥

🏝️8. Conch fritters

Conch fritters are deep-fried balls of chopped conch mixed with peppers, onions, and spices — a favorite festival food. They became popular as a way to use tougher conch meat by tenderizing it in batter. Every cook has their own secret seasoning blend.

Out of these 8 foods, the 3 foods that I remember our family eating regularly when I was growing up were conch salad, conch fritters, and pigeon peas and rice. These dishes are very easy to make. However, depending on where you live, the ingredients may not be available. You may live in a place where you can just go to the local fish market to buy conch.

If not, just Google “where can you get fresh conch”, and you will find online stores. The same thing for pigeon peas. You might be able to get them at your local grocery store. If not, you can buy canned or dried pigeon peas. The other 5 Bahamian dishes on the list are just as tasty. But the three I mentioned have special memories. Here are links to the recipes. Hope you get a chance to try them.

Conch Salad

Conch Fritters

Pigeon Peas and Rice

NOTE: Some people vary the conch salad recipe by adding diced mango or pineapple. * * *

Food and Drink : Recipe Sharing for Chai Tea Lovers

Growing up in America, there was only one main tea (that I knew of). Lipton. To my late sister's credit, she made great tea! Her hot tea or her iced tea were both dee-licious! However … it was just Lipton tea. The Lipton brand name and company have been around so long that it's practically revered as part of American tradition. I'm not being disrespectful. Don't get me wrong. But I went through my entire childhood and even went several years into my adulthood before I even realized there was something other than Lipton orange pekoe tea! Not just “other than” but even “better than”. Yes! I know! I'm speaking in treasonous language for sure! LOL.

Anyway … whereas I can only remember Lipton orange pekoe tea on the store shelves as a child (I can even remember the commercials), these days the grocery store shelves and the company's official website, display a variety of teas. Oh yeah! They have green tea, matcha tea, berry hibiscus, etc.

When did this happen and why? I don't know the WHEN, but I do know the WHY. When I was a kid, Lipton had hardly any competition. They dominated the market for American tea drinkers. But times have changed, and the American taste buds have changed, and now we drink a wide range of teas. Our grocery store shelves are loaded with every kind of tea imaginable. If you can't find what you're looking for in the local grocery store, then surely you can find a tea online and/or a video on how to brew your “special cup of tea”...

Which brings me to the main point of this discussion.

CHAI TEA.

I only learned about this wonderful drink a few years ago.
Come to find out that it's only been around for an eternity.

What happened was that my late husband stopped drinking coffee and opted to begin drinking tea instead. That led him on a quest to find a particular tea that he liked and that he believed would contribute positively to his health. One thing led to another, and he eventually discovered chai tea.

However, being my typical husband, that meant that I couldn't just go to the grocery store and pick up a box labeled “Chai Tea” and bring it home. Oh no! Certain chai tea has this ingredient or that ingredient, and he wants this or that … yadda yadda yadda. He came up with his own chai tea recipe.

I'm like: “You made up own recipe? Isn't that like … UN-Indian or something?”

It seems it's not. It seems that whoever drinks what they call “chai tea”, Indians or non-Indians, many have their own special recipe for this drink!

I found a few YouTube videos for making chai tea. The first video led to the next video, and that video led to a bunch of other terrific videos!

I searched some of the discussions here at Forum Coin and found a couple of interesting comments.

* Per @mandeep4687:

“ … "Masala Chai" in India which can be made by adding Indian spices such as elaichi, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, milk, sugar and herbs to your everyday black tea.

Last Drink You Drank (Daily Thread)

* Per @ksridharprasad

Air India national carrier of India wish to introduce Indian traditional food on board to their passengers soon, Now they are offering ... Lunch and Dinner with masala chai(Tea). ...

Traditional Food in Air India flights

* * *

Are you a tea drinker?

Do you have your own chai tea recipe?

If not chai tea, do you have your own special tea recipe?

Do you prefer your tea sweetened or unsweetened?

My Chinese friend used to brew a cup of tea made with popped rice; no sugar. I'm like, "You can do that?"

One of my daughters just loves hibiscus tea. She always keeps some in her pantry.

A few of my other daughters love to experiment with all kinds of herbal teas.

All of my daughters prefer sweetened tea.

No doubt about it. The wonderful world of teas is fascinating!

Iraani Chai | Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana

Masala Chai (Indian Masala Tea)

Chai Masala Powder - Secret Ingredient of Flavoured and Aromatic Indian Tea | Winter Special

* This content first appeared at ForumCoin.com, Jan 24, 2018. *

Healthy Food Trends and Eating Habits for Life!

This article (link below) was published over a year ago via Consumer Reports. I am a firm believer that what might be a food trend one year could become a regular healthy eating habit that same year and beyond.

Healthy Food Trends to Watch for in 2019 (AND BEYOND!)

~ It's a brand new year! Why not evaluate this list and determine if you have incorporated any of these healthy food trends for 2019 into your healthy eating habits.

Non-Dairy Milks?

CHECK! I live with family members who are lactose-intolerant. They have to drink non-dairy milks. I drink it cause I like the taste.

Mindful Eating?

Uhh … ??? It's a dietary approach. I'm going to have to do a little more research.

Mindful Eating 101 — A Beginner’s Guide | Healthline

8 steps to mindful eating - Harvard Health

Chickpeas?

CHECK! I started eating chickpeas in the 70s when my university roommate took me to my first salad bar at a restaurant. They made a great addition to a salad. I learned later that you could also put them in soups and make hummus with them. On top of that, the nutritionists say they're good for me? Score!

Chayote?

I live in Texas and our grocery store gets a lot of their produce from Mexico. It's not that expensive to buy. Chayote is a squash that is used in Mexican cuisine. We eat a lot of Mexican food in Texas. (Also used in Jamaican and Brazilian cuisine.) My only excuse is that … Ummm? I got nothing! I don't have an excuse. I've just never tried this veggie in a recipe. Have you?

10 Impressive Benefits of Chayote Squash

Learn About Chayote Squash : Article - GourmetSleuth

Chayote with Tomato and Green Chile Recipe | SimplyRecipes.com

Sautéed Chayote Squash Recipe | The Spruce Eats

Plant 'Meat'?

CHECK! Everybody is doing it. Right? Well not everybody, but I am. To my surprise, I like the taste. In my personal case, my late husband had to change his diet because of a health condition. I wasn't going to prepare separate meals. One his way and one my way. So I started eating his way. His way was incorporating plant 'meat' into his diet. He's gone now. But I'm OK with still eating meat alternatives.

By the way, you can use chickpeas to make burgers.

Easiest Vegan Chickpea Burgers - Loving It Vegan

Foods for Sensitive Stomachs?

This is not a problem for me. My stomach is lined with iron. But I did learn an interesting food fact. “FODMAP” means fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. Evidently FOMAP foods are big in Australia. I live in the USA. We're starting to come around.

♦

So have you incorporated any of these 2019 healthy food trends into your diet?

If not, here's another consumer report:

9 Ways to Follow a Healthier Diet in 2020

♦

I'm no food expert, dietician, nutritionist, or professional in the food industry. I just like writing about my foodie adventures. You can find some more of my writings at My Foodie Luv (my Medium publication) and Food Ways (this blog).

♦

Would you happen to be interested in pesto?

I’m very proud of this article. It was accepted for publication at Vocal.Media and was selected as a Vocal Staff Pick and featured.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pesto

♦

Original source

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

ATTN: Newbie Cooks! Best Seasonings and Cookbook for Cajun and Creole Cuisine

If you have ever been to New Orleans, Louisiana US, then you know that region is known for its Cajun and Creole cooking. There is a difference between Cajun and Creole cooking. Some say Cajun dishes are spicier.

But I say no matter which ... it's all good!

Even though I have stood at a stove for 40+ years, my culinary skills are still at the newbie level. Dining out at "authentic" restaurants or even ordering for delivery is usually not an option. That's why I find shortcuts to creating the taste of a particular cuisine. I am happy to recommend two brands of seasonings for those who want to prepare their own Cajun or Creole dishes. The official websites for each of these companies have a section dedicated to recipes. But you might also find this cookbook helpful: The Easy Creole and Cajun Cookbook: Modern and Classic Dishes Made Simple by Ryan Boudreaux.

(NOTE: Read free with your Kindle subscription OR ... the paperback book is less than $10 so it would be a great idea for a white elephant gift exchange. 🎅)

Best Seasoning for Cajun Cooking: Slap Ya Mama!

Yes, there is a difference between these two types of cuisines, but for my palette, there is no difference. Every dish I have ever tried whether it was Cajun or Creole, it was delicious.

But I have only been to New Orleans once and it is likely I will never visit again. If you are like me and you don't live in New Orleans but you want to try to make your own Cajun food, use slapyamama seasonings. You can shop for their products via the Amazon store OR go directly to their official website. You can also find recipes on the website. I met the company owner through Facebook years ago. They sent me free samples of their products to try. Even though the Original Cajun Blend is the best seller, my favorite is the Cajun seasoning for fish fry. This company was founded in 2001 and is owned by The Walker family, (TW, Mama Jen, Jack, Joe, Tana, Andi, and Ruby).

***

Best Seasoning for Creole Cooking: Tony Cachere

Creole refers to people who are of mixed European and African descent (A little French, a little Spanish, a little Afro-Caribbean, etc.). That specific group of people made their home in Louisiana USA. (Just ask Beyoncé Knowles, the Creole Queen.) They have their special style of cooking which is referred to as Creole cuisine.

If you have ever tasted Creole recipes and you want to make your own, Tony Chachere is one of the best products on the market. They have been in business since the 70s, about half a century. I discovered the Tony Chacere brand because one of my children bought a can of the seasoning home from the local grocery store. He didn't want to use the herbs and spices in my kitchen cabinet for his cooking, so he bought his own flavorings.

Once I tried their Original Creole Seasoning, I was hooked! I use it to season meat, in my rice dishes, and on my veggies.

For those who may have to watch their salt intake, they have No-Salt seasonings. If you can not find their products at your local grocery store, go to Amazon OR to their official website. Tony Chachere is a real person. He is retired now but his business is still thriving.

Are you a newbie cook in the kitchen? Check out some of my other FW posts.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Exotic Fruit: Do You Heart Persimmons?

Fuyu Persimmon Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu'
~ Other Common Name(s): Fuyu Kaki

Fuyu persimmon is a fruit that ripens in the fall season and should be included in the American cornucopia or “horn of plenty”. It is sweet and has a beautiful color! It makes for a beautiful ornamental plant. It attracts birds, so you might want to put a cage around it.

There are two other varieties of the persimmon that I know of: Cinnamon Persimmons (also called Percinnamons); and Hachiya Persimmons. This fruits is native to China and Japan. But there is also an American persimmon.

"Putchamin is the Algonquin Indian word from which we get persimmon, and it appears from a report by Hernando de Soto in 1541 that Indians in the Mississippi region made it into “bread”. The variety of persimmon enjoyed by these intrepid explorers and early settlers is what we now call Diospyros virginiana." (Source: Pioneers and Persimmons | The Old Foodie)

According to folklore, if you crack open a persimmon seed from a ripe fruit and the shape inside (called a cotyledon) looks like a fork, winter will be mild; if you see a spoon, there will be a lot of snow, and if there is a knife, winter will be bitingly cold and “cut like a knife.” (Source: Farmer's Almanac)

In the Buddhist religion, persimmons are a symbol of transformation. In China, they are an auspicious gift to newlyweds to celebrate eternal love. (Source: Real Food Encyclopedia | Persimmons | FoodPrint)

You can make cookies, pies, breads, and jam with it. Slice or dice tme like apples and you can put them in salads, if you like fruit in your salad. Instead of apples with your roasted pork, substitute persimmons. You can dehydrate them and eat them like chips!

FUN FOOD FACT: You can freeze persimmons whole. Then when ready to eat, take them out of the freezer, let stand for 20 minutes to soften up, cut off the the top, take a spoon and DIVE IN!

Here are some wonderful recipes collected by Yummy Mummy Kitchen and Martha Stewart.

20 Persimmon Recipes

12 Persimmon Recipes Everyone Should Make This Fall ~

Original source

Summertime is Grilling Time! Portable Grills Are Perfect For Grilling

What time is the right time for barbecue? Summertime equals Barbecue Time. RIGHT? Uumm? It depends on the barbecue grill.

Do you know why many would agree with the claim that the perfect barbecue grill is a portable BBQ grill? Folks who fancy themselves barbecue masters would agree because the best barbecue grills are the ones that are great for camping or caravanning or backyard parties. That means they can pack up, carry their grills wherever, and show off their “skillz”. The added plus is that many of these grills are very inexpensive.

Portable BBQ grills are popular and practical. They are durable and built to last for many summers. In fact, they can be used all year long, summer, spring, fall, or winter.

Key Features:
* Directs Grease Away From Too To Prevent Flare-Ups.
* Nonstick Surfaces To Stop Food From Sticking.
* BBQ Lid Functions As A Wok Or Saucepan.

The CADAC Safari Chef Portable BBQ is a gas-powered grill with small changeable gas canisters that allows you to cook on a fat-free barbecue grill a fat-free ribbed grill, a flat grill, a wok, or a camping stove, so this is the ultimate Portable Cooking System.

Key Features:
* Perfectly Designed For Concentric Air Flow For Even Cooking
* Push Button Technology To Light Charcoal
* Stay Cool Handles On BBQ Lid And Base

gift

The Neoway Deluxe Charcoal Kettle BBQ is 22 inches in circumference so it is fairly big. This BBQ is superior to others of its kind due to its technology and revolutionary design.

Key Features:
* Push Button Quick Light Technology
* Fully Collapsible For Easy Storage
* Five Unique Cooking Surfaces

ribbon

With the Carri Deluxe Cadac BBQ each of the cooking surfaces comes with its own stow bag to keep it clean and also keeps the scratches of the non-stick surfaces. These barbecues are perfect for camping, garden cooking, and special events such as Outdoor Concerts, and such. It`s the only cooking companion you'll need.