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.

• Can You Make Rum Cake Without Rum? Delicious Alternatives! | Meemaw's Recipes 
• Non-Alcoholic Rum Cake | Ann Clark 

🏝️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:

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

Happy Chinese New Year: My Picks for Top Four (4) Chinese TV Chefs

As my way of celebrating Chinese New Year, I am sharing a quick profile of my 4 favorite Chinese TV chefs and a couple of fun facts related to Chinese New Year.  How do you know you love Chinese food? When you go everywhere, you ask for directions to the best Chinese restaurant. Not me. My late husband. But I wholly supported him in his quest. No matter which city we visited or wherever we lived, we looked for a Chinese restaurant. 

Once we found a good one, we were loyal customers. Sometimes we would leave the kids, sneak out of the house, and go have lunch. Other times, we would order take-out, go pick up the food, and then enjoy dinner at home. On rare occasions, we actually got to sit down in a nice restaurant and enjoy a meal together.  In addition to dining out or enjoying take-out, we loved watching cooking shows on television. Below are four (4) of our favorite Chinese chefs.

- Martin Yan

- Ming Tsai

- Ching He Huang

- Kylie Kwong

Martin Yan ~ We loved his show because he would always teach you one Chinese word and we liked to hear him say “If Yan can cook, you can too!” He was very encouraging and got us to try some Asian recipes at home.  TV SHOWS:  Yan Can Cook; Martin Yan's Hong Kong; Martin Yan – Quick & Easy

Ming Tsai ~ Ming Tsai's parents sent him to a cooking school in France. His television show combined the cuisines from both the East and the West. I especially liked the episodes where his parents were on the show, cooking with him in the kitchen. Even though he is a professional chef and owns restaurants and has received awards, he still asks his mom for directions and cooking tips.  TV SHOWS:  East Meets West; Simply Ming

Ching He Huang ~ She said that as a child, she was taught how to cook by her grandmother. When she grew up, she went to a school and received training to cook professionally. One of her teachers praised her as being the best in the class and said he knew when she left school, whatever she decided to do, she was going to be successful. She had one TV show that aired in the UK. She was so good that she was invited to have her own cooking show in the US, as well, in San Francisco, California.  TV SHOWS:  Chinese Food Made Easy; Easy Chinese San Francisco

Kylie Kwong ~ This lady chef is also a food caterer. Sometimes she shows how she prepares food to serve large crowds. Other times, she prepares a meal for a small group of guests in her home. No matter what she cooks, it looks fabulous, and your mouth waters.  TV SHOW:  Kylie Kwong: Heart and Soul

All of these chefs have published cookbooks. As this is a global community, I am not sure if these shows are available worldwide. But if you get a chance, watch either or all of these TV cooking shows listed above. If you love Chinese food, you'll be delighted!

Chinese Calendar to check New Year Dates every year.

FUN FACTS:

Chinese New Year for 2021 will be February 12th. It is the Year of the Ox. (Source)

Seven (7) Typical foods eaten on Chinese New Year are:  1. Fish — an Increase in Prosperity;  2. Chinese Dumplings — Wealth;  3. Spring Rolls — Wealth;  4. Glutinous Rice Cake — a Higher Income or Position;  5. Sweet Rice Balls — Family Togetherness; 6. Longevity Noodles — Happiness and Longevity;  7. Good Fortune Fruit — Fullness and Wealth (usually tangerines, oranges, and pomeloes).   (Source)

(Image credits - ClipArtKey and Pixabay)

The Joys of Making Dishes and Drinks with Edible Flowers

The first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared in February 1966. Since then, the magazine has only grown in its popularity and not just for the people who live in the South (Southern United States). The magazine has published wonderful articles about the home, travel, and food for over 50 years. I found this wonderful article in Southern Living Magazine. It starts off with the statement “Cooking with edible flowers is back.”

I thought to myself: “What do you mean back? I have never cooked with edible flowers!”

When I was a kid growing up in Miami, Florida, we had hibiscus flowers in our front yard. We would pick them, rip them apart, and I enjoyed sucking the nectar from the stem. I never ate the petals because I didn't know they were edible. They are not just edible; you can brew a tea with them and drink it!

In the SL article, hibiscus is on the list of the 10 Best Edible Flowers.

What have I missed? LOL.

For me, the thing is ... flowers are so pretty you don't really want to eat them. Do you?

But it's good that you can. It's one of those things you need to know if you ever get stranded on a desert island and you're not that good at catching fish or hunting for your food (like me).

It's just a personal thing, but I think edible flowers should only be used for weddings.

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FUN FOOD TRIVIA AND FACT:

The image is a photo of a marigold calendula. Calendula is known as the “poor man’s saffron,” and it can be used in the recipe for deviled eggs. Who knew?

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Related Links:

10 Best Edible Flowers | Southern Living

10 Edible Flower Salads That Are Way Too Pretty to Eat | Spoon University

Recipe Box: Edible Flower Popsicles - Lauren Conrad

The Ten Best Edible Flowers to Grow in Your Garden

30 Edible Flowers You Can Eat Right Out Of Your Garden

Garden Guides | The History of Edible Flowers

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Have you ever prepared a dish or a drink with edible flowers?

Original Source