St. Martin, an overseas collectivity of France, occupies the northern half an island at the the top of the Leeward and Lesser Antilles archipelagos in the Caribbean. Sint Maarten, part of the Netherlands-Antilles, occupies the southern half of the island. As a result, the island reflects a fusion of both French and Dutch culinary influences, along with the traditional island culture that continues to exist despite manmade borders. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Callaloo
St. Martin and Sint Maarten share a traditional dish: callaloo. The spicy soup is named for its primary ingredient, the callaloo plant, which is similar to spinach. The dish also contains salt pork, fresh pork, chicken stock, okra, kale, onions, thyme and hot peppers. People on the island were making this traditional soup long before the arrival of the Dutch and the French. They usually make it in a large cooking pot at home, but you can find versions of the dish at restaurants throughout the island.
Guavaberry
The infamous guavaberry grows in the central region of the island (and elsewhere in the Caribbean and South and Central America) and forms the basis of a popular wine and a liqueur. The Dutch first made the guavaberry liqueur by soaking the berries in rum. They found the rum much more soothing with the sweet addition, which made it taste like a flavored schnapps. Cooks also use the berry in pies and many other pastry items.
Steak and Johnny Cakes
Steak maintains its popularity regardless of country. Cooks prepare steak St. Martin style with lemons and hot peppers and serve it with heaping piles of fresh salsa. Johnny cakes, which are popular among both the locals and tourists, also accompany or follow the meal. You make the cakes, which are basically fried dough disks, from flour, sugar, oil, baking powder, water and salt. They are fried like small pancakes until golden. You can use the cakes as a component in either sweet of savory dishes.
French and Creole Flavors
The dishes of St. Martin vary from those of Sint Maarten in terms of French versus Dutch culinary influences. The cooks combine traditional French foods, including foie gras, pastries, bread and game meats, with a distinctly Creole cuisine that features spicy stews, gumbos and curries. Popular ingredients throughout the island include coconut, salt cod, blood sausage, prawns, red snapper and lobsters.
Tags: Sint Maarten, cakes which, culinary influences, Dutch culinary, Dutch culinary influences