Location: Caribbean
Population: 184,100
Capital: Castries
Geography: A mountainous and densely forested volcanic island
Language: English
Signature flavours: Banana, seafood, beef, nutmeg, root vegetables, leafy greens, citrus and tropical fruits, avocado

The Menu

With influence from the culinary traditions of France, England, West Africa, and India, and its place in the world (think: tropical paradise) St Lucia has developed a cuisine all its own. Eric had been waiting for a chance to make mauby (we’ve had the bark in our cupboard for a while now), and from there, he built a menu showcasing what St Lucia has on offer.

Green Figs and Saltfish: Cooked unripe bananas (called “figs” in St Lucia) and flaked saltfish with garlic and cherry peppers.

Prep and cooking time: 75 min
Difficulty: 2/5

Petit Piton: A beef stew loaded with carrots, potatoes, and onions, and spiced with marjoram. This stew gets its name from the two largest mountains on the island.

Prep and cooking time: 45 min
Difficulty: 2/5

Bakes/Floats: Commonly eaten alongside soups and stews, bakes (if they’re baked) or floats (if they’re deep fried) are soft, salty bread rolls. Eric’s were fried, and therefore were floats.

Prep and cooking time: 60 min
Difficulty: 3/5

Avocado and Farine Balls: Mashed avocado mixed with cassava flour and rolled into a ball — simple, soft, and delicious.

Prep and cooking time: 10 min
Difficulty: 1/5

St Lucian Banana Cake: A layer cake flavoured with “mixed spice” (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, coriander, mace, and more), banana, orange rind, and orange juice, studded with walnuts and iced with cream cheese icing. The cake is topped with sliced banana and more orange rind.

Prep and cooking time: 90 min
Difficulty: 3/5

Mauby: A bittersweet drink made by boiling the bark of the mauby tree with cinnamon and anise and sweetening it with sugar, enjoyed hot or cold throughout the Caribbean. We sampled it in Barbados, where we were warned that it’s not for everyone — indeed, Eric liked it and I didn’t.

Prep and cooking time: 30 min
Difficulty: 1/5

The Shopping List

Eric and I shopped together for this assignment, hitting all the usual suspects (three supermarkets and the bulk store) to find everything Eric needed.

The Meal

Eric set a beautiful table. We heaped our plates with petit piton stew, green banana halves, and saltfish, and gobbled everything up with floats. The saltfish was very salty, but beautifully spiced, and eaten along with the floats, it tasted incredible. The petit piton was everything a hearty stew should be — meaty and satisfying.

The avocado balls tasted just like soft, perfectly ripe avocado, but with a slightly powdery texture, and I really liked them even though they were quite plain.

The mauby was excellent — Eric had gotten it just right. It was sweet and spiced, with a bitter kick at the end of each gulp.

The cake was beautiful, and I felt bad cutting into it, but Eric insisted. We shared a thick slice, slathered with luscious cream cheese icing and loaded with fruit. It was moist and fluffy, putting me in mind of a really good carrot cake. 

We spent the next three days eating leftovers (a Wooden Spoon Wanderer tradition at this point), and St Lucia has now been added to our travel wishlist.

Sources
The Complete Book of National Dishes by Henderson Daniel and Kristy Khemraj
Tasting the World…One Country at a Time by Nicole J. O’Donnell
https://www.anta.co.uk/blogs/cookbook/st-lucia-banana-cake?srsltid=AfmBOopI_6ekFnH-cPqjqpCGpwkIeRAAL9wlC4lQfdOUXArnBccjj-8O
https://islandeffect.com/recipe-bakes-floats/
https://otmslu.wixsite.com/onthemenu/farine-and-avocado
https://otmslu.wixsite.com/onthemenu/mauby_drink

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional chef. I’m just a passionate cook with a curiosity for flavours I’ve never tried. For great recipes from gifted local cooks, follow the links above.

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