The Foundation: Amerindian Roots

Long before Columbus, Indigenous peoples developed sophisticated Caribbean cuisine based on local abundance. Their contributions remain fundamental:

The Sacred Trinity

Manioc (Cassava): "Manioc saved us," explains ethnobotanist Dr. Isabelle Bonnaire. "It grows where nothing else will, resists hurricanes, stores underground until needed. Indigenous peoples gave us not just the plant but the complex knowledge of making it safe to eat."

Pepper: The Caribbean's native Scotch bonnet and other peppers provided flavor and preservation in tropical heat. "Indigenous peoples understood peppers' antimicrobial properties centuries before science," notes food historian Marc Delacroix.

Seafood: Sophisticated fishing and preservation techniques included boucanage (smoking), from which we get the word "buccaneer."

Living Techniques

- Pepper pot stew: Continuously cooking pot with cassareep (cassava-based preservative) - Barbecue: The original barbacoa using pimento wood - Seasonal eating: Following natural abundance rather than forcing production

"When my Kalinago grandmother cooked, she thanked the plants and animals," recalls fisherman Henri Valmond. "She taught that food is relationship, not commodity."