Bajan Cuisine and Rum

Bajan cuisine is the flavourful, sociable food of Barbados, blending African, British and Caribbean influences with the island's abundant seafood. The national dish is cou-cou and flying fish, a comforting cornmeal-and-okra polenta served with the island's signature fish in a spicy gravy. Other favourites include pudding and souse, pickled pork with steamed sweet potato, macaroni pie, and fish cakes. Barbados is also, proudly, the birthplace of rum, home to the world's oldest rum brand and countless colourful rum shops, and the beloved Friday-night fish fry at Oistins is a national institution.

What you actually see

• Cou-cou and flying fish - the comforting national dish.
• The Oistins fish fry - the lively Friday-night seafood gathering.
• Pudding and souse - the pickled pork and sweet potato dish.
• Bajan rum - the birthplace of rum and its rum shops.

When to go

Year-round; the Friday-night fish fry at Oistins, where stalls grill fresh fish amid music and crowds, is the definitive Bajan food-and-fun experience, while rum shops across the island serve drinks and simple local fare all week. Weekends bring pudding and souse, a beloved Saturday tradition.

Honest expectations

Bajan food is homely, hearty island comfort cooking rather than refined cuisine, centred on fish, cornmeal and pork, and the flying fish that defines it has become less abundant in local waters over the years. The real experience is casual and social, at a fish fry or rum shop rather than a formal restaurant. Fresh, flavourful and enjoyed with rum and warm company, though, it is a delicious taste of the island's soul.

Nearby

Oistins, Bridgetown's rum shops and the island's distilleries are the places.