Bermudian Cuisine

Bermudian cuisine reflects the island's mid-Atlantic crossroads history, blending British, Caribbean, American and Portuguese influences with the bounty of the sea. The national dish is Bermuda fish chowder, a rich, dark, savoury soup of fish and vegetables, traditionally seasoned at the table with a splash of the fiery local sherry pepper sauce and dark black rum, a distinctive and delicious ritual. The traditional Sunday breakfast is salt codfish with potatoes, onions and bananas. Fresh local fish like wahoo and rockfish, the Portuguese-influenced Bermuda fish sandwich, hearty cassava pie at Christmas, and the famous rum swizzle cocktail complete a characterful island table.

What to look for

• Bermuda fish chowder - the dark chowder with sherry pepper and rum.
• The codfish breakfast - the traditional salt cod Sunday breakfast.
• The fresh fish - the wahoo, rockfish and fish sandwich.
• The rum swizzle and cassava pie - the famous cocktail and Christmas pie.

When to go

Year-round; traditional pubs, local eateries and restaurants serve the island classics, from fish chowder to the fresh catch, and the codfish breakfast is a Sunday tradition. Fresh local fish like wahoo and rockfish is a highlight, and no visit is complete without trying the fiery table ritual of sherry pepper sauce and rum in the chowder, and a rum swizzle.

Practical notes

Bermudian food is hearty, characterful island cooking blending British, Caribbean and Portuguese roots rather than a refined or varied cuisine, and dining in Bermuda is famously very expensive, with much produce imported to the isolated island. The distinctive fish chowder with its sherry-pepper-and-rum ritual, the fresh local fish, the codfish breakfast and the rum swizzle, though, are genuine and delicious island specialities, best enjoyed at a traditional pub or local eatery for a real taste of Bermuda.

Nearby

Hamilton's pubs and restaurants and the local eateries are the places to eat.