Dominican Cuisine

Dominican cuisine, distinct from that of the nearby Dominican Republic, is the wholesome, home-style Creole food of the Nature Island, blending Kalinago, African, French and British influences with the island's remarkable natural abundance. Meals are built on ground provisions, the starchy root vegetables like dasheen, yam and green banana, served with callaloo, a rich dish of dasheen leaves, fresh fish and seafood, and stews. Bountiful tropical fruit, river crayfish, and the island's fine cocoa and coffee feature too, alongside the traditional Kalinago cassava bread. Simple, fresh and organic, it reflects an island that grows almost everything it eats.

What you actually see

• Callaloo - the rich dish of dasheen leaves.
• Ground provisions - the starchy root vegetables and green banana.
• The fresh fish and crayfish - the seafood and river crayfish.
• The tropical fruit and cocoa - the abundant fruit and fine cocoa.

When to go

Year-round; local markets, especially the vibrant Roseau market on Saturdays, brim with the island's extraordinary fresh produce, and simple eateries serve callaloo, provisions and fresh fish. The island's fertile, volcanic land means fruit, vegetables and seafood are wonderfully fresh, local and often organic.

Honest expectations

Dominican food is simple, wholesome, home-style Creole cooking centred on root provisions, callaloo and fresh fish rather than a varied or refined restaurant cuisine, so its appeal is freshness, organic local produce and honest island flavour rather than culinary sophistication. Note that the traditional dish of mountain chicken, actually a large frog, is now largely protected and off-menu due to conservation. Fresh, local and abundant, though, the food of the Nature Island is a wholesome pleasure.

Nearby

The Roseau market and eateries across the island are the places to eat.