Grenadian Cuisine and Spices

Grenada is known as the Spice Isle, one of the world's great producers of nutmeg, alongside mace, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and cocoa, and this aromatic bounty infuses its cuisine. The national dish is oil down, a hearty, soul-warming one-pot of breadfruit, salted meat, callaloo, dumplings and vegetables all simmered together in coconut milk and spices until the liquid is absorbed. Alongside come fresh seafood, ground provisions, callaloo, and spice-laced stews, while the island's fine cocoa yields some of the world's best chocolate. Fragrant, fresh and generous, it is Caribbean home cooking at its most flavourful.

What you actually see

• Oil down - the hearty national one-pot of breadfruit and coconut.
• The spices - the nutmeg, mace, cinnamon and cloves.
• The chocolate - the fine Grenadian cocoa and chocolate.
• The fresh seafood - the grilled fish, lobster and provisions.

When to go

Year-round; the fragrant St. George's market is the place to buy spices, cocoa and fresh produce, and local eateries serve oil down and seafood, while spice estates and chocolate makers offer tours and tastings. Oil down, being a communal, slow-cooked dish, is often prepared for gatherings and is well worth seeking out.

Honest expectations

Grenadian food is hearty, home-style Caribbean cooking centred on the one-pot oil down, provisions and fresh seafood rather than a refined or varied restaurant cuisine, so its appeal is soulful, spice-laced island flavour rather than culinary sophistication; the communal oil down is best experienced at a local spot or gathering. Infused with the island's world-famous spices and fine chocolate, though, and wonderfully fresh, the food of the Spice Isle is a genuine and aromatic delight.

Nearby

The St. George's market, the spice estates and chocolate makers are the places.