Green Fig and Saltfish

Green fig means unripe banana, boiled in the skin until it softens, peeled and served with saltfish that has been soaked, flaked and sautéed with onion, sweet pepper, tomato and thyme. It is the national dish of Saint Lucia and it says a good deal about the island: bananas were the export crop that kept the economy going for decades, and salt cod was the cheap protein that came in on the ships that took the fruit away. It is breakfast food above all, sometimes with a boiled provision or a bake alongside, and it is on the table at every Creole Day.

What you actually see

• Green fig - unripe banana, boiled in the skin.
• The saltfish - soaked, flaked and cooked with onion and pepper.
• The banana connection - the crop the island lived on for decades.
• Creole Day - when it is cooked in the street across the island.

When to go

Year-round, at breakfast. Small local restaurants serve it in the morning and it is gone by mid-morning. Jounen Kwéyòl at the end of October is when it is cooked publicly across the island.

Honest expectations

It is plain and starchy and visitors expecting bold flavour are often underwhelmed; the point is the saltiness against the bland banana. Saltfish is salty by nature and badly soaked fish is inedible. It is rarely on resort menus and finding it means eating where Saint Lucians do.

Nearby

Small restaurants across the island; Creole Day villages in October.