Fungi and Fish

Fungi, pronounced foon-ji, is cornmeal cooked down with chopped okra until it holds together, turned out and served in a round beside stewed or boiled fish in a broth with onion, tomato and thyme. It descends from West African cornmeal preparations and is close cousin to Barbadian cou-cou and other versions across the region. It is the everyday and Sunday plate of the Virgin Islands, and the word carried across into music: the fungi band, a scratch band playing quelbe, took the same name for the same reason, that it was made from whatever was to hand.

What you actually see

• Fungi - cornmeal and okra cooked and turned out in a round.
• Boiled fish - in broth with onion, tomato and thyme.
• Saltfish and dumplings - the other everyday pairing.
• The name - shared with the fungi band and the quelbe tradition.

When to go

Year-round; Sunday is the traditional day and local restaurants often run it as the special. It is not on most tourist menus, so finding it means eating where residents eat.

Honest expectations

It is plain and the texture, dense and slightly slippery from the okra, divides opinion sharply on first encounter. Restaurants in tourist areas rarely serve it. Fish is usually served whole with bones. There is no vegetarian version in the tradition, though fungi alone is meatless.

Nearby

Local restaurants on all three islands; ask for the Sunday special.