Johnny Cake and Pâté

Two things are sold everywhere here and neither is on a restaurant menu. Johnny cake in the Virgin Islands is fried rather than baked, a round of dough dropped into hot oil until it puffs and goes golden, eaten plain, split around saltfish, or alongside anything else. Pâté, pronounced pah-tay, is a turnover of the same kind of dough folded around a spiced filling of saltfish, conch, chicken or beef and fried, sold from vans and windows at any hour. Together they are the territory's everyday food, and the best of them come from someone's kitchen rather than anywhere with a sign.

What you actually see

• Fried johnny cake - dropped in oil rather than baked, eaten hot.
• Saltfish pâté - the standard filling and the one to start with.
• The roadside vans - where both are actually bought.
• With saltfish and onion - the classic breakfast combination.

When to go

Year-round and at any hour, though the best stands sell out. Mornings for the breakfast trade and afternoons around school times are when the vans appear. Ask locally rather than looking for a restaurant.

Honest expectations

Both are deep fried and heavy. Quality varies enormously and the good ones are found by asking rather than by looking; restaurant versions are usually poor. Pâté fillings are spiced but not hot by Caribbean standards. Vegetarian options are rare beyond a plain johnny cake.

Nearby

Vans and windows across all three islands; ask where you are staying.