St Eustatius / Special Interests / Food and Cooking

By Nigel Tisdall

St Eustatius's national dish is goat meat, peas and rice. You can find this served in local restaurants along with other staple Caribbean dishes such as conch, snapper, grouper and stews made with oxtail, beef and chicken. The island has a long tradition of baking with ovens made from volcanic stone – there is an example of one in Fort Oranje and as you tour the island you can occasionally spot them sited outside houses as a fire precaution. A good variety of fruit, vegetables and herbs are grown here – for a few examples visit the “Taste Arbour” at the Miriam C. Schmidt Botanical Garden. Your chances of eating fresh fish, meanwhile, depends entirely on the fluctuating desire of local fishermen to catch it. The stalls set out during festivals and celebrations are a good chance to try some home-made fare, and you can buy a book of island recipes, The Statia Cookbook, compiled by the St Eustatius Historical Foundation.

Restaurants and eating out

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Upcoming events

09 Jun

Carnivals & Festivals | Barbados

Food demo by award winning chef Paul Wedgwood of Wedgwood The Restaurant in Edinburgh. The cookery demo takes place at 11.30am at Relish Epicurea in The Limegrove Lifestyle Centre in Holetown and is followed by lunch and drinks for US$50/Bds$100.

Head out into the countryside for the afternoon on a Rum Shop Tour of Barbados with Jeep Safari. Visit a selection of the island's charming rum shops and enjoy some scenery at the same time. Tour from 12noon to 4pm and includes lunch and drinks for US$72.50/Bds$145.