My adventures in Barbados continued as I dived even deeper into the world of Bajan cuisine! Come with me as I learn how to make a local favorite, roasted breadfruit!
For this adventure, I headed over to Yelluh Meat, a popular restaurant in Bridgetown, with my guides Craig and Nerissa. I watched as they slit the breadfruit and then char them over a roaring fire. I had to wear goggles because otherwise, the smoke and fire would mess with my eyes!
Breadfruit is a starchy and tasty tropical fruit that has been a staple food in tropical regions for centuries. It has a rough, green exterior and a starchy, creamy interior. When cooked, it has a texture similar to that of bread, hence its name. Whether it’s roasted, fried, boiled, or baked, breadfruit offers a unique and delicious flavor that is often likened to a mix of potato and freshly baked bread. It’s a staple in Caribbean nations like Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada!
After the cooks charred some breadfruit over a fire, they cut them open. Then, they take out the breadfruit heart, which isn’t edible, and they add butter. The breadfruit with melted butter was smoky and felt kind of cheesy! It’s also filling!
They then top it with pickles, saltfish buljol, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and lime juice! It’s almost like a salt fish salad or a ceviche! It looked amazing! I loved the mix of the refreshing vegetables, lime juice, fish, and the breadfruit.
You can also get it topped with smoked herring or pig tails, but I opted for the saltfish because I didn’t want to deal with so many tiny bones. It was drowning in butter and was so good!
I tried a bit of Craig’s breadfruit with smoked herring. It was really tasty, and Nerissa’s pig tails breadfruit was also delicious! I loved the meaty and fatty pigtails. I thought it was the best one! They have lots of different options there, so be sure to try them when you visit!
Then, I saw them cooking some jerk chicken, and then, they make a taco with a breadfruit shell, some slaw, beef, cheese, and pineapple salsa. The shell was crispy and the meat had a bit of sweetness to it because of the pineapple salsa.
You can also have jerk chicken and saltfish buljol in it. It was an amazing Bajan breakfast taco! I loved the breadfruit shell way more than corn or flour!
Then, we drove past a lot wilderness to get to the eastern coast of the island. We arrived at Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill, which is home to the Caribbean’s largest and only working windmill. After seeing it, we drove on to Cherry Tree Hill, a popular viewpoint where also they sell crafts and souvenirs.
They had a gorgeous conch shell, painted coconut bowls, marble crafts, bracelets, and more. From there, we could see the Atlantic Ocean. We drove down East Coast Road, past lots of local homes. This area of Barbados was sparsely populated, but eventually, we found more homes and shops.
We stopped at Uncle Joe’s Seaside Bar & Grill, where Mick Jagger used to come back in the 1970s and ‘80s! It’s a rustic restaurant with a modernized terrace. We grabbed some beers (I got a Guinness Foreign Extra Stout) and enjoyed the view and the breeze.
Then, we headed to Animal Flower Cave at the southernmost point on the island. The shore is very rocky but you can see lots of caves and the waves breaking against the rocks. It’s beautiful!
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