George's Caribbean Soul Catering Service

What is Caribbean cuisine?
Food plays a central role in family life and traditions in the islands. Cooks spend days preparing menu offerings for holidays, festivals, and special family gatherings. The cuisine of the Caribbean is like a cultural patchwork quilt. Each "path" or dish represents the plentiful bounty of islands' lush tropical vegetation, combined with the one or more diverse groups of people that have lived there.

Foreign Influence
The original inhabitants of the Caribbean islands included a unique blend of various nationalities that resulted in a wonderful combination of foods, cooking techniques, and ideas. When Christopher Columbus "discovered" the islands during his voyages in the Caribbean Sea in the 1490's, the Carib and Arawak Indians were already inhabitants. Soon afterwards came the Spanish, British, French, and Dutch settlers.

Along with their culinary customs, early European colonists brought to the islands such wonderful foods as breadfruit, bananas, oranges, limes, mangoes, rice, and coffee. Others carried seedlings for okra, callaloo, taro and ackee from the homeland of Africa. Later, people from India and China introduced curries and other related seasonings to the region. Many of these vegetables, fruits, and flavors can be found in our signature recipes.

Travelers from the United States have also influenced Caribbean cooking. Our menu offerings include dishes with an authentic island "twist", along with many American traditional favorites. At George's Caribbean Soul, we have something delicious in our kitchen for everyone!

Island Flavors and Foods
The success and popularity of Caribbean cooking are due to the subtle ways in which the food is seasoned and garnished with herbs, spices and condiments to suit the varied ingredients. For example, chilies of all shapes, sizes and degrees of heat grow in abundance on the Caribbean islands and appear in many of our dishes. Among the most common...the hottest are the "Scotch Bonnet" and "Habañero". Habañeros are among the hottest peppers in the world. If jalapeños ranked a "5" on the heat scale...habañeros would rank a "10"!

Many different spices grow on the Islands. Among the most commonly used in Island cooking are cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, and cloves. Other distinctive flavorings include ginger, garlic, coconut, and rum. These flavorings make our dishes more flavorful, enjoyable and fun!

"Jerk" is by far the most recognized seasoning in the Caribbean. Essentially a marinade, this Jamaican creation is typically used on chicken or pork. At George's Caribbean Soul, we feature Jerk seasonings on several dishes: Jamaican Grilled Chicken Wings, Jerk Chicken Sandwich, and Jerk Chicken Pizza. Be sure to try our Jerk Pork Chop - the best you'll ever put in your mouth. Our Jerk marinade contains allspice, hot Scotch Bonnet peppers, thyme, nutmeg, sage, onions, and citrus juice. Combined, these ingredients give a distinctive, moderately spicy, smoky-flavored island taste.

Seafood plays an important role in Caribbean cooking. Sea life in the Island waters is plentiful, yet many varieties of fish are still imported. At George's Caribbean Soul, you can find many types of fresh fish including red snapper, mahi-mahi, tuna, grouper, and fresh island fish of the day.

Conch, best known for its beautiful, conical pink shell, is one the most popular seafoods found in the Caribbean waters. Caribbean natives prize conch for its tasty meat, which resembles clam in flavor. Fresh conch is tough and must be pounded with a meat mallet to tenderize it. You'll find it in our Chowders and Fritters.

Most Caribbean islands share a few staple dishes. Beans and rice is a staple everywhere, particularly on the Spanish speaking islands. Root vegetables, boiled or fried, go by numerous different names across the region. Some examples are yuca, boniato, yams, sweet potatoes and eddoes. Common fruits include bananas, plantains, guava, pineapples, and mangoes.

The Caribbean's history, rich culture and diverse islands have influenced the George's Caribbean Soul menu. We also cook as the West Indians do...using only the freshest and best ingredients available.

You'll find that our menu at George's Caribbean Soul combines all the elements of the most popular Island cuisines. Our chefs have developed unique dishes that capture the spirit of the Caribbean in every bite. As you guide your guests through our menu and its culture, they'll love the creative presentation, bold flavors, and distinctive aromas.

Want to read more? Click here!

Back