Every culture and region has their own delicious delicacies prepared during the holiday season. A Caribbean Christmas is infused with flavours across the region and tailored to the likings of each island. Often, there will be adaptations on the meals as most of the islands share the same dishes, but you will see slight differences. As someone raised in Barbados, with both parents born in Guyana and a stepmother from Cuba, I’ve experienced many of those slight differences in Caribbean Christmas dishes. This article will walk you through five dishes that you are likely to see during a Caribbean Christmas.

Honey ham

In Barbados particularly, the “Bajans” (another name of Barbadians) usually gravitate towards a picnic ham from the brand Farmer’s Choice. Although the supermarkets usually sell this throughout the year, most Bajans know to buy early in December as these can go quickly! The glory in this dish is the homemade honey glaze that each household might make slightly differently. The crispness of the glaze as it comes out of the oven is what all the rave is about. Of course, I’m biased but I still believe my mum makes the ultimate glaze! While she uses a mixture of mustard and brown sugar, there are some households that I’ve been to where they also top the picnic ham with pineapple and cherries which gives a much sweeter flavour. All walks of the Caribbeans have different glazes that can taste very different, but the beauty in the Barbados Christmas ham is the natural flavours from the Farmer’s Choice picnic ham.

Sorrel

If you haven’t heard of Sorrel before, you’re missing out on one of our great juices, made from the sepals of a Hibiscus plant. Sorrel is enjoyed across the Caribbean and while each island might make its own version, the base ingredients are predominantly the same. Most identify sorrel from its rich deep red colour that they will see not only at Christmas functions but also served in restaurants and fast food spots during the season. Some flavour the sorrel with cinnamon sticks or ginger, and for a spiked version, you can also add rum to it!

Jug-jug

This Barbadian dish has been around for quite some time but isn’t always seen on the table during Christmas anymore. Although this was once a meal many prepared, it’s slowly become less and less popular. It’s said that jug-jug was based on the Scottish dish haggis and that when some of them were in Barbados after the Monmouth Rebellion in the late 1600s, they brought this dish to our island. Made from a mixture of pigeon peas, salt meat, pork, and a few seasonings, is a dish that some will see on Bajan households during the Christmas season.

Garlic pork and pepperpot

These two dishes are staples in my household when I’m home for Christmas. Although the garlic pork comes from Trinidad and Tobago and pepperpot comes from Guyana, it’s likely that you may see an adaptation of this as part of a Caribbean household’s Christmas spread. For example, I’ve enjoyed pepperpot in both a Guyanese, Trinidadian, and Bajan households, and while the key ingredients are the same, something is always different. Garlic pork is a process of marinating the pork for several days in a mixture of garlic, vinegar, and a variety of spices such as hot peppers. Once marinated, my family usually fries it, but it can also be roasted. The pepperpot on the other hand is more of a stew that is enjoyed with bread. With a variety of different meats such as oxtail, cow heel, and mixes of pork and beef, its main ingredient is cassareep, which gives the pepperpot its distinctive flavour and dark colour.

Ponche a Crème

This drink is very similar to what many know as eggnog. Made from condensed milk, cow’s milk, eggs, sugar, and brown rum, this is a creamy alcoholic drink that is well-enjoyed during the holiday season in the Caribbean. If you try to create this drink at home, make sure to garnish with nutmeg and include a bit of vanilla essence in your mixture for a more authentic taste. This drink has a wide history in Caribbean territories, as well as in Hispanic regions such as Venezuela, who also have their own take on this drink.

Any Caribbean person you speak to will undoubtedly recognized at least one of these dishes. If you’ve ever had Caribbean food, you will know that the culture emphasizes the enjoyment of cooking these flavourful meals. These dishes bring the family together and often result in everyone taking a nap in between meals as the food is so good, it will put you right to sleep. In addition to all the great food Barbados has to offer during this season, the culture also values a lot of family and friend gatherings. If you’re ever on the island during Christmas, make sure you take part in the famous Boxing Day raft up, where all the locals flock to the beach.