As far as Bahamas dining goes, yes you can get a cheeseburger, but it might cost you twice as much as lobster tail. As you can imagine seafood reigns supreme among the islands of the Bahamas. Not to say that food isn’t important to the Bahamians. In fact the College of the Bahamas only offers degrees in hotel and resturant management which brings in students not only from all over the islands of the Bahamas, but from all over the Caribbean and the world. As far as Bahamas food goes, just about everything else has to be imported and will cost more as it came from the airport and not the ocean. Interestingly the Bahamians call the main export, Spiny Lobster, “crawfish” although they have little resemblence to what someone in the U. S. would call a “crawfish.” The Bahamians actually ship well over three million pounds of spiny lobster each year.
Bahamas Island cuisine or Bahamas food found in restaurants normally consists of conch, grouper, and the lobster mentioned above. Of course you will also find some chicken, lamb, goat, or pork entrees. Wild boar is something you will find on some of the out islands. The boar is a throwback from our domestic pigs. They are large, dangerous, and hunted by the locals. If you truly want to experience Bahamas food, it would do you well to check out some of the smaller local restaurants as the “tourist” restaurants tend to “Americanize” even the traditional cuisine.
The main Bahama food is the queen conch, pronounced konk. It is pictured above and is all along the Bahama banks in huge numbers. It is thought to be an aphrodisiac by the Bahamians, and you will find huge piles of discarded conch shells along any fishing dock. In fact, disposing of the many thousands of shells is the number one environmental concern in the islands. It is perhaps that belief in the powers of conch meat as an informal passion potion that has led it’s being served in so many ways. You will find it chopped, marinated in lime juice and spices, you will find it served raw in salads, or served as a fillet. There is conch chowder, conch fritters, conch chow mien, conch submarine sandwiches, conch pizza, cracked conch, curried conch, linguine with conch sauce, scorched conch, steamed conch, and stewed conch.
The local spiny lobster is also abundant and cost about as much as shrimp, at least from the August to March lobster season. They are a bit tougher than a Maine lobster but are found served in many different ways. They might be broiled and served whole, sliced into small pieces and steamed, stewed with tomatoes, onions, and peppers, or in the shell.
Of course fish is also in abundance, although there are only a few species within the many that are considered Bahamas food. The main eating fish is grouper, but snapper, grunt, and jack also will be served under the generic ‘fish’ on the menu. Grouper is normally cut into strips, coated with a batter, and fried. It is then served as ‘grouper fingers’. The other types of fish are often served raw in salads or steamed in a many similar to conch.
If you are not a seafood lover, don’t worry you can still eat! While most meats are imported as stated above, there are limited supplies of chicken raised on the islands of the Bahamas. Chicken souse is one of the favorite type of stews. It is generally made with chicken, onion, sweet peppers, bay leaves, allspice, and whatever the cook’s imagination can come up with. It would be advisable to inquire as to the type of souse you are ordering as many are made from the spare parts of the chicken, boar, lamb, or goat. For instance sheep souse is made from chopped sheep tongue, and it is considered a special delicacy. You may also be wary of the spiced pig’s head. As stated, you can get a cheeseburger or a steak…it will just cost more.
Chilis are also a big thing in Bahamas food. They tend to spice up alot of foods with a hot yellow pepper sauce that includes many of the peppers grown on the islands of the Bahamas. Don’t worry though, if you are in a ‘tourist’ area and request hot sauce you will not get this special hot sauce. You must request ‘pepper sauce’. Beware!
Of course no meal is complete without beverage. The national beverage of the islands of the Bahamas is Kalik beer. And unlike the English, the Bahamians serve their beer chilled. It is brewed locally on New Providence. Of course Rum is the drink of the Caribbean and it is no different on the Bahamas islands. The difference is the sugar cane is imported from other Caribbean nations, but it is distilled on New Providence and Grand Bahama. You will often find the rum flavored with banana, mango, coconut, or lemon to be used as a strong liqueur as you enjoy desert. The most heard of beverage is probably the Bahama Mama made of white rum and citrus juice. Deserts often contain rum of some kind.