Famed as the “Spice Isle”, Grenada packs a punch with the wide range of spices that are grown and exported from our Caribbean island.
If you are visiting Grenada on vacation, we have selected eight spices which you simply must try. Below is a short description of each of the spices and how you may use them in your cooking. Spices are available to buy from market stalls and supermarkets on the island.
Grenada – Spice Isle of the Caribbean
Nutmeg & Mace
Nutmeg and mace production has been part of Grenada’s history for over 100 years. The island was the second major international exporter in the world, after Indonesia. Grenada has it’s own Nutmeg Spice Festival, such is its importance in culture and industry here. The nutmeg is used as symbol on the national flag and many other promotional materials. Nutmeg is the main reason the island is now called the “Spice Isle”.
Nutmeg is used in ice creams, biscuits and cakes, confectionary, soaps, medicines, herbal remedies and essential oils, syrups, sauces and ketchups, jams and jellies, and liquors. Mace (the red lacy substance that wraps around the nutmeg) is used as a preservative and to season soups, stews, sauces, and pickles. Don’t miss visiting one of the nutmeg factories on the island!
Tumeric (Saffron)
Turmeric is derived from a root vegetable and is commonly used to add bright yellow colour to soup, stew, curry, rice, or potato dishes. It is also an ingredient in the Grenadian national dish called Oil Down. It is commonly called Saffron in Grenada.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is derived from the inner bark of a tree. It is used for flavouring cakes, puddings, and sweet baked goods. You can also use cinnamon to flavour hot spiced drinks such as tea or hot chocolate, or in liquor.
Cloves
Clove may be used whole or dried to season sausages, hams, mincemeat, and other meats (normally at Christmas time in Grenada). It can also flavour fish dishes, fruit cakes, and in some pickles, stewed fruits and preserves.
Allspice (Pimento)
Allspice (commonly known as Pimento) is the dried fruit of the Pimenta tree. is used for flavouring sauces, curries, marinades, stews, pickles, fruit salads, soups, and spicy hot tea. It is also an ingredient for authentic Caribbean jerk chicken.
Bay Leaf
The bay leaf is an aromatic dried leaf often put in stews, soups, savoury rice, gravy, meat and poultry dishes, fish, pastas, marinades, and condiments. It has a light floral aroma when dried and can be used whole or crushed.
Ginger
Fresh or dried ginger is used to flavour sweet cakes, baked goods, and drinks such as ginger beer. Grenadians also include it in curries, stews or sauces, pot roasts, savoury dressings, chutneys, jams and jellies, ice cream and fudge. It is almost as widely used as nutmeg on the Spice Isle.
Well that’s certainly got my mouth watering!