People the world over determine whether they like a new food or cuisine based on how well it resembles food back home. The food and cuisine we grew up with become our lifelong reference for all things palatable or tasty. Science says persons are hard wired to like sweet and salty. Sour not so much and we are coded to dislike bitter. Savoury is regarded as the fifth taste and is generally popular. Flavour is experienced by the tongue and nose acting in concert; so when you put food in your mouth, chew and swallow it, the odours from the food being eaten go to another part of the brain which we experience as flavour. The flavour we experience from food is a learned preference and is not ingrained for immediate fancy like sweet and salty. This is why everyone doesn’t like all sweet foods ( the flavour is individual and learnt) and explains why some people can like bitter foods.
The ingrained love for sweet and salty goes a far way in explaining why there is such affinity and enjoyment of Bajan favourites such as pudding and souse, which is the ultimate pairing of sweet and salty (or briny), pickled breadfruit, pig tails and treats such as sweet bread. Other savoury dishes such as macaronie pie and lamb stew speak to a cross section of cultures. Travellers and visitors with a tradition of making lamb stew and a version of macaronie pie immediately cotton on to the Bajan dish. Visitors who rave about cou cou invariably compare it to their experiences with the Italian polenta and or American grits.
A dominant sweet and salty taste profile and the resemblance to other cuisines aside, Barbados is a culinary lover’s delight for other reasons. Casual eating and drinking in Barbados is a social event. The number of sit down food and rum shops in the island speaks to a cultural preference for gathering to eat and just not with family. Food is the grease of social exchange and enjoyment here- grab and go is always a necessity never the go to. Good food and drink and company equals laughter and storytelling and good times.
Looking for things to do in Barbados or looking for the best shore excursion, join us on a food tour or for a cooking class to discover for yourself the culinary delight that is Barbados.
