Virgin Islander Cuisine

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Overview of Virgin Islander Cuisine History
An important part of Virgin Islands’ culture is represented by cuisine. As a result of the interactions between the indigenous Indians and Europeans, there are a lot of foods common to the Virgin Islands and to the Caribbean nowadays. In this region there are many Caribbean dishes, American dishes and restaurants with different cuisines and fast food restaurants. The Europeans and the Africans were those who contributed to the local cuisine as they had different cooking styles and ingredients. Thus, the Europeans brought food products like Beef, Wheat, garlic, onions, limes, sugar cane, breadfruits and mangoes, while the importation of African slaves was a way of obtaining crops like okra, or new styles of preparing food. The Americans were those who brought here corn, potatoes, beans, and all sorts of peppers. Chinese and Indian servants brought with them more cooking styles to the Virgin Islands. Curry dishes have become the most famous in this region.

Cuisines of Virgin Islands US
The cuisine of Virgin Islands has been influenced by European, Indian, Chinese, and American cuisines and nowadays it includes a wide variety of dishes, especially those consisting of corn, Beef, garlic, onions, peppers, limes, breadfruits, mangoes, okra, potatoes, beans, curry, and Wheat. It is assumed that the older women in the community are those who prepare the most delicious meals; the result of their work is thought to be a real masterpiece as long as they add different ingredients that give an extraordinary taste and flavor. One of the most popular dish served in Virgin Islands is fish soup, but it tastes as good as callaloo soup which consists of leaves from a daheen plant mixed with local herbs, okra, meat and seafoods. Except all these, people from Virgin Islands also have stewed oxtail, goat, Beef and Chicken, as well as salt fish, rice, peas, yams, fried plantains, sweet potatoes, cassava, dasheen, lentils and beans.

Preparation Methods for Virgin Islander Cooking
Virgin Islands’ cuisine uses elements from various cooking traditions borrowed from their neighbours and developed from their own traditional dishes. While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for cooking in Virgin Islands, we should point out that attention to detail is important in the Virgin Islands’ cuisine. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential - either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. The diversity of vegetables and cereals found in Virgin Islands is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportion differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Virgin Islands’ regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most dishes from Virgin Islands and cured and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes.

Special Equipment for Virgin Islander Cooking
Ranging from cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishers & portioners, food pans & food containers to other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets & accessories, the Virgin Islands’ cuisine needs a diverse cooking equipment set in order to produce the most sophisticated dishes from Virgin Islands. You should consider insulated food carriers if you are transporting the food and a full set of kitchen linens and uniforms if you wish to look like a pro. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking food in Virgin Islands: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slicers, kitchen thermometers, measuring cups & measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers & strainers. Essential utensils like serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking "arsenal".

Virgin Islander Food Traditions and Festivals
An important carnival is held in Virgin Islands. On this occasion, people dress in colourful costumes, dancing in the streets. Food is one of the most important elements during this festival and not only, especially due to the fact that the Virgin Islands’ cuisine has been transformed into a real art of cooking and serving. Being an occasion to stay together and share happiness, people eat the most delicious foods, such as meat paste, sorrel, popular dishes like callaloo soup, Chicken, Beef, or seafoods. Generally, local foods in the Virgin Islands include all kinds of Caribbean dishes. Barbecue is one of the cooking methods used by the inhabitants of Virgin Islands.

People in Virgin Islander Food
There are many chefs who creatively use the basic ingredients and cooking method for traditional dishes in Virgin Islands and create original and delicious food variations. The chefs from Virgin Islands are passionate about their traditional dishes and they enjoy presenting them to foreigners who have never tasted them before. Whether they are cooking dishes that go back in time for centuries or brand new, modern dishes, these chefs take pride in what they do, and this is readily noticeable in the unforgettable taste of their cooking.
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