This glossary brings together the key terms of Caribbean and West Indies cuisine. Tropical ingredients, creole dishes, cooking techniques — here are the definitions to help you explore and master the flavours of the islands.
A
Accras
Fried fritters made from salt cod (or shrimp or vegetables), an essential specialty of the French West Indies. The batter is seasoned with chilli, chives and parsley. Served as an aperitif or starter with sauce chien.
Ackee
A tropical fruit originally from West Africa that has become the flagship ingredient of Jamaican cuisine. Ackee and saltfish is Jamaica's national dish. Only the ripe, fleshy aril is edible — the rest is toxic.
Acéra
A spelling variant of accra, sometimes used in Haiti and Guadeloupe. It refers to the same type of fritter, often made with grated malanga or local vegetables. The recipe varies between islands.
Ajoupa
A traditional Amerindian Caribbean shelter, built with branches and palm leaves. By extension, the word denotes an open-air, creole-style way of cooking. The term is still used in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
B
Blaff
A light fish or seafood court-bouillon, a specialty of the French West Indies. The fish is poached in a broth flavoured with lime, garlic, chilli and spices. The name reportedly comes from the sound the fish makes when dropped into the boiling liquid.
Bokit
A crisp fried bread, the iconic street food of Guadeloupe. The bread dough is fried in oil and then stuffed with cod, chicken, ham-and-cheese or fresh vegetables. Comparable to Trinidadian fry bake.
Boudin créole
Caribbean blood sausage made with pork blood, bread, spices and chilli. Spicier than its mainland-French counterpart, it is flavoured with bay rum, thyme and creole chives. A Christmas-feast staple in the French West Indies.
Breadfruit
The fruit of the breadfruit tree, a staple in the English-speaking Caribbean. Its starchy flesh is roasted, boiled, fried or mashed. Very filling, it often replaces potato or rice in Jamaican and Trinidadian meals.
C
Callaloo
A soup or stew of green leaves (taro, amaranth or local spinach), the national dish of Trinidad and Tobago. Made with coconut milk, crab, okra and chilli. Each island has its own version, from Jamaica to Guadeloupe.
Cassave
A flat, crisp flatbread made from cassava starch, cooked on a hot griddle. A heritage of the Kali'na and Taino Amerindians, it is one of the oldest foods of the Caribbean. Eaten plain or filled with grated coconut.
Chadron
A white sea urchin from the French West Indies, eaten raw with lime or in a blaff. Its fishing season in Martinique and Guadeloupe is eagerly awaited. Chadrons are harvested by hand by divers.
Chatrou
A small octopus from Caribbean waters, prized in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Prepared as a fricassee, in blaff or grilled on the barbecue. Chatrous are traditionally caught by hand in the rocks at low tide.
Chiquetaille
A Caribbean preparation of flaked salt cod seasoned with lime, chilli, onion and parsley. Served cold as a starter or aperitif on toast. The word comes from the verb "chiqueter", meaning to chop finely.
Christophine
A tropical cucurbit also known as chayote or mirliton, widely used in Caribbean cuisine. Prepared as a gratin, mash, sautéed or stuffed. Its tender, slightly sweet flesh absorbs flavours well.
Coconut milk
Coconut milk, an essential ingredient of Caribbean cuisine. Used in Jamaican rice and peas, Trinidadian callaloo, creole sauces and desserts (coconut flan, blanc-manger). Made by pressing grated fresh coconut flesh.
Colombo
A spice blend of Indian origin (turmeric, coriander, cumin, mustard, fenugreek) adopted by Caribbean cuisine in the 19th century. Chicken colombo, kid colombo or fish colombo is one of the most popular dishes in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Court-bouillon créole
A fish dish marinated in lime then simmered in a spicy tomato sauce — different from the French court-bouillon. The sauce is seasoned with chilli, garlic, bay rum and chives. Served with white rice or breadfruit.
Créole
A term for a people, a language and a culture born from cultural blending in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean islands. Creole cuisine fuses African, European, Indian and Amerindian traditions. Each island has developed its own creole culinary identity.
D
Dachine
A taro-family tuber cultivated in the French West Indies. Its purplish flesh is eaten boiled, mashed or in soups. The leaves (called chou daîne) are used to make Caribbean calalou.
Dombré
A flour-dough dumpling cooked in Caribbean stews. Accompanies red beans, shrimp or fish blaff. Red-bean dombrés are a classic family dish in Guadeloupe.
Douceur coco
A Caribbean sweet made from grated coconut, cane sugar and vanilla. Cooked until caramelised and cut into squares or diamonds. Sold at markets and at school gates throughout the West Indies.
F
Flan coco
A creamy creole dessert made with coconut milk, eggs and cane sugar, sometimes flavoured with Bourbon vanilla or rum. Denser than the mainland-French flan. A must-have for festive meals in the West Indies.
Féroce d'avocat
A cold Martinican starter made with mashed avocado, flaked salt cod and cassava flour. Seasoned with hot chilli — hence the name ("féroce" means fierce). Eaten with the fingers, formed into balls. A Sunday-meal classic.
G
Gratin de banane
A Caribbean dessert or side dish made with ripe bananas, cane sugar, cinnamon and rum. The bananas are layered and baked until caramelised. Served warm at the end of a meal.
Griot
A Haitian dish of pork marinated in citrus juice (bitter orange, lime) then fried until golden and crisp. Served with djon-djon rice or pikliz (a spicy condiment). The festive dish par excellence in Haiti.
H
Habanero
A very hot chilli originally from the Yucatán Peninsula, widely used in the Caribbean. Available in red, orange and yellow. A cousin of the Jamaican Scotch bonnet, it brings intense heat and a fruity aroma to sauces and marinades.
J
Jamaican jerk
An iconic Jamaican cooking technique and spice blend. Meat (chicken, pork) is marinated in a mix of Scotch bonnet pepper, allspice, thyme, garlic and ginger, then grilled over pimento wood.
Johnny cake
A fried or oven-baked bread common across the English-speaking Caribbean. The version varies between islands: fried in Jamaica, oven-baked in the Virgin Islands. Easy to make, it accompanies breakfast or stews.
L
Lambi
A large marine shell (queen conch), highly prized in the Caribbean. Its firm flesh is prepared as a fricassee, gratin, blaff or salad. In Guadeloupe, grilled lambi is a beach-side specialty. It requires lengthy tenderising before cooking.
M
Madère
The Caribbean name for yam (Dioscorea alata), a tuber widely eaten in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Boiled, mashed or used in stews. Madère is an essential country-vegetable of creole cuisine.
Maracuja
The Brazilian name for passion fruit, widely used in the Caribbean. Its tangy, fragrant juice features in cocktails, desserts and sauces. Also called maracudja in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Marie-galante
An island of the Guadeloupe archipelago, renowned for its rhum agricole and sugar cane. Marie-Galante rum (Bellevue, Bielle, Poisson distilleries) is among the most prized in the Caribbean. The island also produces artisanal cane sugar.
Matoutou
A dish of land crab marinated and simmered with spices, traditionally served at Easter and Pentecost in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Made with rice, colombo, chilli and creole herbs. The crab matoutou is a true family ritual.
Migan
A thick mash of country vegetables (breadfruit, green plantain, dachine) crushed with butter or oil. A comforting family dish in the French West Indies. Breadfruit migan is the most popular version.
O
Ouassou
A large freshwater shrimp from Guadeloupe and Martinique (Macrobrachium rosenbergii). Its delicate flesh is prepared flambéed in rum, as a fricassee or grilled. Once abundant in Caribbean rivers, ouassou has become a luxury dish.
P
Pain de manioc
A flat, crisp flatbread made from cassava flour or starch, cooked on a hot griddle. A staple of the Caribbean Amerindians, still eaten in French Guiana, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Also called cassava bread (cassave).
Patate douce
A sweet tuber cultivated throughout the Caribbean, used as mash, gratin, fries or dessert. The orange- and purple-fleshed varieties are the most common. Sweet-potato cake is a classic creole dessert in Martinique.
Piment antillais
A hot chilli from the French West Indies (Capsicum chinense), close to the Jamaican Scotch bonnet and habanero. Fruity aroma and intense heat. Used in sauces, marinades and chilli pastes. Essential in creole cuisine.
Plantain
A cooking banana, a fundamental ingredient of Caribbean cuisine. Eaten green (fried tostones, boiled), ripe (pressed banana, gratin) or very ripe (sweet, in desserts). Present in almost every Caribbean, Haitian and Jamaican meal.
Poulet boucané
Chicken marinated and wood-smoked (the boucanage technique), inherited from the Caribbean Amerindians. The chicken is slowly smoked over sugar-cane wood embers. A Guadeloupe specialty, served with plantain fries.
Punch
An iconic Caribbean alcoholic drink based on rum, cane sugar and fruit juice. Coconut punch, passion-fruit punch and schrubb (orange-peel punch, for Christmas) are the most popular versions. Ti-punch is the simplest variant.
R
Rhum arrangé
Agricultural rum in which fruits, spices or plants are macerated for several weeks. Vanilla, pineapple, mango, ginger and bois bandé are among the most common. A living tradition in the West Indies — every family has its own recipe.
Riz djon-djon
Haitian black rice cooked with djon-djon mushrooms (Psathyrella), endemic to Haiti. These tiny black mushrooms colour the rice and give it a unique earthy aroma. A classic accompaniment to griot and Haitian festive dishes.
Rougail
A condiment or dish from Réunion Island, shared with Madagascar and the French-speaking Caribbean. Made with tomatoes, onions, ginger and chilli. Tomato rougail accompanies rice, grilled meats and curries.
S
Sauce chien
A creole condiment made with onions, parsley, chives, garlic, chilli, lime and boiling water. An essential accompaniment to grilled meats, accras and fish. The name reportedly comes from the expression "c'est chien", meaning "that's strong/sharp".
Sorbet coco
An artisanal Caribbean ice cream made with fresh coconut milk, cane sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Produced without an ice-cream maker in many households, by hand-cranking the mixture in a tub of ice. Coconut-sorbet vendors are a tradition of Caribbean markets.
Souskay
A Caribbean preparation of green mango, grated or cut into strips, seasoned with salt, chilli, garlic and lime. A popular snack in Martinique and Guadeloupe, eaten between meals. Cod souskay is a savoury variant.
T
Tasso
Dried and fried beef, a Haitian specialty. The beef is marinated in citrus juice and spices, sun-dried then fried. High in protein, it keeps for a long time. Served with white rice or djon-djon rice.
Ti-punch
A minimalist Caribbean aperitif made of white rhum agricole, cane sugar (or cane syrup) and a squeezed lime zest. Each drinker mixes the ti-punch to their own taste. The quintessential social ritual in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Tostones
Twice-fried green plantain rounds, popular throughout the Spanish-speaking Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic). After a first fry, the rounds are flattened then re-fried for a crisp result. Served as a side dish or snack.
Tourment d'amour
A traditional cake from Les Saintes (Guadeloupe archipelago), filled with coconut, guava or banana jam. The pastry is shortcrust, the centre soft and fragrant. Its romantic name ("love's torment") makes it an unforgettable culinary souvenir.
V
Vivaneau
A tropical fish from Caribbean waters (red snapper) with firm, white, flavourful flesh. Prepared in creole court-bouillon, blaff, grilled on the barbecue or pan-fried as steaks. One of the most appreciated fish in the French West Indies.
This glossary is regularly expanded. Looking for a specific Caribbean culinary term? Contact us and we will add it. Also explore our African cuisine glossary and all our Caribbean and West Indies products at NKOSI.