Monday, June 16, 2014

Martinique - sun, sea and good food

Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, an overseas region of France. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus.  He sighted the island in 1493 and finally landed on 15 June 1502.


Martinique's cuisine reflects its many cultures. Creole and French cuisine dominate Martinique's culinary landscape (the island had been under French possession since 1635). Other influences are from African, East Indian and Southeast Asian cookery.
Many dishes rely on seafood (after all, Martinique is an island): fresh seafood, smoked fish, shellfish, stuffed crabs, salted cod, conch, octopus, blaff (boiled fish with chives). The national dish is court-bouillon (fish in a spicy tomato sauce)
There is a great variety of locally grown fruits (bananas, coconuts, guava, love apples, passion fruit, pineapples, mangoes) and vegetables (breadfruit, gumbo, manioc, chinese cabbage, yams, yellow squash).
The most important local drink is rum which often precede a meal.You can drink rum in different combinations: 'Ti punch (white rum with a twist of lemon sweetened with cane sugar), planteur (fruit juice and rum) or shrubb (rum with marinated orange or tangerine rinds). Other drinks are French wines and beer.
Here are some local dishes my friend, Oana Maria, choose during her summer holiday in Martinique:
Assiette du Cocotier -raw fish with coconut milk and onions, shrimp croquettes, banana puree and grilled salads:
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Assiette Langustine - grilled lobster, stuffed crabs (crabmeat mixed together with herbs and spices, stuffed within the shell of a crab), clams, shrimp, rice and salad:


Grilled Dorada, chief tells shrimp, salad, fried vegetables;


Grilled tuna, mashed sweet fried vegetables and then sauce:


Shrimp with creole sauce, rice and vegetables:


The lobster from Ti Sable restaurant:




The best meal was a DIY one: Dorada fish, St Jaques scallops and calf meat grilled on a piece of volcanic rock.







As for dessert:
Caramelized bananas with rum and brown sugar:


Flan Coco - creme brûlée with coconut milk:


And for drink, sometimes beer with lime:


Bon appetit!

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