Bahamas Food Guide

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Bahamian Rice and Peas

If you love caribbean food you will most probably love your rice and peas. It is one of the most common side dishes in the entire world and as well as being popular in the Bahamas. Rice and peas is also popular in Latin America and the Southern States of the US.

Cooking Bahamian Rice and Peas

The thing about rice and peas, is that there are a huge number of different recipes and everyone seems to have the 'best' recipe. One thing for sure, rice and peas is so much more than just two ingredients.

So what makes the best rice and peas?

Well, firstly you need good rice and good peas :)

If you can get fresh peas, all the better. But, if you really want to blow people away with your rice and peas, you will need a great stock, rather than using that store-bought processed stuff.

The best recipes we have tasted for rice and peas involve making a fresh stock to cook the rice in. A good one can be made by sautéing some bacon (cut into slivers), with finely chopped onion and bell pepper, fresh garlic, fresh basil, fresh thyme (lots of thyme) and black pepper, Finally the stock is complete by adding freshly chopped ripe tomatoes.

Once the rice is cooked in the stock, pre-cooked beans can be added and the lid put back on the pan, folded in and hey presto - you have made yourself some delicious rice and peas!

Wonderful, multicoloured peas - so many different colors and patterns, these beautiful peas were not only stunning to look at, they were delicious too!.

You know they are fresh when... you see the pods. How great to see that people are freshly shelling the peas for you, rather than being done by machine and frozen in bags months before you get to eat them

Delicious rice and peas - this side dish was part of a meal at The Fish Fry, to go with our jerk chicken and steamed grouper.