DESTINATION

Treats for your taste buds

BVIslanders are rightly proud of the serene beauty of their islands, with their world-famous beaches giving visitors every opportunity to chill and of course eat and drink. Unsurprisingly, menus lean heavily on fresh seafood, along with the spicy historical influences of Africa and the Middle East, and a dash of Dutch and the Americas. As well as fish, there’s a delicious array of locally distinctive soups, usually served with dumplings. The renowned cocktail the Painkiller is a must-try or, if you want to stay alcohol-free, you can quench your thirst with a different fresh juice each day.

Lobster salad

A fisherboy shows off his lobster catch

CAVAN IMAGES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

The knobbly soursop

01 Fish and fungi

This hearty flatted cornmeal cake and braised fish is the BVI’s national dish. The cornmeal is boiled with okra (spelt ‘ochroe’ in BVI) and butter before being shaped into the cake. The fish is usually cooked with tomatoes, onions and spices. Okra is actually a green seed pod with a slippery texture, sometimes called ‘ladies’ fingers’, and is also found in the popular dish Accra, where it’s fried with black-eyed peas and seasoning until golden brown.