Barbados
- World of Food
- Mar 19, 2021
- 6 min read
We have arrived at stop #2, Barbados!
On the menu today is a Bajan Chicken that is seasoned with a special Bajan seasoning blend. The chicken will be served with corn pie and a crisp garden salad. We will also be having a sweet coconut bread for dessert.
Let's talk about Barbados!
Barbados is a small island country that is located in the Caribbean. The island is 432km squared. The capital city is Bridgetown. The official languages are English and Bajan Creole. Barbados gained independence from the UK in 1966. There are aprox. 287 000 people living in Barbados. The people of Barbados are officially referred to as Barbadians however the term Bajan is also a very common denomination.
Barbados was originally inhabited by the Arawak and Kalinago peoples. It is unclear whether the first europeans to discover the country were the Spanish or the Portuguese. The English arrived in 1625 and an English colony was then established. During the 1700-1800’s there was a large slave population brought to Barbados to work the sugar cane fields.
The Culture of Barbados is a blend of West African, Portuguese, Creole, Indian and British cultures and this vast mixture is represented in it’s cuisine as well. Typical meals consist of a main meat or fish dish served with salad or pickled vegetables. The national dish of Barbados is cou-cos and flying fish. Cou-cou is a dish that is made from cornmeal and okra. Rum and rum based drinks as especially common in Barbados
Well, shall we cook now?
Before we can talk about Bajan Chicken we first need to address the Bajan green seasoning. If you can get your hands on a pre-made Bajan seasoning such as the Delish Brand Seasoning then you can certainly use it. If you can't, then don't worry, I have you covered with a fresh, homemade version. This recipe does take some planning ahead as you want the seasoning blend to sit in your fridge for at least a week before using it. The good news is the seasoning blend is good for up to 6 months in the fridge!
Ingredients
1 lb onion peeled and coarsely chopped
5 ounces green onion, coarsely chopped
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers *
2 ounces fresh thyme
2 ounces fresh parsley
2 ounces fresh marjoram *
1 1/2 cups vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp salt
for this recipe you will also need a food processor or blender
Preparation
Combine the onions, green onion, garlic and hot peppers in the food processor and process until it reaches a coarse paste.
Remove the leaves from the stems of the thyme, parsley and marjoram. Place the leaves and vinegar in a food processor or blender and liquefy
Combine the onion paste, vinegar mixture and remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Transfer to sealed container and place in refrigerator.
Allow mixture to sit for 1 week before using. The seasoning will keep in the refrigerator for 6 months.
*Notes
Firstly, I am a wimp when it comes to spicy food, I was worried about using scotch bonnet or habanero peppers and opted to use jalapeno. What I found was after the mixture had time to sit there was absolutely ZERO spice level to it. Next time I will definitely use a slightly spicier pepper. If you are worried about the spiciness of the peppers, use whatever pepper you feel comfortable using, there are no rules saying you have to use scotch bonnet or habanero!
Secondly, if you are having difficulty finding fresh marjoram, you can substitute oregano. Generally if you are substituting you should use half the amount of oregano than you would marjoram. This is because marjoram has a much more mild flavour than oregano. In my case I used the oregano and it still turned out delicious. The beauty of a seasoning blend like this is how versatile and flexible you can be with it. If you don't like a specific herb then just replace it with something you do like, there is no one telling you that you can't!
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (aprox. 4lbs)
1-2 fresh limes
3 med. onions (sliced)
5 cloves garlic (sliced)
Fresh Thyme
Chives (chopped)
5 tbsp Bajan seasoning
3 tbsp butter (melted)
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 - 1/2 cup rum
1 tbsp lemon seasoning blend
salt and pepper
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Squeeze the juice from the fresh limes on the whole chicken, followed by a generous sprinkling of salt, allow chicken to sit for 20-30 minutes
Smear the Bajan seasoning on the chicken and under the skin of the chicken
Place the chicken stock and sliced onions in a baking dish
Place the chicken breast side up on top of the onions and drizzle the melted butter all over the skin of the chicken
Place the sliced garlic and herbs on top of the chicken, season with salt, pepper and lemon seasoning
Cook for 45min-1 hour until herbs are slightly charred and fragrant then remove from on top of the chicken and place in the cooking liquid.
Reduce the oven temp to 375. Add the dark rum to the liquid and return to the oven. Baste the chicken every 20-30 minutes with the liquid.
Cook for another 1-1.5 hours or until the internal temp reaches 165
Verdict
This chicken was some of the best roast chicken I have ever made. It was so flavourful and herbaceous. I squeezed some fresh lime juice on mine right after carving and it really amped up the flavour. It smelled so yummy while cooking as well. The only thing I regret is not using a more spicy pepper in the seasoning blend (see my note above). I think it would have really amped the whole dish up if I had. I did notice that in the original recipe it calls for cooking the chicken for several hours, I found that mine cooked up much quicker than that, which is why I have changed my instructions slightly from the original recipe. I don't think I will ever cook whole chicken any other way after trying this. I think the Bajan seasoning would lend itself well to all different preparations of chicken, as well as pork or fish. It really is an all-purpose delicious seasoning. I highly, highly encourage you to try this one!
Ingredients
1 can corn, drained
1 can cream style corn
2 tbsp grated onion
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
2 oz milk
2 eggs, well beaten
2 oz grated cheese
2 heaping tbsp flour
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Mix all the ingredients except for the eggs together in a large mixing bowl
Once mixed, gently fold in the eggs
Place mixture in a greased baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes, until mixture has set
Verdict
The corn pudding was surprisingly good, it had a bit of a gooey texture but was the perfect side dish to accompany the chicken. If I had made the chicken spicier I can see how having this as a side dish would be the perfect slightly sweet, creamy balance to a spicy herby chicken dish. It was a great alternative to traditionally heavier potato or rice based side dishes.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups grated coconut
1/2 cup melted butter
4 cups flour
1 tbsp shortening
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 sugar + 2 tbsp sugar
1 cup raisins
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp almond essence
1 tsp vanilla essence
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking power and salt
In separate bowl mix the coconut, 3/4 cup sugar, raisins, eggs, milk, almond and vanilla extract and the melted butter. Mix well until you have a creamy paste.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until a stiff dough forms. This dough will feel very dense.
Divide the dough into two loaf pans
Combine 2 tbsp of sugar with 1 tbsp boiled water, brush this mixture on top of the coconut bread dough
Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour
Leave loaves in pans to cool before serving
Verdict
I am a lover of all things coconut so this sweet bread was right up my alley. This was less of a bread and more of a sweet, very dense pound cake. The raisins added a nice pop of acidity in the heavy dense bread. The coconut flavour comes through strongly but isn't overpowering. I really enjoyed it warmed and served with butter, jam and a hot cup of tea.
Final Thoughts
We've now travelled another 17 913km from the capital of Brunei to the capital of Barbados.
Week 2 was a complete success, I enjoyed every dish and the chicken was an especially big hit in this household. Get into the Caribbean mindset with some Bajan music and pour yourself a rum punch. With a bit of imagination and this delicious meal we can all the relaxing in the Caribbean! If you can't get enough of this delicious cuisine you can get more inspiration here.
I am so glad you could join me on this wonderful journey. Stay tuned next week as we cross the Atlantic again and head to Comoros!
Wishing you all peace, love and tasty travels! See you next week!
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