The island of Saint Helena has been influenced by several

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an powers, by the inhabitants, (especially enslaved people) and the ships passing through, during its history. This has affected the cuisine of Saint Helena, which now has a vibrant and international cuisine variety.

Popular dishes

Popular dishes on the island include traditional

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Sunday roast A Sunday roast or roast dinner is a traditional meal of British and Irish origin. Although it can be consumed throughout the week, it is traditionally consumed on Sunday. It consists of roasted meat, roasted potatoes and accompaniments ...

curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...

and rice,

black pudding , type = , course = , place_of_origin = Great Britain and Ireland , region =England, Ireland, Scotland , associated_cuisine = United Kingdom and Ireland , creator = , year = , mintime = , maxtime = , served = Hot, occasionally ...

, pumpkin stew, spicy

fishcake A fishcake (sometimes written as fish cake) is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden. Asian-style fishcakes usually contain fish with salt, water, ...

s and Plo. Fish is one of the staple foods, along with rice, and spices are added to make a wide variety of dishes similar to those found in the Caribbean. Fishcakes are made from a mixture of spices, herbs, mashed potato and fresh fish like tuna and are shallow-fried until golden brown. Plo is a versatile one-pot dish made by combining a spiced curried rice with meat or fish; it can also be made without curry and just vegetables (known locally as "white Plo"). Coconut fingers are long, finger-shaped

Madeira cake Madeira cake is a sponge or butter cake in traditional British and Irish cookery. Origin It is sometimes mistakenly thought to originate from the Madeira Islands; however, that is not the case as it was named after Madeira wine, a Portuguese wi ...

s dipped in pink icing and rolled in coconut. Pumpkin pudding is a dish of baked pumpkin, dried fruit, flour, eggs and nutmeg. Pumpkin pudding and coconut fingers are popular

desserts Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts of ...

Ingredients

Most ingredients for the most popular dishes are found locally. Fish such as

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...

wahoo Wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh makes it a prized and valued game fish. In Hawaii, the wahoo is kn ...

and mackerel are used, and often mixed with a variety of herbs and spices. Curries are made from meat or fish, and are served piping hot with a large amount of spice and often no vegetables at all. Fruit and vegetables are mostly locally grown, such as pumpkin, yams and banana.

Local drinks

Saint Helena is famous for its coffee and the island also produces a special distilled drink called Tungi Spirit.

References

External links

See a selection of St. Helena recipes.

Celebrating St Helena cuisine with recipes and stories.
{{cuisines Saint Helenian culture Saint Helena