Caribbean food recipes are very interesting to me because they are usually a blend of European, African and Asian ingredients. Caribbean food history is intricately linked to the slave trade, and as a result, many foods were transplanted to the Caribbean Islands for the African slaves. The end result is that many traditional Caribbean foods have influences from countries all over the world.

A typical West Indian dish may include steamed fish with rice and beans. The side dishes may include callaloo, fritters, or breadfruit. Of course the fish comes from the warm waters of the Caribbean sea. However, the rice is originally from China, the red kidney beans are from South America, the callaloo is originally from west Africa, fritters are made with flour from the Middle East, and breadfruit is originally from the Pacific Islands.

Steamed fish is the main thing I like about traditional Cayman food is its freshness. When I have steamed fish at a local Kitchen, it has literally been caught that morning, lightly seasoned, and prepared to perfection. The food is delicious, but always in short supply. If you didn’t arrive just when the restaurant opened, you would likely not be able to order their fresh catch of the day. To prepare steamed fish, wash the fish in lime and then season it with salt and pepper to your taste. Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add the fish and cook it on both sides until it is golden brown. Add a sliced onion, a little water, and seasoning pepper. Cook on low heat for a few minutes until done.

Probably the first traditional Grand Cayman food you had was Rice and Beans. Usually, Caribbean cooks like to play around with this dish until they make it their own creation. To start, soak the beans overnight. Cook the beans until they are tender (about an hour). Drain the beans and save the bean water, it should be about 3 cups. You may need to add more water to get to 3 cups. In another pot, boil previously saved bean water, salt, black pepper, thyme, onion, and seasoning pepper. Add previously boiled beans and coconut milk and let everything come to a boil. Add the rice. Make sure there is about 1/2 inch of water over the rice and beans. When the pot starts to boil again, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.

Breadfruit is a a strange and delicious dishes. How to prepare it. It turned out to be very simple. First place the whole breadfruit in the oven for about an hour. This step is necessary so that you can easily cut the fruit. At this point you can eat the fruit by itself, soak it in butter, or eat it as a side dish to a meal. Another option, is to fry it up for just a couple of minutes on top of the stove. This is what we did the the result was scrumptious. After frying, it tastes a bit like potato, but with an interesting texture.

These traditional Caribbean food recipes are delicious and easy to make. If you use all fresh ingredients, then you are assured of a tasty Caribbean meal that you can easily make in your own home. If you are here visiting the Cayman Islands, we highly recommend one of the many local restaurants and Kitchens. Each one has its own specialty that will have you going back for more.

Owning a property in the Caribbean is, for many of us, the ultimate dream. The mere idea of being able to walk from your house on the palm-fringed, white sandy beaches lapped gently by the waves of the clear blue sea is one that brings to mind an extremely luxurious. Equally, this is an image that most of us think will never be economically within our grasp, but with recent market changes, the dream could come true.

The most important development in the past six months has been the weakening of the US Dollar against Sterling, which has made property across the US much more affordable for UK buyers. While most of the Caribbean islands have their own currencies, or have a shared currency between groups of islands, they are intrinsically linked to the US Dollar, and therefore to the fortunes of the US economy.

Given that the exchange rate is still roughly two Dollars to the Pound, the opportunities for real estate investors in the Caribbean islands are extensive. The current weakness of the US currency makes your money go further than it did this time last year, bringing properties into financial approach that would previously have been too expensive.

With the deals that are available from the specialist currency exchange companies in the market, it is possible to freeze the current exchange rate for up to two years into the future. Even if the Dollar regains its original strength before you come to pay the final installment on your new-build property, you will be protected from the fluctuations of the money markets and have the advantage of knowing exactly how much the property will cost you. Moreover, should the US currency and economy pick up significantly in the next couple of years; you will have made a capital gain from prices rising even before you have set foot in the property.

The second factor making property in the Caribbean much more affordable for more UK property buyers is that the range and types of development that are now available on the islands is far greater. Bermuda is still the most expensive place to buy in the Caribbean, followed by Grand Bahama and Barbados, where plots of land are sold for more than posh family homes in other parts of the world. This is where the sumptuous luxury of most Caribbean dreams is to be found.

However, looking elsewhere in the Caribbean, the property can be found on other islands for much less than you might expect. With more developments of apartments and smaller properties available in these locations, and offers for off-plan purchases to encourage investors, there are great opportunities. The Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Aruba are among the least expensive islands, and with the major part of the US investment market quiet in its time of economic shrinkage, there are deals to be done with agents and developers.

Perhaps the one caveat to the optimism of the Caribbean real estate market is the rising cost of flying to destinations that are further afield than mainland Europe as fuel costs spiral. This is something that needs to be taken into account in your budget calculations for buying real estate in the Caribbean, but if you are looking to spend a considerable amounts of time there, or even retire there in the future, the opportunities are well worth considering as an alternative to the more traditional expat destinations.