Whenever tourists go on adult vacations or elaborate luxury travel to a far off land, experiencing the local cuisine is one of the highlights of any trip. Some dishes may seem familiar at your destination, but others might look like they're from a different world entirely. Though the Caribbean is relatively close in proximity, some of the most popular meals in the region can make you feel very far from home.
Brave travelers are eager to sample anything new & exciting they can get their hands on, while the more reserved might want to stick away from some of the stranger options they might glimpse on the menu at local restaurants. The unique palette of tropical menus, created by the local flora and fauna used to make exotic foods, is sure to add a new sensory experience to your luxury travel. Here are a few of the most exotic meals vacationers traveling to the Caribbean can expect to see:
Cow heel soup For those looking to expand upon the common broths & soups from back at home, throughout your vacation you may see a different stew on some of the menus in the Caribbean. Cows meat makes all kinds of meals such as juicy servings of steak or hamburgers. However, in some areas of the world, locals harness all parts of the animal to feed themselves for a very long time, leaving nothing to waste.
From the cow's head right down to its heel, you can taste the soft meat & cartilage from behind the animal's hoof in this potage mixed with carrots, onions, garlic & spices, according to Caribbean Pot.
Conch pistol Everyone is familiar with the beautiful conch shells that dot the sandy beaches of many tropical destinations, but have you ever thought of the snail inside as your next meal? Particularly popular in the Turks & Caicos, conch pistol is a tasty delicacy. Many areas in the Caribbean eat the conch they find as a ceviche, preserved with lime or lemon juices, & raw with spices mixed in, reported USA Today. The snails can be fried as well.
The preferred piece of the conch to eat by locals is a long tube from the animals digestive system known as "the pistol" that natives believe to be an aphrodisiac.
Instead of chicken Throughout the years, the locals on all the islands in the Caribbean have had to make do with resources immediately available to them. Their diets largely revolved around seafood because of their proximity to the water, but every now & then, Caribbean residents want something other than fish, according USA Today.
When looking for their fix of white meat, Caribbean natives have turned to an animal commonly found all over the region. The iguanas sunbathing on the coastal rocks are cooked in many various ways. They're fried, put into a stew and even curried in a wide range of options for locals & tourists alike to try, but the most popular method is to simply roast them over a fire & dig in.
Another substitute for white meat in the area even has the same name as chicken, only it's not the bird.
The mountain chicken was once very common all over the hilly regions of the Caribbean & made a very tasty meal. However, overindulgence has reduced this animal's location down to just the Dominican & Montserrat. The mountain chicken isn't one of the best animals at avoiding capture either since it's actually the world's largest frog. This doesn't help its chances for survival because of its loud croaks & bellows. These creatures can grow up to 8 inches long and weigh as much as 2 pounds, making them a worthy meal.
