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Celebrating Caribbean cuisine
by Eric Jackson
At the annual Antillean Fair almost all of the food and beverage
vendors ran out of what they were selling well before the festivities ended
on Sunday night, thanks to the highest attendance in years. One of the reasons
why people come to these events is the food.
Do you know the joys of saril, souse, Jamaican curries or codfish
cakes? Do you care to sample the subtleties of West Indian-style sticky buns?
Sweet and spicy Caribbean cuisine is the dominant attraction at these fairs,
though it's also possible to drink beer or soda, or eat tipico offerings like
hojaldres, on the premises.
Missing this year? There was a paucity of jerked offerings,
and nobody was selling Pickapeppa or other jerk sauces as in years past. I
didn't see any ginger beer, either from Schweppes or home-style. Nor did I
notice any breadfruit. Oh well….
And was that REALLY turtle meat? And if so?
No question about one thing, however. This was a worthy celebration
of Panama's Antillean culinary heritage. It's worth coming back next year
for more.
Meanwhile, Panama and Colon have a number of restaurants that
serve Caribbean style food, sometimes in its Bocas del Toro version. If you
can't wait until next year, you might want to try Centolla's Place (three
locations now), or La Coralina. I know that there are several West Indian
places in Rio Abajo and Colon that I need to visit and review before the next
Antillean Fair comes around. Maybe you, the readers, will have others to suggest.
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