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Have you ever tried the Martinique cuisine? Like its people, the local gastronomy is colorful and generous. With spicy meals and desserts using the fruits of the island, let yourself be tempted by the exotic flavours of the Creole dishes.
Macadam: Traditionally eaten for breakfast, have no fear, you don’t have to! Indeed, this meal of rice, codfish and onions combines several foods which, for us Europeans, would rather fit for lunch or dinner. Tasty and typical in the island, you will taste it in most of the local restaurants. And it would be a pity to miss it!
Matoutou: To taste with friends, family or on the seaside, Matoutou is a must-do of the Creole cuisine. Called matoutou crab in Martinique (and Matété in Guadeloupe), it is the traditional meal of Easter holidays. Indeed, in Easter, the crabs that are usually protected during the year become again a gourmet product when the public holiday comes. Served with rice, vegetables, lard and cloves, don’t miss this boundary-breaking culinary experience which will please your taste buds.
Le Trempage : If the recipe varies, the Trempage is worth its reputation! Usually prepared by men, this Caribbean recipe used to be a codfish bouillon thickened with flour served on an old bread. Nowadays, the Creole Trempage reunites different foods ranging from seafood, lambi or chicken, often mixed with pieces of bananas and avocados, but there is more. Indeed, you have to eat it standing up, with your hand, and with one hand on the back! Perpetuate tradition each year in Trinité, the island organises each July a contest in order to elect the one who will give the best know-how of the meal. Impressing, right?
The Martinique hot chocolate and its butter-bread: For sweet tooths, the Martinique hot chocolate and its sort of brioche will be your go-to. Simple and efficient, this typical meal consists in the degustation of a delicious hot chocolate made of condensed milk and cornstarch with a delicious buttery bread. Heavy but delicious, give it a try at whatever time of the day!
Robinson: With its looks of French quatre quart, the Robinson is a cake made of banana jam, coconut and short pastry. Soft and savoury, this sweet treat will make you melt with pleasure.
Benefiting from exotic fruits full of flavours, expect to find green bananas, pineapple and avocados in loads of dishes. Have a walk in the markets and smell the tempting aromas of the fruits that you can find both fresh or cooked in traditional meals. To give you an idea, the Ti Nain Lan Mori is for example a specialty that combines the flavour of the green banana to the one of the codfish. Surprising isn’t it? You will also find dishes such as a banana gratin or the famous “féroce d’avocat”, which use both local products in order to create savoury meals of natural flavours. Regarding the vegetables, which are used as a side dish in almost all meals, the pumpkin, the Chinese cabbage, the sweet potato, the yam and the breadfruit are kings. Without forgetting the onions and peppers from all colours, it is a delicious and tasty cuisine to expect in Martinique.
Well-known for its rum, the island owns plentiful distilleries which will please the lovers of this delicious alcool. Indeed, the sugar cane being a plant very cultivated on the spot, rum is subject to unbeatable know-how. To be consumed with moderation, let yourself be tempted by a variety of local “rhums arrangés” of diverse flavours.
Other star alcool in the island, the Lorraine beer! Created in 1919 in Pont Damas by René de Jaham, this typical beer is refreshing, fruity and cheap. Best-seller in the island, live like a local and taste the pleasure of a light bear that has nothing to envy to the others.
