# Caribbean

Citrus-bright, bold, aromatic cooking across many islands and influences: African, Indigenous Caribbean (including Taíno and Kalinago/Arawak-linked traditions), Spanish, British, French, Indian, Chinese, and more. Internally diverse -- Jamaican, Trinidadian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Haitian, Dominican, Bajan, Bahamian, Guyanese, Surinamese, and others each have their own character -- so be specific where you can.

## Flavor logic

Bold and bright. Heat from the fiercely fruity, floral **Scotch bonnet** (and habanero), used for flavor and aroma as much as burn. Acid from lime, sour orange, and vinegar. A deep aromatic base built from alliums, herbs, and warm spices. Allspice (called _pimento_ in Jamaica) is a signature Jamaican note, especially in jerk, alongside thyme, scallion, garlic, ginger, and regionally cumin. Spanish-influenced islands lean on _sofrito_/_recaíto_ and _adobo_; Haitian cooking has _epis_; Trinidad and Guyana bring deep Indo-Caribbean curry and roti traditions. There's often a savory-sweet-spicy push and pull, with brown sugar or molasses, ginger, chile, and pepper sauces playing together. Saltfish, preserved fish, fermented pepper sauces, rum/molasses, and browning sauce bring depth in some traditions.

## Core techniques

Building the aromatic base: sofrito/recaíto, epis, Dominican sazón, Trinidadian green seasoning, Jamaican seasonings. _Jerk_ is specifically Jamaican: marinating in Scotch bonnet, allspice/pimento, thyme, scallion, and spice, then smoking/grilling slowly, ideally with pimento wood. Braising and stewing: curry goat, oxtail, brown stew, pepperpot, and chicken or seafood stews. Brown stew gets color and depth from browning sauce and/or caramelized sugar, depending on the cook. Rice-and-peas cooked with coconut milk, thyme, and scallion is Jamaican; rice-and-beans/peas appears in many other forms across the region. Marinating with citrus and herbs, frying plantains or fish, making saltfish dishes, and working with ground provisions are all part of the map.

## Pantry backbone

Scotch bonnet peppers, allspice/pimento, fresh thyme, scallion, garlic, ginger, lime and sour orange, onion and bell pepper, cilantro and culantro, coconut milk, rice and beans/pigeon peas, plantains and ground provisions, brown sugar/molasses, saltfish, curry powder (Caribbean versions, shaped by Indian indenture), pepper sauce, browning sauce, and regionally cumin, annatto, Maggi, cassava/yuca, callaloo, and green seasoning. The fresh pieces matter here; check before assuming Scotch bonnet, fresh thyme, culantro, coconut milk, or the right curry powder are on hand.

## Common outsider mistakes

The easy mistake is treating Scotch bonnet as pure danger instead of aromatic fruit. Use it with respect, but use it. Real jerk also needs smoke and patience; a quick grilled chicken with jerk-ish seasoning is fine, but don't call it the same thing. Watch for flattened island-hopping too: Jamaican, Trinidadian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Haitian, Dominican, Guyanese, and Bajan cooking don't collapse into one pantry. Allspice belongs in Jamaican jerk, not every Caribbean dish. Aromatic bases need cooking down, marinades need time, and brown stew is deeper than just "add brown sauce."