Oil down is the national dish of Grenada, the "Spice Isle" in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles within the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. After lining the pot with wedges of breadfruit, Janice pours marinated meats into the center. Oil Down is a hearty one-pot casserole that harkens back to colonial days. Ribbons of Callaloo go on top of the vegetables and meat. RFT Editors – Real Food Traveler Specialists, How to Make Oil Down - Grenada's National Dish. Called "oil-down". Everyone has a different order and method, but usually the breadfruit and meat goes on the bottom, most of the vegetables in the middle, and the callaloo leaves and dumplings on top. Put into heavy aluminium pot. It’s also Grenada’s national dish. Exactly how to "pack the pot" is a matter of taste and tradition, as well as a subject of occasional controversy. 3. Carlene Woodroffe, Mount Cinnamon’s assistant general manager, makes a seafood version of Oil Down for her family, she told us. Southern Traditions and Recipes for the Holiday Table, Where to Get a Taste of Whidbey and Camano Islands, What to Expect at Al’s Restaurant in St. Louis, https://www.realfoodtraveler.com/podcast-player/45631/celebrate-virginia-oyster-month.mp3. Wash salted meat, cut into small pieces. An important crop for a country nicknamed the Spice Isle, nutmeg played a lead role in my discovery of Grenada’s culinary offerings and the ultimate dish that stole my heart. — Story and photos by Pamela Dittmer McKuen. Cut into 4-5 pegs. Her ingredients: Chunks of bone-on chicken and pig tails; a melange of cut-up carrots, pumpkin and cabbage; and ribbons of callaloo, which is similar to spinach. (The other two are Carriacou and Petite Martinique.). It is a very simple, delicious and robust dish, which is extremely popular at local "cook-ups", (barbecue parties at the beach). Learn from a local how to make an Oil Down recipe for Granada’s national dish. Add sliced onion and chopped celery, and thyme. Mix. Spread leaves open on the top of breadfruit putting the smaller leaves between. She cut it into wedges and discarded the skin and seeds, which she called the “guts.” Uncooked breadfruit tastes similar to a potato with a consistency to match. We had no argument with that. 4. Oil Down is a hearty one-pot casserole that harkens back to colonial days. 1. 1 lb. It’s only fitting that Oil Down is on the menu at homes and restaurants throughout the tri-island country. The Oil Down recipe has untold variations, depending on who is making it, but breadfruit is a must. Janice enlisted our help in rolling small hunks into three dozen three-inch cigar shapes. Wash dasheen leaves (callaloo), peel stems, break stems into pieces, add to pot. [7], Nearly every ingredient in this hearty stew has a unique origin and story to tell. 2. Discover the unique ingredients that make this celebratory dish iconic in Grenada. It’s time for a rum punch while the oil down cooks on an open fire in the sand. Cook till all water is absorbed and food begins to fry . Oil down is a stew of breadfruit, salted meat, chicken, dumplings, callaloo, and other vegetables, all stewed in coconut milk, herbs, and spices to make a hearty and flavorful one-pot meal. Favorite experiences include swimming with whale sharks in Cancun, fishing for piranha in the Amazon River and viewing the annual sandhill crane migration in Nebraska. She also dipped a spoon into the mix and tasted it. This one-pot meal is made up of local vegetables, “provisions” (the local term for starchy root vegetables, tubers, and bananas that fill you up), salted meat, and aromatic seasoning — all easily accessible, affordable ingredients in Grenada. Chef Janice Edwards assembles the ingredients for cooking oil down on the beach. An hour later, our authentic Grenada meal, Oil Down, was served. Watch this video for her demonstration of how to cut breadfruit for Oil Down. The whole thing is stewed in coconut milk, herbs and spices to add even more flavour. She hates playing Scrabble. After spending even a short amount of time in the Caribbean nation, on a Grenada vacation, you will hear someone rave about “Oil Down.” Listen closely: The local pronunciation is something like “all-don.”.