Top 5 Dishes to Try in the Virgin Islands

A vacation to the VI promises more than breathtaking beaches! Visitors will also savor the bold and unique flavors of Virgin Islands cuisine. African, European, and Caribbean influences converge to create a culinary experience you can’t find anywhere else. Discover these tasty dishes on your next trip to the VI:

Fish and Fungi

Fish and fungi (pronounced foon-ji) is the national dish of the Virgin Islands! Despite what the name suggests, it doesn’t involve mushrooms. Instead, fish such as red snapper or salt fish is served alongside fungi: a dense mixture of cornmeal, okra, salt, and butter. Sometimes, a spicy, tomato-based sauce covers the dish. Fish and fungi is prevalent and historically significant in Virgin Islands cuisine because cornmeal and fish were staples of enslaved peoples’ rations, and they turned it into a dish that is famous today.

Pate

For a snack or a small meal, pick up a quick pate (pronounced pah-tay) to enjoy on the go while you are exploring the islands. Pate is a fried dough pastry that is stuffed with chicken, meat, fish, or spiced vegetables. The result is a crunchy, savory, and filling staple of Virgin Islands cuisine. 

Callaloo

Callaloo is a healthy and flavorful stew that mainly utilizes leaves from the dasheen plant, but spinach and similar leafy green vegetables can be substituted. Callaloo usually includes a protein like fish, seafood, or pork meat, and other vegetables like onion, celery, and okra may be added. Everyone makes callaloo a little differently and takes pride in their own recipe. Like many VI dishes, callaloo is often flavored with scotch bonnet peppers, making it spicier than what mainland visitors are used to. Try Callaloo when you are in the mood for a nutritious and traditional alternative to heavier fare. 

Conch

Unsurprisingly, fish and seafood are abundant in Virgin Islands restaurants. While visiting the VI, you mustn’t miss the opportunity to try a less common shellfish, the conch. Conch are loved by locals, and they use them in a variety of dishes such as in soups and stews, but the most common way is conch fritters. To make fritters, the conch is tenderized, then battered and fried. The addition of peppers, spices, and lime juice gives conch fritters an intense, zesty flavor.

Roti

Like Pates, Roti is a delicious option for a quick meal. This flatbread, which was brought to the Caribbean by sugar plantation workers from India, envelops a variety of ingredients, from meats and seafood to vegetables and potatoes, which are perfectly seasoned with warm curry spices.

Explore these and other mouthwatering foods that Virgin Islands restaurants have to offer while learning to sail on one of our comfortable yachts. Not only will you have an unforgettable and luxurious island-hopping vacation away from the November cold, but you will also earn your ASA sailing certification so you can sail independently on your next voyage. The VI is a year-round sailing paradise, so check out our liveaboard course options to plan your learn-to-sail vacation.