Local Fruits and Vegetables in the Turks & Caicos Islands

Caribbean Dishes Inspired by Tropical Flavors in the Turks and Caicos Islands

When you’re visiting Providenciales, you can easily get the lettuce and tomato in a burger, but you might want to take advantage of the opportunity to try a whole new world of colourful, local fruits and vegetables in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Island Grown Produce

While some produce is imported from other parts of the world, there is a variety of it grown and harvested right in the islands. North Caicos, known as the “garden island”, has rich soil due to its more northerly location and the rain it receives. Here sugar cane, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, and fruit such as papayas, melons and bananas are all grown. There are local farms on Middle Caicos where tomatoes, peppers, melons, bananas, sugar cane and papaya are grown. And, vegetables and herbs are also grown on Providenciales. One example is the hydroponics farm located just off South Dock Road. Here tomatoes, cucumbers and basil are grown and harvested.

Here’s a short video clip of the farm:

Caribbean Hot Peppers

So let’s start our parade of produce with peppers! Under the warm Caicos sun and gentle breezes, peppers flourish and develop remarkable flavour. One local islander Delano Handfield grows scotch bonnet peppers by hand. He uses these flavourful yellow, orange and scarlet peppers to produce a gourmet hot sauce called PeppaJoy and a pineapple pepper spread called Sakaja Exotic Pepper Sauce. Scotch bonnet peppers are an important ingredient in traditional Caicos jerk chicken as well as numerous other dishes made throughout the islands.

If you have tried these pepper sauces while traveling to Providenciales or the other islands, you can now order them directly off Delano’s website!

Delicious Starches

Corn, plantains and sea grapes have been thriving on the islands for hundreds of years. Today you’ll find them on your plate in numerous island eateries. Corn is roasted and served up by the cob; ground cornmeal is used as a batter for seafood or polenta dishes. Plantain, while it is a member of the banana family, is not as sweet as the banana and is used as a vegetable. It’s fried in slices or deep fried like potato chips. Sea grape which grows wild in the islands is a plant in the buckwheat family. It bears burgundy coloured fruit that grows in clusters. The raw fruit is edible, but it’s best eaten when it’s no longer green but the darker red colour. Sea grapes are cooked into jellies or fermented into vinegars for cooking.

The Most Versatile Caribbean Food

Coconuts are also a very Caribbean item and a favourite in the kitchen. As soon as you arrive to the islands, you’ll be greeted by the tall leafy trees that line the roadways and beaches. These large palms bear fruit which surprisingly is not a nut but actually something called a drupe or stone fruit. Coconuts are incredibly popular because of their culinary versatility. The milk is an ingredient for sauces and beverages. Instead of dairy milk, creamy chowders will feature coconut milk. The coconut can be processed to create oil for frying or cooking, and the fleshy part of the coconut is used in baking and cooking.

The Meat Tenderizer!

Growing wild throughout the islands is papaya, a popular fruit for eating fresh off the tree and for preparing a variety of dishes. Papaya trees can grow up to 20 feet high and like palms, they have a lot of foliage at the top. The pear shaped fruit they bear is popular with local chefs who use it dishes like risotto, spring rolls, or salads. Locals like it for its powerful health benefits; it contains active enzymes like papain which aids in digestion and is useful for cuts, burns, rashes and scrapes. The powerful enzymes can also be used as an ingredient in marinades for meats as they work as a tenderizer.

A Tropical Treasure

Popular because of its tangy yet sweet flavour, pineapple is definitely an island culinary staple. Famous for its diamond patterned skin and its dark leafy crown on top, the pineapple actually begins from a seed which is completely hidden away in a small compartment under the skin. It’s extremely popular with island chefs who incorporate its sweet flavour into savoury items such as chicken or seafood, or with spirits in a delicious cocktail, or into gelato or upside down cake.

Villa del Mar in its enviable Grace Bay beach area location, is close to many fine dining and casual restaurants on Providenciales where these fruits and peppers often star in the cuisine. Colours, flavours and aromas; the Turks and Caicos Islands offers an luscious line-up of produce.

What’s for dinner you say?

Perhaps, deep fried conch with mango coleslaw on the side.
Or butter poached lobster with peas ‘n rice.
And for dessert, a dish of coconut ice cream.

Something new and delightful is always center stage when it comes to tropical produce!