Martinique is justifiably proud of its cuisine. Like the country itself, it’s exotic, varied and colorful.

It was here, on the Place Josephine, that I tried my first christophines: some puréed with milk and butter, others stuffed with crab.

The land itself changes color with the arrival of swarms of “matoutous”: the little land crabs that seem to all have been born the night before. Children take delight in going out to collect them, placing them into barrels where they’re fed on mangos, chilies and corn.

As in Guadeloupe, you’ll find acras (salt cod fritters), crabs and rock lobsters, shrimp or lamb colombo, but the Martinique versions are fruitier and milder in flavor.

Pineapple is served in many ways: as an accompaniment to pork; flambéed with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; or turned into fritters.

Chicken is cooked in coconut milk, while aged rum can be found in every course from first to last, whether in squash soup, with grilled lobster or in the seafood sauce. Green onions, garlic and lime are used ubiquitously.

Before setting down to dinner, don’t miss trying the local “Ti-Punch”: white rum, cane syrup and lime zest!

Example of a Creole menu

First courses
Acras – little fritters made with fish, salt cod, seafood or vegetables
      Salt Cod Acras

Avocado and Cod Purée (Féroce d’avocat) made with avocados, cod, cassava flour and chilies.      Spicy avocado and cod purée

“Pâté en pot” – a soup made with lamb offal, vegetables, capers and white wine

Stuffed crab – a spicy crabmeat filling cooked in the shell

Main dishes
Blaff –fish poached in an aromatic broth containing chilies, onion and spices
      Blaff (Poached White Fish)

Cabri of Goat, Pork etc.
Meat cooked in a spicy sauce; a recipe of Indian origin

Court-Bouillon
A liquid for cooking fish made with tomatoes and local spices

Matoutou
A savory dish made with crab and numerous spices, including curry and chilies. It is traditionally eaten on Easter Monday and Pentecost, the period when the crab’s shell is hardest. Usually families prepare the dish on the beach, under the palm trees.
         Crab Matoutou

Vegetables
Every main dish is accompanied by local vegetables: yams, Chinese cabbage, taro or dasheen, breadfruit, or gratins of christophine or papaya.
      Breadfruit and Pumpkin  “Migan”

Desserts
Blanc-Mange
A coconut and milk-based dessert, flavored with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg

Charlotte, Martinique-Style

Sorbets
Made from tropical fruits such as mango, soursop or passion fruit

And to end…
Aged rum
As delicious as a good cognac

And for special occasions…
The famous chocolate butter cake
Generally served for first communion breakfasts