Most West Indies weddings are lavish, sophisticated and classy events that are perfectly blended with unique customs and traditions. Food is very essential for such big celebrations.
Ceviche is a very popular delicacy in most of the West Indies.. Ceviche is prepared from fresh fish which range from black fin tuna, Spanish mackerel, swordfish to yellow fin tuna and many more fresh fish. The bones and the skin are carefully removed and the flesh thoroughly diced into small pieces. Other ingredients used in the preparation of tasty ceviche include; chopped cilantro, lime juice, diced red onions, diced green chili with all the veins and seeds removed, diced tomato with seeds removed, ground black pepper as well as avocadoes split in halves with a little lemon juice pitted on them to prevent browning. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed and allowed to sit for about 24 hours. The acid in the lemon will chemically cook the fish. The longer the fish sits in this mixture the better it tastes. The ceviche is served cold in the halved avocados.
Curried chicken and jerked chicken are also popular in West Indies weddings. The chicken require cloves garlic, curry leaves, ground allspice, ground black pepper, lime and onions for preparation. All the ingredients are mixed in a blender until a thick paste is formed. The chicken breasts are then marinated in the mixture for 24 hours. After this is done, the chicken breasts are then grilled for about 15 minutes on both sides.
Curried goat meat is also a favorite in many West Indies. Ingredients in the preparation of this finger licking delicacy include; ghee, curry powder, onions, allspice, ground black pepper, diced cloves garlic, diced red pepper, yellow squash, okra and vegetable broth.Ghee and curry powder are added in a large pot to cook at mild heat. Once the curry powder starts to give off some nice fragrance, garlic, onions and pepper are added. Allow the mixture to cook for about 15 minutes then add the meat. Sautee the mixture until the meat appears brown. Broth, black pepper and allspice are then added and allowed to cook in moderate heat for two and a half hours until the meat is soft and tender. Squash and okra are added into dish 5 minutes to serving.
Chutneys, jerked pork, callaloo, fried fish, delicious beans safrito are also very common West Indies foods that normally feature in weddings. No wedding would be complete without beverages. West Indies beverages are as unique as their foods. Tropical fruit salad is a tasty, quenching and refreshing beverage. This drink is prepared from mangoes, ripe papaya, honeydew melon, Champaign, vanilla extract, pineapple and finely diced mint leaves.The mangoes, melon and pineapple are peeled, cut into large pieces, the papaya de-seeded and cut into large dices and mixed with the vanilla extract, Champaign and mint leaves. This mixture is allowed to sit in the refrigerator overnight and served cold
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