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Food · North America

What to eat in Bahamas

Five dishes to try in the Bahamas, the most typical first. Three are vegetarian.

Five dishes to try in the Bahamas

  1. Conch chowder

    Soup

    Spicy tomato-based soup of conch, potatoes and vegetables.

    How to have it: Also try fresh conch salad, made to order at the Arawak Cay Fish Fry in Nassau.

    Read about Conch chowder on Wikipedia

  2. Peas 'n' rice

    Main dish

    Rice cooked with pigeon peas, tomato, thyme and salt pork.

    How to have it: The default side for fried fish, chicken or cracked conch.

    Read about Peas 'n' rice on Wikipedia

  3. Baked macaroni

    Main dishVegetarian

    Firm baked macaroni and cheese cut into squares.

    How to have it: A side at Sunday dinners and takeaways; Bahamians add hot pepper.

    Read about Baked macaroni on Wikipedia

  4. Johnnycake

    BreadVegetarian

    Dense, slightly sweet pan bread.

    How to have it: Eaten at breakfast with boil fish or stew fish.

    Read about Johnnycake on Wikipedia

  5. Guava duff

    DessertVegetarian

    Rolled dough with guava filling, boiled or steamed and topped with sweet sauce.

    How to have it: A family dessert served warm, most often around holidays and Junkanoo.

    Read about Guava duff on Wikipedia

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Questions

What food is the Bahamas famous for?

Conch chowder (spicy tomato-based soup of conch, potatoes and vegetables) comes first on our list, followed by Peas 'n' rice, Baked macaroni, Johnnycake and Guava duff.

What is the national dish of the Bahamas?

Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for the Bahamas is Conch chowder: spicy tomato-based soup of conch, potatoes and vegetables. Also try fresh conch salad, made to order at the Arawak Cay Fish Fry in Nassau.

Which dishes in the Bahamas are vegetarian?

Three of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Baked macaroni, Johnnycake and Guava duff. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.

How reliable is this list?

The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.

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Dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.