ExploFood · North America
What to eat in Saint Kitts and Nevis
Five dishes to try in Saint Kitts and Nevis, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Saint Kitts and Nevis
Stewed saltfish
Salt cod stewed with tomato and peppers, part of the national platter.
How to have it: Served with spicy plantain, coconut dumplings and seasoned breadfruit as the national dish.
Goat water
Spiced goat stew thickened with flour and flavoured with cloves and Scotch bonnet.
How to have it: Sold from big pots at weekend fêtes, Carnival and roadside stalls, with bread rolls.
Pelau
One-pot rice cooked with pigeon peas, browned chicken or pork and coconut milk.
How to have it: Known locally as cook-up; a Sunday lunch and beach-lime staple.
Johnny cakes
Fried dough breads, puffy and soft inside.
How to have it: Eaten for breakfast with saltfish; buy them hot from bakeries and roadside vendors.
Conkie
Sweet cornmeal, pumpkin and coconut steamed in banana leaves.
How to have it: Made for Emancipation celebrations and holidays; look for them at markets and fêtes.
What to eat next door
Plan the trip
Questions
What food is Saint Kitts and Nevis famous for?
Stewed saltfish (salt cod stewed with tomato and peppers, part of the national platter) comes first on our list, followed by Goat water, Pelau, Johnny cakes and Conkie.
What is the national dish of Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Saint Kitts and Nevis is Stewed saltfish: salt cod stewed with tomato and peppers, part of the national platter. Served with spicy plantain, coconut dumplings and seasoned breadfruit as the national dish.
Which dishes in Saint Kitts and Nevis are vegetarian?
Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Johnny cakes and Conkie. 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.
Keep exploring
Practical · 3 min readEat your way through a country: how to find the national dishesFood is the fastest way into a place. How to find a country's signature dishes, order them well, eat safely and keep a record of what you have tried.
Planning · 4 min readHow to build a travel bucket list you'll actually useTurn a long wish list into a short plan: sort places by ease, season and effort, pick your next three, and keep the list alive after every trip.
Planning · 4 min readHow to choose the best time to visit anywhereWeather is only one part of it. Learn how to weigh seasons, crowds, prices and events, with real examples of the best months for popular destinations.- Country guidesCountry guidesBest months, weather, holidays and plugs for every country.
- Free toolWhere can I go?Every country your passport opens, sorted by how easy it is.
Tick off every dish you try in Saint Kitts and Nevis
Explo is a free app: light up the countries you have visited, keep the dishes you have tried, and check visa rules, weather and holidays before you go.
Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.