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What to eat in Saint Lucia

Five dishes to try in Saint Lucia, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.

Five dishes to try in Saint Lucia

  1. Bakes and saltfish

    Breakfast

    Fried dough buns split and filled with sautéed salted cod, onion and peppers.

    How to have it: The standard Saint Lucian breakfast; roadside stalls sell them in the morning with cocoa tea.

    Read about Bakes and saltfish on Wikipedia

  2. Callaloo soup

    Soup

    Thick soup of callaloo greens, okra and coconut milk, often with crab or salted meat.

    How to have it: A Saturday and Sunday staple; ask for it at local cookshops rather than resort restaurants.

    Read about Callaloo soup on Wikipedia

  3. Cassava bread Kassav

    BreadVegetarian

    Baked cassava flatbread, plain or flavoured with coconut, cherry or saltfish.

    How to have it: Stop at the bakeries in Anse La Raye, where it is baked on hot iron plates and sold warm.

    Read about Cassava bread on Wikipedia

  4. Roti

    Street food

    Soft flatbread wrapped around curried chicken, goat or chickpeas and potato.

    How to have it: A filling lunch from takeaway shops in Castries; ask for pepper sauce on the side.

    Read about Roti on Wikipedia

  5. Piton

    DrinkVegetarian

    Light local lager brewed on the island and named after the twin Pitons.

    How to have it: Served ice-cold at every beach bar and at the Friday night Gros Islet jump-up.

    Read about Piton on Wikipedia

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Questions

What food is Saint Lucia famous for?

Bakes and saltfish (fried dough buns split and filled with sautéed salted cod, onion and peppers) comes first on our list, followed by Callaloo soup, Cassava bread, Roti and Piton.

What is the national dish of Saint Lucia?

Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Saint Lucia is Bakes and saltfish: fried dough buns split and filled with sautéed salted cod, onion and peppers. The standard Saint Lucian breakfast; roadside stalls sell them in the morning with cocoa tea.

Which dishes in Saint Lucia are vegetarian?

Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Cassava bread and Piton. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.

What street food should I try in Saint Lucia?

Roti (soft flatbread wrapped around curried chicken, goat or chickpeas and potato).

What do people drink in Saint Lucia?

Piton: light local lager brewed on the island and named after the twin Pitons.

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.