Taymer Mason - Caribbean Vegan: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion

Caribbean
Vegan

Caribbean
Vegan

MEAT-FREE,
EGG-FREE,
DAIRY-FREE
Authentic
Island Cuisine
for Every
Occasion

Taymer Mason

CARIBBEAN VEGAN: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free
Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion

Copyright Taymer Mason, 2010
Insert photographs Cynthia Nelson, 2010
Photographs on Taymer Mason, 2010

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This book contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the book. It is sold with the understanding that the author and the publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or riskpersonal or otherwisewhich is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010924686

ISBN 978-1-61519-025-6

Cover design by Susi Oberhelman
Cover photographs by Cynthia Nelson
Author photograph by Jean Jarreau
Photo insert food styling and photography by Cynthia Nelson
Text design by Pauline Neuwirth, Neuwirth & Associates, Inc.

Manufactured in the United States of America
First published November 2010
Published simultaneously in Canada

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Cecelia, Ricardo, Richie, and Daniel with love

Note: indicates that the recipe is pictured in the photo insert.

Caribbean
Vegan

indicates that the recipe or ingredient is pictured in the photo insert.

ONE OF THE biggest challenges I faced in writing this book was finding a way to convince people who live outside the Caribbean that they could eat authentic Caribbean food made with ingredients from their local supermarket. Caribbean cuisine is still one of the most unknown cuisines in the mainstream media. Documentaries depicting Caribbean food tend to focus on images of pineapples, coconuts, fish, and an array of unknown ingredients. But Caribbean cuisine is not all fruits and coconuts. It is a complex cuisine influenced by the many cultures that have played a role in this region: indigenous, African, French, Spanish, British, and more, including Indian, as the British brought many Indians to the islands to work as indentured servants. In essence, Caribbean food is a potpourri of flavors that has evolved over the years into a sophisticated, yet so far underappreciated, cuisine. In this book, I focus on foods from Barbados, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Grenada, and the French West Indies, as well as Guyana, which is in South America.

Because I wanted to be sure that most of the recipes could be made anywhere in the world, I used a team of twenty testers from all over the world. Many of the testers said the project helped them rediscover their hometowns. Ethnic markets that they had never ventured into became their favorite haunts, and they got to know some vegetables from their regular supermarkets that they had never used before.

Vegans do not eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products or honeybasically, any food made from animal products. Many vegans also do not wear leather, fur, wool, or silk as these fabrics are obtained from animals. Most vegans are vegans because they have compassion for animals, and they do not want to contribute to animal suffering. Many people believe that vegans eat this way primarily for the health benefits, but eating compassionately is a primary motivation for many vegans.

Do not confuse vegan Caribbean food with Ital food, also known as vital food, eaten by the Rastafarian community. However, vegan Caribbean food can be Ital, and many of the recipes in this book can be adapted to fit into a Rastafarian diet. There are many different groups of Rastafarians, and orthodox Rastafarians may follow strict rules regarding the type of utensils used and cooking without salt. One technique that defines Ital food is cooking in coconut milk that is reduced to oil. Avoid associating Rastafarianism with veganism, even if it does employ vegan food. Ital food is about a way of eating, while veganism is about ethics and eating. In addition, some Rastafarians eat fish, further distinguishing the two. Vegan Caribbean cuisine makes use of existing vegan dishes in traditional Caribbean cuisine and also takes existing Caribbean recipes and veganizes them.