Barbados @ 50 - National Dish

Cou Cou & Flying Fish is Barbados' national dish. Cou Cou refers to the style of preparation of an ingredient. In the case of the national dish, cornmeal is cooked in water with okras and seasonings, low and slow until liquid dries out and the cornmeal comes away easily from the sides of the pot. The texture is silky from the okras. The hot cornmeal cou cou is transferred to a well buttered dish; the bowl is then swirled around to firm up, shape and mould the cou cou. Served with stewed flying fish with lots of flavourful sauce made with onions, tomatoes and fresh herbs, this is quite a filling meal. Other types of cou cou - breadfruit cou cou and green banana cou cou.

With breadfruit and green banana cou cou, the ingredients are boiled until soft and mashed smooth with butter, a little salt and sometimes a bit of cheese. So good!