Floribbean Cuisine

Floribbean Cuisine, also known as Sunshine Cuisine, has emerged as one of America’s most innovative regional cuisines.  The fresh flavors, combinations, and tastes of Floribbean cuisine are representative of the variety and quality of products indigenous to Florida and the Caribbean Islands.  Regional chefs often make a commitment to use locally grown foods and species of fish and seafood from the abundant fresh and salt waters of the area.
The cooking style and techniques used in Florida today are highly influenced by the Caribbean Islands, specifically Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.  This current movement is, however, only a little more than a decade old.  The roots of Floribbean Cuisine are traced back much further in time, to the exploration of the New World by the Spaniards.
In the early 1500’s, with the arrival of Ponce de Leon, the Spanish culture began to affect the Florida area.  From that time until now, Spanish cooking traditions and flavors have heavily influenced the foods of Florida. Hernando de Soto, another Spaniard, brought cattle and pigs with him on his voyage to the new world.  From this introduction of livestock to Florida, the Spaniards are given credit for many recipes using meat in an area of America that formerly depended entirely on fish and game.  In return for livestock, the Native Americans taught the Spanish about local fruits and vegetables, including hearts of palm, malanga, yuca, and plantains.  The Native Americans also taught the Spaniards how to catch and prepare the ample variety of seafood indigenous to the waters of the Florida region.
Spain was not the only European nation that found Florida attractive.  In the early 1560’s, the French protestant Jean Ribault explored the Florida region.  Two years later, Rene Goulaine de Laudonniere established Fort Caroline at the mouth of the St. Johns River, near present-day Jacksonville.  The French influence on cooking was blended with the existing Spanish cooking style to become the root of Floribbean Cuisine.
In the mid 1600’s, slaves from Africa began to influence the cooking styles of the Florida region. Over the years, the Spanish Conquistadors brought many thousands of slaves from Africa to Florida and the Caribbean Islands.  The slaves typically existed on a diet consisting of yams, eggplant, sesame seeds, and okra.  These slaves brought with them the skills and knowledge to grow, cook, and prepare these types of foods.  In time, these foods and cooking influences were merged into the region’s cuisine.  As the slaves not only cooked for themselves, but also for their owners, many of the their foods and dishes were served. Many of today’s regional specialties, like peas and okra featured on page xx, came from those early times.
In the mid 1700’s a group of Minorcans, people of Catalan descent, from the Spanish Balearic Islands, were brought to the Florida region as indentured laborers.  Once established in the St. Augustine area, their foods and cooking influenced the existing Florida cuisine, particularly by using peppers.  Mayonnaise, for example, was invented by the Minorcans and was carried back to France during the French occupation of their home island.
Key West was also settled about this time and was comprised mainly of civil war refugees from the Bahamas.  Their contributions to Floribbean cuisine included conch salad found on page xx, seasoned rice and peas, and steamed pudding.  Key Lime pie, found on page xx, was created in Key West, the outermost island of the Florida Keys.  It used a combination of the native Key Limes and condensed milk, used because of the very limited availability of fresh milk on the island.
Great Britain gained control of Florida in the early 1760’s in exchange for Havana, Cuba, which the British had captured from Spain a few years earlier.  The Spaniards evacuated Florida after the exchange, leaving the region virtually empty of European settlers.   Although the British rule of the Florida region lasted only twenty years, their influence also affected the cooking styles of the region.  When the British evacuated Florida after the American Revolution, Spanish colonists as well as settlers from the newly formed United States came pouring in to the Florida region, lured by generous land grants.  Many others came to Florida to escape slavery.
The Anglo-American influence began with the descendants of the American settlers from New England who relocated to Georgia and Florida just before the American Revolution.  The anglo settlers brought with them their taste for sweets and rice.  By 1840, the people of Florida were concentrating on developing their territory and gaining statehood.  The population began to escalate significantly with African-American slaves making up almost one-half of the population.  These new black and Anglo settlers from the southern colonies introduced a style of cooking that is referred to as Soul Food, sometimes called “Country Cooking” and “Cracker Cooking.” Soul Food is rustic, simple food and until recently was the most predominant cooking style in the Florida area.  This blend of cooking styles combined typical English blandness with the piquant flavors of the Spanish.  It is one of the reasons why the foods of Florida are not as spicy as those associated with Southwest cuisine.
The development of industries throughout the state of Florida prompted the construction of roads and railroads on a large scale.  The year-round railroad workers and their families had a significant impact on Floribbean Cuisine.  The railroad workers who came from other regions of America prepared New England clam chowder with stone crab and substituted mangos for apples in their pies.  These cooks, in many respects, earned the right to be called the parents Floribbean Cuisine by combining indigenous ingredients from the Florida region with traditional recipes that were handed down to them from generation to generation.
Beginning in the 1870s, residents from the northern states visited Florida as tourists to enjoy the state’s natural beauty and mild climate.  The tourists drove the development of lavish winter resorts from Palm Beach to Miami Beach, nicknamed the Gold Coast.  By the 1920’s, a large Jewish population began to settle in the Florida region, bringing with them a variety of delicatessens and kosher markets.
Probably the greatest influence on Floribbean cuisine began in the 1950’s with the large migration of Cubans to south Florida.  Cuba is just ninety miles from south Florida and is the largest of the Caribbean islands.  Today, the largest population of Cubans outside of Havana resides in Florida.  The impact this has had on Florida’s cuisine is so significant, that an area of Miami is dubbed ‘Little Havana’.  The Cubans no doubt feel at home, because many of their native ingredients are indigenous to the Florida region as well.  In addition, Cuba was under Spanish rule for many years.  The Spanish influence that affected Floribbean cuisine was also a significant influence in Cuba.  Typically, the Spanish flavors in Cuba were derived from their use of tomatoes, garlic, onions, and peppers and were mixed with Caribbean ingredients such as conch, plantains, coconuts, guava, and mango.  The Cuban influence in Floribbean cuisine is tasted in the lime marinated grilled fish and seafood, such as the recipes on pages xx and xx, seafood stews that are spiced with chilies, and salads that include many exotic fruits and vegetables, like those on pages xx and xx.
Today, new influences are continuing to affect the foods and cooking styles enjoyed in Florida as the regional cuisine continues to evolve.  Large populations from Haiti, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, and other Central and South American countries exist in Florida.  In addition to these cultures, a Southeast Asian influence is beginning to be seen in the foods as more and more people immigrate to Florida from Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The culinary history of Florida is one of immigration and adaptation.  Even the area’s prominent Native American tribe, the Seminoles, immigrated to Florida from other regions of America. An important part of Floribbean cuisine is that it is one of the few cuisines that is still evolving, at least evolving more often than other regional cuisines, due to the constant influxes of new immigrants to the region. With the characters and flavors of the cooking in Florida being shaped by so many influences it is no wonder that Floribbean cuisine has emerged as a cuisine among the finest and most creative in America.

Ingredients Indigenous to Floribbean Cuisine

Alcaporado: A Cuban style beef stew that is cooked with raisins and olives.
Annatto: Sometimes referred to as achiote seeds, annatto seeds are used commercially as a natural orange coloring agent for butter and cheese.  They are the seeds that come from the tropical annatto tree. Annatto is also a useful ingredient to use when sautéing as it will impart a vibrant yellow-orange tint to the protein being prepared.  The seeds are available dried or crushed and can be used to flavor oil.  Annatto oil can be drizzled over meat or shellfish both for color and subtle flavoring or can be added to salad dressings as a flavoring agent.
Arroz con Pollo: A Cuban chicken and rice dish frequently served in south Florida restaurants.  Arroz con Pollo can be served as an entrée with little broth or as a hearty soup.
Arroz Marillo: Cuban style saffron rice.  Arroz Marillo is typically long grain rice that is cooked with saffron.  Due to the high cost of saffron, turmeric is frequently used as a substitute.
Avocado: Dating back to almost 8000 BC, the avocado originates from Mexico and was considered an aphrodisiac by the Incas and Aztecs.  The avocado tree has been known to produce up to 400 fruit per year, which can be left on the tree for almost half a year.  Avocados grown in south Florida are often referred to as “alligator pears” due to its skin, which resembles an alligator hide.  The buttery-flavored avocado is rich in vitamin A and potassium.  Florida avocados typically have a higher water content and milder flavor than avocados from California.
Banana Leaves: The leaf from the banana tree, which is frequently used as a wrapper when cooking food in the Florida region.  By wrapping foods in a banana leaf prior to cooking, the flavor of the banana can be imparted into other foods.  Banana leaves are typically available in Latin, Caribbean, and Asian specialty markets.
Banana Pepper: Also known as the Hungarian wax chili. Banana peppers are large, usually between 3-5 inches in length, with ranges in flavor from mild to medium hot.  Banana peppers are known for their distinctive waxy flavor.
Black Beans: Also referred to as black turtle beans or frijoles negro.  Black beans are the most commonly prepared dried bean variety in the Florida region as well as in the Caribbean and Central and South America.   Black beans are actually not black at all, but a dark purple color and are a staple starch for many of the Hispanic cultures residing in the Florida region.  Black beans are frequently made into soup or served with rice.
Bolichi: A popular Cuban dish in the Florida Keys.  Bolichi is a marinated pot roast rolled with hard-boiled eggs.  In South America a similar preparation for pot roast is called “matambre.”
Bollitos: A Cuban preparation that combines black-eyed peas and garlic, which is then rolled into balls and deep-fried.
Boniato: A tuber that is similar in appearance to a sweet potato.  Boniato has white or yellow flesh with a somewhat bitter flavor.  The flesh from boniato is typically a little less sweet than that of a normal sweet potato but is drier and fluffier when cooked.  Boniato is typically prepared by boiling, baking, deep-frying, roasting, steaming, or sautéing.
Calabaza: Also referred to as a West Indian pumpkin.  Calabaza is a very large Cuban squash with a round shape similar to a pumpkin or sometimes pear shaped.  Calabaza are rarely smaller than a honeydew melon.  The skin of the calabaza is usually orange in color but sometimes it is green or striped.  Calabaza is typically sold halved or in slices due to their large size.  The orange flesh has a flavor similar to normal pumpkins or butternut squash, but is sweeter and moister.
Cassava: A name also used to refer to yuca.  (see yuca)
Chayote: A light-green, pear-shaped member of the squash family and a staple of Hispanic cuisine for a number of centuries.  Chayote came to Florida with settlers and slaves from the West Indies and has a flavor similar to zucchini.  In the southern region of America chayote is referred to as mirliton.  Chayote has a large seed in the center, which needs to be removed before using.  Chayote is frequently stuffed and baked, or cut into cubes that are seasoned, and used as an ingredient in salads and appetizers.  Chayote is usually available from August through November and can be stored under refrigeration for up to a month.
Callaloo: A vegetable that is similar in appearance to kale, Swiss chard, or spinach.  It was a favorite of the African slaves brought to the Caribbean and is now commonly used in south Florida.  Substitutes can include spinach or kale.
Chorizo: A spicy Spanish sausage made with pork and seasonings. Traditionally, chorizo of Spanish origin is made with smoked pork while the Mexican tradition calls for fresh pork.  The casing is usually removed before cooking.
Citrus Fruit: The Florida region is one of the largest producers of citrus fruits in the world.  Almost eighty percent of the orange juice consumed in America is made from Florida oranges.  In addition to oranges, the Florida region also produces grapefruit, limes, lemons, and tangerines.  Some of the more exotic citrus fruits from the Florida region include kumquats, tangelos, pomelos, and calamondins. Citrus fruit should be chosen by weight rather than color; the heavier the fruit the more juice it will contain.
Coconut: The large hairy fruit of the coconut palm tree.  The flesh of the fruit is white in color and lines the inside of the shell.  When selecting coconuts, shake them to ensure there is liquid inside of the shell.
Coconut Milk: A combination of equal parts of water and shredded fresh coconut meat, which is simmered until foamy.  The mixture is then strained through cheesecloth to retain as much liquid as possible.  Coconut milk is also available in cans and makes an excellent substitute for making fresh coconut milk.
Conch: A large mollusk usually found in the coral reefs off the coast of south Florida and around the Florida Keys.  Conch meat has a flavor similar to sweet clams and is typically used to make chowder or prepared as fritters.  Conch shells are large, attractive, and whirled—the kind that children hold to their ear to hear the sound of the ocean.
Cubanella Pepper: Cubanella peppers are a large, lemon-yellow-colored, rather mild pepper that is available at most Hispanic specialty markets.  They are grown almost to the size of a green bell pepper.
Empanada: A small half moon-shaped pastry that is usually stuffed with a meat, fish, or cheese filling.  Empanadas are typically served hot, as a hors d’oeuvre or appetizer.
Escabeche: A method of pickling that is frequently used to prepare fish or vegetables.  Escabeche is typically served as an appetizer, light entrée, or side dish.  This dish is best served at room temperature after resting under refrigeration overnight.   The resting process allows the full extraction of flavors of the ingredients.
Flan: A traditional Cuban dessert very similar to French crème caramel.  Flan is also commonly served in the American Southwest and Tex-Mex regions of America.  The Cuban style preparation of flan flavors the custard with almonds, coconut, or rum and is frequently served with plantains or black beans.
Grouper: A fish found in the waters of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the North and South Atlantic.  Grouper generally range in size from 5-15 pounds but can sometimes be as large as 600 pounds. There are many species; however, the most popular grouper include the Black, Tiger, Yellowmouth, Comb, and Graysby varieties.  Grouper is known for its excellent sweet flesh that is both lean and firm, making the fish suitable for baking, broiling, frying, poaching, or steaming.
Guava: A round fruit usually 2-6 inches in diameter.  The thick skin of the fruit, which is edible, is a greenish white, yellow, or red color when the fruit is ripe.  Guava contains small seeds embedded in the flesh of the fruit that are frequently removed by passing the flesh trough a sieve.  It is said that the flavor of guava is similar to strawberries.  Guava is eaten raw or cooked to make jellies and pastes.  It is also used as a base for a variety glazes and custards.
Hearts of Palm: Also referred to a swamp cabbage, hearts of palm are the tender inner parts of the stem of the Sabal or cabbage palm tree.  Hearts of palm are somewhat rare and expensive due to the fact the palm tree must be destroyed in order to obtain them.  Hearts of palm have a white to ivory color and many concentric layers.  Its delicate flavor is somewhat reminiscent of an artichoke. Hearts of palm are typically served in salad preparations and can be eaten either raw or cooked.
Jamaican Pimento: A highly aromatic pea-sized berry commonly known as allspice.  When the Spaniards arrived in the Caribbean they discovered the berry and named it Jamaican pepper or pimienta, the word for pepper in Spanish.  The Jamaican pimento has a flavor that tastes like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Generally, the whole berries are referred to as allspice and when ground, is called pimento.
Jerk Chicken: A Caribbean chicken recipe, which is seasoned with a special blend of spices, referred to as “jerk seasoning,” and Jamaican peppers and slow-cooked in deep pits or earthenware pots.  The name jerk is derived from the Native American word “charqui,” meaning sun-dried beef or jerky.  Today, the term jerk refers to a particular way of seasoning and cooking meats and seafood, typically accomplished with a dry spice rub or wet marinade.  Jerk chicken can also be prepared with excellent results on a grill or in an oven.
Key Limes: One of the two main varieties of limes available in America.  Lime trees were first planted in the Florida Keys in 1835.  The fruit from these trees were small yellowish limes with a highly aromatic, tart flavor similar to very tart lemons.  The Key Lime is smaller than the more common Persian lime and is rounder with a color more yellow than green. When substituting Persian limes for Key Limes, use one Persian lime for every three key limes called for in the recipe.
Litchi: A small oval shaped fruit with a hard red shell that is frequently referred to as a nut.  The fruit contains one large seed that is surrounded by sweet white flesh.  Litchi is available fresh as well as in cans.  The litchi is generally prepared by drying the fruit, which gives it a nutty, raisin-like flavor.  Litchi is also spelled litchee and lychee, depending upon the region.
Manchego Cheese: A Spanish sheep’s milk cheese that has a full, mellow flavor and is ivory to yellow in color and semi-firm to hard in texture.  Manchego cheese is prepared in a variety of ways that includes dry salting, curing, or soaked in olive oil.  Each of the preparation techniques used to make Manchego cheese results in a different color, flavor, and texture.
Malanga: A root vegetable that has a shape similar to a long yam.  Malanga has a pinkish flesh with a patchy, thin brown or beige skin.
Mango: A sweet fruit with a pale to deep yellow flesh.  When ripe, the skin of the mango will be green to a rosy red color.  To select the best ripe mangos, select those with smooth skin that are free of pits.  When they are ripe, the surface should yield to light pressure, similar to an avocado.  Mangos are very aromatic when ripe and are said to have a flavor similar to a very sweet peach.  To remove the pulp, peel and cut away the fruit from the fibrous seed.  Green, unripe mangos are frequently used in the Florida region to prepare chutneys and relishes.
Moros y Christianos: A traditional Spanish dish popular among the Cubans in south Florida that is made with black beans and rice.  The name Moros y Christianos is Spanish for Moors and Christians.  It symbolizes the conflict between the dark-skinned Moors who invaded Spain in the eighth century and the white-skinned Christians, who after being dominated for hundreds of years eventually overthrew the Moors.  Moros y Christianos is typically served as a side dish with meat and fried plantains.
Paella: A classical Spanish rice dish that became popular in Cuba and south Florida when the Spaniards colonized the regions.   Paella in the Florida region features chorizo and shellfish that is cooked with Valencia rice is a large cooking vessel commonly referred to as a pallero.
Papaya: A sweet melon-like fruit that often has bright yellow-pink to yellow-orange flesh.  Papaya has a smooth, thin skin with colors that range from deep orange to green.  In the Florida region, papaya is frequently eaten on the “half shell” with just a squeeze of lime.  Papaya is also used in chutneys, sauces, desserts, and salads.  The small spicy seeds are a grayish black color and are edible.  They are often used in salad dressings or as a garnish.
Passion Fruit: A small fruit with a brownish-purple skin that is wrinkled like a walnut.  Passion fruit are typically about the size of a golf ball and have a yellow-colored flesh that is said to taste like a combination of pineapple, guava, and lemon.  To determine if passion fruit are ripe, shake the fruit to ensure there is the sound of liquid moving under the skin.
Picadillo: A popular Cuban preparation featuring a highly seasoned and spicy beef hash.  Picadillo is typically served with black beans, rice, and fried plantains.
Pickapeppa Sauce: A hot pepper sauce similar to Tabasco sauce that is made in the St. Augustine area of Florida.
Pink Beans: A smooth reddish-brown dried bean frequently prepared in the Florida region.  Pinto beans are a common substitute.
Plantain: A member of the banana family that is and used extensively in south Florida and Cuba.  Unlike the banana, plantains are almost never eaten raw.  Plantains vary in size and generally have a starchy, somewhat nutty flavor when the peel is green to yellow.  When the peel is yellow to black, it will have a sweet flavor similar to a banana and can be served as a vegetable or dessert.  Plantains are often used as a starch instead of potatoes and to make tostones, which frequently substitute for bread or rolls during a meal.  Plantains are also deep-fried and salted and served like chips as a snack or garnish.
Red Snapper: One of the most popular species of fish in the Florida region as well as in America.  Red Snapper is a soft flesh fish with a remarkable flavor that requires little to no seasoning before cooking.  Ranging from 2-6 pounds, snapper is available in many varieties including yellowtail, blackfin, gray, and mahogany.  Pacific Red Snapper from the West Coast of America is not a variety of snapper at all, but is instead a variety of ling cod.
Sangria: A name for a wine-based beverage derived from the Spanish word for blood.  The Spaniards, who colonized the area, first brought sangria to the Florida region.  Typically sangria was made by the Spanish priests and is a punch that is made with red wine, fruit, and sugar.  It has a fruity flavor that makes it an excellent beverage to accompany the spicy fare of the region.
Seville Oranges: Also referred to in the Florida region as “bitter or sour oranges.”  Seville oranges are smaller than regular oranges, and have a rough, thin, orange and yellow skin.  The flesh and juice is darker than the typical oranges grown in the Florida region, and have a very tart flavor.  Seville oranges are frequently used in the preparation of orange marmalade.  The juice from Seville oranges is frequently used to marinate meats and the rind of Seville oranges is used to make the liqueur Curaçao and orange flower water.  If Seville oranges are not available, they can be substituted by combining regular orange juice with a little lime juice.
Shrimp: Many believe that the American shrimping industry was born in the Florida region and that it quickly spread north along the Georgia coast to the Carolinas and west to the Gulf of Mexico.  Today in America, the consumption of shrimp is second only to that of canned tuna fish.  Several varieties of shrimp are caught along Florida’s coastline and are typically named after their color.  The most popular varieties are the Pink, White, and Brown Shrimp.  The different species of shrimp have different colors due to their respective diets; however, all shrimp shells turn pink once they are cooked.
Sofrito: Sofrito is derived from the Spanish word “sofreir” meaning to fry lightly.  Sofrito is an essential flavoring agent made by cooking salt pork, ham, onions, garlic, and oregano in oil.  It can be prepared in large amounts and stored in the refrigerator until needed.
Sour Orange: Another name for Seville oranges. (see Seville oranges)
Spiny Lobster: Also referred to as the rock lobster.  Spiny lobsters inhabit the warm waters off the Florida coast and are aptly named as the forward segment of their shells are covered with spines.  Unlike the Maine lobster, the spiny lobster has most all of the meat concentrated in the tail section with some additional meat located in its small claws.  Spiny lobster is frequently served baked and stuffed with crabmeat and other fish, which is flavored with lime.  The tail meat is also broiled and served plain with just a little seasoned butter.
Star Fruit: Also referred to as carambola.  Star fruit is a small yellow-green to golden-orange fruit appropriately named for its star shape slices when cut.  The flesh of the fruit has a tart, crisp flavor somewhat like a tart apple and the thin waxy skin is edible.  Star fruit is frequently used in salad preparations and as a garnish for other dishes.
Stone Crab: A species of crab indigenous to the waters of Biscayne Bay near Miami, Florida.  Typically, only the oversized, black-tipped claws of the crabs are eaten.  The stone crab season generally runs from October to May.  Due to their diminishing population, fishermen catch the crabs and remove the smaller of their two claws.  The crab is then returned to the water where in a period of 18-24 months the crab will grow a new claw.  The stone crab claws are cooked, cracked, and served with simple drawn butter to enhance the flavor of the meat, similar to how New Englanders enjoy eating their Maine lobster.
Tamarind: The sticky, dry pods of the tamarind tree sometimes referred to as Indian dates.  Tamarind has a taste similar to plums, yet much more sour.  It is frequently used an ingredient in chutney preparations.  Tamarind is also used in place of lime or lemon juice for recipes that require a sweet and sour tang with extra body.  Tamarind paste can usually be purchased in Caribbean specialty markets.
Yuca: Also referred to as cassava, yuca is a sweet, buttery, and starchy tuber shaped like an elongated sweet potato.  It has a bark-like skin and hard white flesh.  Yuca is used in preparations much like a potato and are frequently prepared as fritters or used in stews.  Coating the skin with olive oil will help to retain its moisture as well as helping to cook the product faster.

Menus from Floribbean Cuisine

Menu One

Key West Conch Chowder

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Hearts of Palm Salad

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Floribbean Grouper with Black Bean, Jicama and Corn Salsa                                                                                                                         Peas and Fresh Okra

Corn and Sweet Pepper Sauté

White Rice with Tomatoes

Menu Two

Black Bean Soup

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Ceviche of Scallops with Floribbean Slaw

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Cuban Braised Beef Round

Stuffed Chayote with Mushrooms

Spicy Orange Carrot Sticks

Rice and Peas

Menu Three

Chicken with Ginger and Tamarind

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Tropical Fruit Salad with Avocado Dressing

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Shrimp with Roasted Garlic and Papaya with Avocado Salsa

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Skillet Tomatoes

Stewed Pink Beans