Vegan Finds: Barbados
Happy Sunday wanderers! To be quite honest I am writing this on the Saturday before it will be posted and my mood for the past few days has been uninspired. Luckily I already had the photos to pull together a blogpost about all the vegan food I found in Barbados. I don't feel like I am forcing content or like this blogpost won't be worth the time & effort to write but somehow my mind is feeling heavy and clouded. I would love if you guys left me some comments about how you deal with feeling uninspired and refocus your intentions. Without further ado let's delve into all the delicious vegan food I stumbled across during my two weeks in Barbados.
Chocolate chip cookie bar with a layer of dates from Raw Juice Bar. This was a very rich & delectable treat! They also had other treats, smoothies, acai bowls, and fresh juices.
I found this interesting locally made drink at a gas station. It has almond milk, coconut milk, mint, nutmeg and cinnamon. It looked very intriguing and I wanted to try it, the taste of mint was overwhelming and reminded me of a thin mint cookie (minus the chocolate). For me I would not drink the whole bottle but I ended up having it poured over some granola. I'm not sure if I would buy it again but I think the creamy texture and minty tast gives in potential for use in some kind of espresso cocktail.
Lots of local food options have a buffet style line of hot and ready food. The Fisherman's Pub in Speightstown had enough vegan options for a meal. Pictured: rice & beans, cucumber salad, steamed veg and fried plantains all topped with local hot sauce, yes please!
A local coconut, the perfect zero waste beverage if you ask for no straw. In my defense I atleast reused this straw more than once but I think it's time to invest in a metal one and start asking for no straws everywhere I go. Lots of locals are wheeling around shopping carts full of coconuts and will happily open one for you with a machete for a few dollars. The guy we bought them from even had ice & rum for us to put inside.
Baked breadfruit with ketchup. This was a delicious snack at Round House in Bathsheba. Breadfruit grows on trees on many Caribbean islands can be prepared and cooked just like a potato. It has a similar taste, but different texture.
If you are waiting for one of the yellow buses out of Bridgetown and should see this Rasta-man's shack you should ask him if he has any veggie roti. Veggie roti is a mixture of curried vegetables often including potato and chickpeas wrapped in roti which is similar to tortilla. While on island I tried veggie roti from over five different places and this guy definitely had the best one when considering the taste & price. He even has homemade hot sauce.
Veggie roti from Cutters served with mango chutney and fries. This was also one of the best rotis I tried but at $18 USD I would rather spend my money on many rotis from the Rasta-man as they were $4 USD. This restaurant had a really cute vibe and is worth visiting. They had other vegan options including chips & salsa, split pea soup, pumpkin soup, and for a dessert, pumpkin fritters. Not bad for a place considered to be a "deli."
Roti from a shop in the mall with pumpkin potato and chickpeas, very delicious.
Cold and fresh local juices can be found being sould by fruit vendors on many corners. Here we had a cucumber ginger juice and a sorrel. They were both super refreshing and tasty.
There is a raw vegan cafe in Bridgetown near by the Cruise Ship docks called Organic Earth. Both times I went they were out of food by 1pm. I think they prepare one meal daily and it runs out pretty quickly. If you are going, call ahead to see what they are serving and if they still have food in stock. It is walkable from the town center. For me I had a confusing experience both times I went , the cashier was rude and was reluctant to answer my questions. Reviews online say differently about the staff so go and see for yourself. Their kombucha was very good and you could tell it was homemade. For me the cassava shake I got was skippable, not very tastey or filling though it is probably is very healthy.
Shalana's natural wines are worth looking into if you are in Barbados. They are a local business making natural wines out of local fruits and have a wide variety of interesting flavors. I am waiting on word from them on whether their process is 100% vegan. Often times with wines are made with non-vegan fining agents such as casein (a milk protein), albumin (egg whites), gelatin (animal protein) and isinglass (fish bladder protein). You can further explore the vegan status of different name brand alcohols at barnivore.com. I assume this wine is vegan because it was being served at a vegan café but I will update the post when I am positive. We found these bottles for sale at the convenience store at the bus stop for Silver Sands beach.
I found these soy protein burgers at the grocery store just before we left. I found they had an amazing texture for a veggie burger but ultimately little flavor. With the magic of seasonings they became the perfect mock-meat crumble for burritos. The brand Farmers Choice is local to Barbados and also sells soy nuggets.
As always I hope you enjoyed this post! Leave me a comment about what you would most like to try from the foods I have shared. After writing I am actually feeling much more clear headed and motivated. Some times it is benificial to stop overthinking and just do. Once I started to write I realized I had much more to say than I thought. Before I was dreading this post turning into an unhelpful simple list of food I ate with pictures, but I am supprised and satisfied how it turned out. I hope everyone has a lovely day.
Wander often & wonder always
