One of the greatest pleasures of traveling is trying out the food of that place. New tastes, new flavors somehow seem to complete the experience you have when you visit a new country or city, especially if it’s food you’ve tasted for the first time. What is a must for most travelers is to try any delicacy that the place is famous for.

Bahamas is a dream of blue sea and white sand. The beaches and the water somehow seem to have a magical spell about them. It’s the kind of place where you can let your hair down and feel as though time stands still. And the wide array of mouthwatering food can be had at any of the restaurants in the islands. The choice goes from international cuisines to the native fare. The staple food in the Bahamas is, not surprisingly, seafood. The fish is caught fresh and cooked with a lot of local ingredients, some of which are unique. One thing that Bahamian food will never be is ordinary.

One of the delicacies is conch mollusk. The meat is cooked and served in so many different ways, each one mouthwatering. So you can have conch fritters, conch burgers, scotched conch, conch salad, conch chowder or scorched conch. The last one is just rinsed in seawater, splashed over with lime juice, hot pepper rubbed on and served raw on a knife or skewer with onion slices and fresh tomato.

To get into the spirit of the Bahamas, here’s what you can try when you’re on the islands. Here’s the great Bahamian appetizer, the Souse. This soup is a delicious mix of water, lime juice, onions, meat, peppers and celery. For the morning meal, you could try Fish ’n Grits where you have fish cooked with salt pork, green peppers and onions and served with grits. The Fish Chowder here is made with tomatoes, dark rum, lime juice and grouper. The flavor is sure to set your juices flowing.

And of course, don’t forget the conch delicacies like the Conch Salad, the Scorched Conch, the Conch Fritters and the Conch Chowders. These local specialties must be tried to be believed. You could also taste the Raccoon Stew and the Curried Mutton. Mutton here refers to both goat and sheep. Dessert has a wonderful choice too. Try the Johhnycake which is slightly sweetened bread and the Bahamas specialty, the Guava Duff. This is made with pulped guava which has been sieved and served with a sauce made of confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, butter and rum.

When it comes to liqueur, you get the local stuff called Nassau Royal which can be had by itself or in coffee. And of course the national beer, Kalik, is a great accompaniment to any meal. The rum-based drinks such as Bahama Mama and Goombay are also very popular.

Whatever you choose to eat or drink in the Bahamas, you’ll find it’s all so good. Just remember to include a 15% tip in case you haven’t been billed a service charge.

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