The foundation of any Bahamian lunch is the staple of peas n’ rice (peas and rice).  Most cooks prefer to use Pigeon peas and sometimes substitute the peas for Kidney beans.  Bahamians have added their own twist to the infamous peas n’ rice served throughout the Caribbean using their select choice of spices, tomatoes, onions and some indigenous special items. 

Many Bahamian dishes can be traced to native African dishes.  Although Pigeon peas and rice is actually native to Africa (known as the Congo Pea), the route of the Pigeon pea to The Bahamas can be traced by way of the American Colonies.  After the Revolutionary War, many British loyalists fled from the colonies choosing to start anew as plantation owners in The Bahamas.  Most of them brought their slaves, of mostly African descent, and these slaves brought their African staples with them to America and then to The Bahamas.  Here in The Bahamas, the Pigeon pea was readily cultivated and became a mainstay of the local diet.  It is also used to make peas and grits which is prepared just like peas and rice, only substituting the rice with grits.

Another such rice specialty is crab and rice.  When crabs are in season, which is during the rainy months of April, May and June, you would find this dish being served in almost all of the native restaurants and homes.  Bahamians even carefully preserve and store some of the crabs to save for preparation for special occasions and family functions like a birthday parties and Christmas and New Year’s Day dinners.  Some crab dishes include crab soup, crab and grits, stuffed or baked crab and boiled crab and dough.

A typical Bahamian meal consists of crab and rice and delicious steamed fish, served with a number of sides.  Options for sides include baked macaroni and cheese, potato salad, Cole slaw, plantains, beets or corn.  There is usually a choice of two per meal.

Besides steamed fish, other popular Bahamian dishes would include the following soups: split peas, okra, bean and dumpling soup.  The more popular Bahamian style steamed meats are turtle, chicken, pork chop, ham and mutton.  Curried chicken and mutton, fried chicken, fish and grouper fingers.  Meals are generally followed by desserts which vary from a native dessert called guava duff to cheese cake.  Other Bahamian choice pastries are bread pudding, potato bread and coconut and pineapple tarts.  Such typical meals also explain why there are so many Bahama Mama’s.