Bermuda's national cuisine is a fusion of American and European influences. It has few deep-rooted traditions from local tribes, except for some methods of processing certain ingredients borrowed from the local Indians.
Seafood plays a significant role in Bermuda's traditional cuisine, along with the use of roots from the native cassava plant and locally grown fruits and vegetables. However, Bermuda itself produces very little food, even for local consumption, let alone to accommodate the thousands of tourists who visit each year.
As a result, a large portion of Bermuda's food is imported, leading to many of the island's dishes being made from imported ingredients.
Bermuda's national dishes:
Bermuda lobster. This world-famous delicacy is a seasonal dish, typically found on Bermuda menus from September through mid-April.
Sea bass soup. One of the most common dishes in Bermuda, traditionally flavored with black rum.
Sharkfish soup. This dish is cooked with plenty of pepper and flavored with sherry.
Fried cod. Even this seemingly uncomplicated dish is prepared uniquely in Bermuda. The cod sauce is made with sherry and pepper, giving the fish an incredibly vibrant flavor.
"Sunday breakfast." A large baking tray is filled with fried cod, potatoes, eggs, bananas, and avocado in an onion-tomato sauce. "Sunday breakfast" is considered a Bermuda specialty and a must-try here.
Seafood salads. Different salads are prepared with various combinations of fish, crustaceans, seaweed, and vegetables, all dressed with different sauces.
Mussel Pie. Bermuda offers a variety of seafood, including pie fillings.
Shellfish. Shellfish in Bermuda are stewed with vegetables and sauces, using various types of shells. The flavor of these dishes may be unfamiliar to our latitudes but is definitely worth trying.
Wahoo steak. This name refers to the royal mackerel, a prized fish species favored by Bermudians.
Baked lucian. In Bermuda, this fish is baked over charcoal with bananas and is one of the favorite dishes you'll find on any restaurant's menu.
"Guinea-chik." Beneath this name lies a sunny lobster baked according to a special recipe.
Grain flour tortillas with peas and rice. These pastries are commonly served with seafood and pair wonderfully with baked lobster.
Hoppin Jon. A mixture of boiled black-eyed peas and rice, serving as a traditional side dish to Bermuda fish dishes.
Tostones. Fried bananas, a dish common throughout the Caribbean.
Cassava pie. Another pie, which is a prominent part of Bermudian cuisine due to its English roots. It's remarkable that the colonizers from the Kingdom could hardly have imagined such a filling made from the rhizomes of a native plant. Legend has it that cassava pie saved Bermuda's first settlers from starvation.
Desserts. Bermudians have a fondness for vibrant flavors, and their desserts showcase this wonderfully. The foundation often includes a variety of fruits, including local citrus fruits. Among Bermuda's most beloved sweets are potato pudding, grape jelly, and medlar jam.
The traditional beverage of Bermuda is rum, and, of course, a variety of fruit juices.
