The Essence of.....British Virgin Islands An exploration of the world through food and drink

www.bvi.org.uk Essence -ial Information UK Tourist Office 15 Upper Grosvenor Street, London W1 Currency US Dollar Capital Road Town Language English  Main Airlines No direct flights from UK Flying Time from UK 1hr from Antigua Visa No

PROFILE Traditional food tends to be spicy and hearty. Much of the foods are imported due to the poor soil quality, little available farm land, and a taste for foreign foods. Upscale restaurants often cater to tourists, serving a combination of North American dishes with tropical twists as well as local cuisine. An example of this is the addition of mango and Caribbean spices to salmon, a non-tropical fish Fungi (pronounced fun-gee) is a main staple of the Virgin Islands diet. It consists of cornmeal that has been boiled and cooked to a thick consistency along with okra. Fungi is usually eaten with boiled fish or saltfish. Callaloo (sometimes spelled kallaloo) is a soup made from callaloo bush/leaf, often substituted with spinach. It consists of various meats and okra, and is boiled to a thick stew consistency. When dining in the Virgins, try fresh fish, especially mahimahi, wahoo, yellowtail, grouper, and red snapper. These fish, accompanied by a hot lime sauce, are among the tastiest island specialties. Watch out for the sweet Caribbean lobster. Cuisine in the British Virgin Islands is some of the best in the Caribbean, whether you are looking for traditional Caribbean dishes, French, Asian or a fusion of everything, their is a restuarant to satisfy your palette. In addition, the restaurants of the BVI are placed in unique locations, whether you want to dine next to the sea or have spectacular views of the islands - you will find a something for your mood and your wallet!