Virgin Islands Christmas Food

You’ll find a wide range of delicacies spread across their dining tables for Christmas dinner in the Virgin Islands.

Food

Ham and turkey is popular, although many will roast a salmon instead. These are accompanied by herbed stuffings, dressings, and sauces, as well as mashed potatoes, baked mac n cheese, and vegetables. Some save the bone from the Christmas Eve ham to use as the base for kalaloo, a soup that is enjoyed all year round but traditionally served on New Years day, made with ingredients such as shellfish, meat stocks, coconut milk, and leafy greens such as okra and spinach.  

Dessert

Black rum cake is made using fruits that have been soaked in rum for days or even weeks, and then ground up and added to the batter before baking, making one of the most decadent desserts to be found during the holiday season. Sweetbread is another delicious dessert, similar to fruit cake but not overly sweet, and filled with spices, fruit, and often rum. 

Drinks

Coquito is a rum and coconut milk based drink that originates from Puerto Rico and is the Caribbeans answer to eggnog. Guavaberry rum is made of red berries that grow on the north side of the island and ripen in december. The berries are mashed and mixed with spices, and added to rum and then steeped for weeks or even months to create a tasty and potent liquor to make christmas cocktails. Sorrel is another festive holiday drink, with a flavor comparable to rhubarb that comes from a local plant which can be harvested in november and december. Some enjoy adding rum to their sorrel to spice it up.

No gathering over the holidays to celebrate Christmas with your friends and family in the Virgin Islands could ever be complete without some delicious treats and drinks to make the holiday merrier.