| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 04/09/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 53 |
| Copyright: Other |
Grenada
Dine out on aromatic tuck
Joanne O’Connor foundherself in a food lover’sparadise when she visited the Spice Jazz Festival held in GrenadaWhen the wind blows on Grenada, the palm trees whisper and a warm peppery smell of nutmeg and cloves is carried on the air.
This is the spice island of the Caribbean and wherever you go you are never far from its most famous product – nutmeg. The spice can be found hanging from the branches of roadside trees, packaged neatly in baskets for sale to cruise passengers in St George’s, in delicious ice-creams – it even makes an appearance on the national flag.
But we had travelled to the island for another sensory experience – the third annual Spice Jazz Festival.
Originally conceived as a way of attracting visitors in the quieter season, the festival is slowly building momentum and attracting bigger names. Jamaican reggae jazz artist Dean Fraser and Roy Ayers kept the jazz purists happy while Roberta Flack and Freddie Jackson got the crowd up and dancing.
Enjoyable though the festival is, it won’t give you an insight into what really makes the island tick – musically or culturally.
You are more likely to tune into the local sound when you hear the booming bass of dance-hall reggae and ragga blasting out of car stereos down on the waterfront at St George’s, or at one of the popular weekend ‘jump-ups’.
One of the benefits of travelling in June – when there is a greater chance of tropical showers – is that St George’s is free of day trippers from the big cruise ships. We had sites such as Fort Frederick and Fort George to ourselves.
The Carenage – St George’s beautiful horseshoe-shaped harbour – is the best place to pick up a taxi for an island tour. Grenada is 21 miles long and 12 miles wide and it’s possible to take in many of its sights in one day.
Our tour started with the fishing town of Gouyave. From here you can explore the atmospheric ruins of the 18th century Dougalstown Plantation.
The tour also takes in a waterfall deep in the rainforest, the nature reserve at La Sagesse, the volcanic Lake Antoine and the unspoiled Atlantic coastline.
We stopped for lunch at the enchanting Morne Fendue Plantation House high up in the hills where you can sample specialities such as Callaloo soup, pepper pot, and spicy chicken and fish.
Spices are cheap and packaged to make attractive gifts. For £1.25 I got a bag of cinnamon, bayleaves, cloves, nutmeg and mace.
Every time I open my suitcase now a delicate aroma escapes and takes me straight back to Grenada.
Spice World: don’t forget to stock up on flavourings as you tour the island’s hot spots, such as St George’s