Columbus introduced sugarcane to the islands and with the sugarcane the natives on the islands discovered that with the juices from the cane they could make rum with the fermented sugarcane juice and since that time rum has been the drink in the islands. When the Spanish came to the islands after Columbus they introduced coconut, chick-peas, cilantro, eggplant, onions, and garlic to the islands. During the spice trade European country's also explored the island bringing oranges, limes, mangoes, rice, and coffee to the Caribbean. After the spice trade came the slave trade across the world but the slave trade made a big impact on the food from the Caribbean, the African slaves brought over their different crops and their type of food that they would eat. The Africans introduced okra, callaloo, fish cakes, saltfish, ackee, pudding, and mangoes to the islands. The slaves played a major part in the cuisine because the food that the plantation owners didn't want they gave to the slaves and with the food Africans brought over they made the cuisine work and their food is now a major staple in the islands.
The native Indians had many food products before the Spanish and Europeans came over to explore the Islands. The native Indians made a lot of stews out of goats which was the main animal on the islands before the exploration age started and vegetables like tomatoes which was one of the main vegetables on the land. The main types of ingredients on the islands are Rice, Plantains, Beans, cassava, coruabder, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, coconut, chilies, and cloves. The main types of meat in the Caribbean are Beef, Poultry, Pork, and Fish that they main Caribbean meals use. The island has a huge diversity of different foods and styles that they use in the cuisine. The main religion in the Caribbean islands is Christianity but there are still many different religions that are in the islands.
