National Dish Grenada: Oil Down (Recipe)
In this article
Oil Down is named for what happens at the end: the coconut milk reduces until the oil separates out and coats everything in the pot. Breadfruit, salted meat, root vegetables and callaloo all cook together in one pot, usually outdoors, usually for a crowd.
About Oil Down
Oil down is Grenada’s national dish and a social event more than a recipe. It is cooked in a large pot over a fire, everyone contributes something, and it takes an afternoon. Breadfruit is the base, salted meat gives the seasoning, and turmeric colours the whole thing yellow.
The dish is finished when the liquid is gone and the coconut oil is visible at the bottom. Getting to that point without burning it is the skill.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 1 medium breadfruit, cut into chunks
- 200 g salted meat (beef brisket, for example), soaked and cut into pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 small taro root (also known as dasheen), peeled and diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 stalk of leek or spring onion, cut into rings
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 hot chilli (optional)
Shopping for the ingredients
Breadfruit is sold fresh in Caribbean grocers and frozen more widely. It should be mature but firm, not soft. Salt beef and salted pig tail need soaking overnight with two or three changes of water. Full-fat coconut milk, and more of it than you think.
Preparing the dish
Soak the salted meat overnight. Peel and core the breadfruit and cut it into wedges; it oxidises, so keep the pieces in water until needed. Layer the pot rather than stirring: meat at the bottom, hard vegetables, then breadfruit, then greens on top.
Step-by-step instructions
- Start by browning the soaked meat in a large pot over medium heat until it takes on a little colour.
- Add the onions and garlic and sweat them briefly alongside the meat.
- Now add the breadfruit chunks, carrots, taro, pepper and leek, and stir everything together well.
- Mix the curry powder, turmeric and thyme into the coconut milk, then pour it over the meat and vegetables.
- Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has thickened.
- Season the dish with salt, pepper and, if you like, the chilli.
- Serve the oil down piping hot and enjoy.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Breadfruit, root vegetables and coconut milk are all naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. Check the curry powder and any cured meat, both of which can carry wheat.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Leave out the salted meat and the dish still works: breadfruit, taro, callaloo and coconut milk with plenty of thyme and a whole chilli. Add smoked paprika or a piece of dried mushroom for the depth the salt meat gave it. Grenadians make a version like this during Lent.
More tips and tricks
Do not stir once it is layered. The point is that things cook in their own zones and the coconut milk works down through them. Watch the last ten minutes closely, because the gap between the oil separating and the pot burning is short. And taste before adding salt; the cured meat brings plenty.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Salt fish or prawns replace the salted beef. Dumplings dropped in near the end are standard. Grenada is the nutmeg island, and a grating of it over the finished pot is entirely appropriate.
Ingredient substitutions
Green banana or plantain can stand in for some of the breadfruit. Spinach replaces callaloo. Smoked bacon substitutes for salt beef, though it is a shortcut.
Drink pairing ideas
Sorrel drink, the spiced hibiscus, is the local answer. Carib lager is what people drink at the pot. Grenadian rum afterwards, of which there is a great deal.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it straight from the pot into bowls, hot, with hot pepper sauce on the side. There is no accompaniment because everything is already in the pot. It is eaten outdoors, standing or sitting, over a long afternoon.
A bit of history
Breadfruit reached the Caribbean through Captain Bligh’s second voyage in 1793, brought from Tahiti explicitly as cheap food for enslaved people. It was initially rejected and later became a staple. Oil down carries that history and remains the centre of Grenadian cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Oil Down
Oil down is breadfruit, salted meat and root vegetables simmered in coconut milk until the oil separates. Layer the pot, do not stir, and watch the final ten minutes.
