A Taste of Grenada Heat, and the Local Flavors that Define the “Spice Isle”
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John Athimaritis/Six Senses
In Grenada the air smells of cinnamon and cloves. Whenever I step off the plane in the aptly named Spice Isle, the country where much of my family is from, the first waft of that beautiful aroma tells me I am home. My childhood was shaped by the savory and piquant flavors of Grenadian cuisine: a cake called cassava pone; curried lambi (not lamb, but stewed conch); and buss up shut, colloquially named after the “busted-up shirt” appearance of Caribbean-made roti. This island country is the size of Detroit yet manages to be the world's second-largest exporter of nutmeg. Between the spices and its panoply of cultural influences—West African, British, French, Indigenous, and Indian—it's no surprise that the food here is so memorable.
Historically, travelers have had limited access to these flavors, which were predominantly confined to the kitchens of home cooks. Six years ago, though, Dexter Burris opened the restaurant Dexter's in his own home. Still the hottest table on the island, it serves global dishes infused with Grenadian heat: Cloves, nutmeg, and ginger electrify pumpkin soup, butternut-squash-and-coconut risotto, and even ice cream. The approach is similar at Callaloo, the casual restaurant at Six Senses La Sagesse Grenada, which opened this past April in a breezy dining space. But for me the most vital newcomer is Spice Foodie Tours, cofounded by local food blogger Rosana John-Mitchell after her followers asked her to lead them to the dishes she wrote about so evocatively. On a recent visit, John-Mitchell took me to the petite Boogie's Buss Up Shot Joint in the remote village of Grenville. Housed in a red-and-white shack typical of the island, it's a place you wouldn't find without insider help. Outside, a crowd of Grenadians were hanging out and eating curried lambi—which made it even more obvious that I'd come to the right place.
This article appeared in the December 2024 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
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