[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":357},["ShallowReactive",2],{"journal:\u002Fjournal\u002Ffood\u002Fgoat-water-and-the-national-dish":3},{"path":4,"nav":5,"kind":18,"crumbs":19,"article":28,"author":47,"island":52,"document":79,"map_sites":195,"more":223,"related":282,"index":292},"\u002Fjournal\u002Ffood\u002Fgoat-water-and-the-national-dish",[6,9,12,15],{"slug":7,"name":8},"st-kitts","St. Kitts",{"slug":10,"name":11},"nevis","Nevis",{"slug":13,"name":14},"antigua","Antigua",{"slug":16,"name":17},"sint-maarten","Sint Maarten","article",[20,23,26],{"label":21,"to":22},"Journal","\u002Fjournal",{"label":24,"to":25},"Food & culture","\u002Fjournal\u002Ffood",{"label":8,"to":27},"\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts\u002Ffood",{"type":29,"slug":30,"path":4,"title":31,"description":32,"island":7,"place":8,"author":33,"published_at":34,"read_minutes":35,"tone":36,"hero":37,"hero_alt":38,"tags":39,"featured":45,"sites":46},"food","goat-water-and-the-national-dish","Goat water, saltfish and what St. Kitts eats","The official national dish is stewed saltfish with spicy plantains, coconut dumplings and breadfruit. Goat water is the Saturday stew everyone argues about.","team","2026-09-24",2,"warm","\u002Fimages\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts-basseterre-public-market.jpg","The public market building on the Basseterre waterfront, painted blue and green, with green mountains behind it",[40,41,42,43,44],"goat-water","national-dish","saltfish","breadfruit","rum",false,[],{"slug":33,"name":48,"role":49,"bio":50,"tone":51},"CaribHubs team","Product & operations","Updates from the people running the service.","sea",{"slug":7,"path":53,"guide_path":54,"title":55,"description":56,"name":8,"island_code":57,"marketplace":58,"lat":59,"lng":60,"tone":51,"order":61,"sections":62,"site_count":78,"article_count":78},"\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts","\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts\u002Fguide","Things to do in St. Kitts","Volcanic peaks, a UNESCO fortress and two coasts, with calm Caribbean to the west and Atlantic surf to the east.","st_kitts","live",17.3026,-62.7177,1,[63,68,73],{"section":64,"sites":65},"history",[66,67],"brimstone-hill","romney-manor",{"section":69,"sites":70},"beaches",[71,72],"frigate-bay","cockleshell-bay",{"section":74,"sites":75},"views",[76,77],"timothy-hill","black-rocks",6,{"meta":80,"frontmatter":81,"nodes":82},{},{},[83,87,92,95,124,127,130,133,136,141,145,171,175,178],[84,85,86],"p",{},"Ask someone in St. Kitts what the national dish is and you may get two answers. The official one is stewed saltfish with spicy plantains, coconut dumplings and seasoned breadfruit. The one many people will cook for you on a Saturday is goat water.",[88,89,91],"h2",{"id":90},"the-official-national-dish","The official national dish",[84,93,94],{},"The saltfish plate was chosen in 2003, through a national competition held as St. Kitts and Nevis marked 20 years of independence. The winning recipe, by Jacqueline Ryan, brings four things together on one plate:",[96,97,98,106,112,118],"ul",{},[99,100,101,105],"li",{},[102,103,104],"strong",{},"Stewed saltfish",": salted cod, soaked and simmered with tomatoes, onions and sweet peppers",[99,107,108,111],{},[102,109,110],{},"Spicy plantains",": ripe plantains, seasoned and fried",[99,113,114,117],{},[102,115,116],{},"Coconut dumplings",": dumplings made with coconut",[99,119,120,123],{},[102,121,122],{},"Seasoned breadfruit",": boiled breadfruit, the starch that runs through a lot of island cooking",[84,125,126],{},"It's the kind of plate you'll find at home and at lunch counters rather than on a restaurant tasting menu.",[88,128,129],{"id":40},"Goat water",[84,131,132],{},"Goat water is a goat stew, cooked with water rather than stock, which is where the name comes from. Recipes vary from pot to pot, but most have bone-in goat meat, breadfruit, green papaya and dumplings, warmed with cloves, thyme and hot pepper, usually over a tomato base.",[84,134,135],{},"On St. Kitts it's a weekend dish. Roadside cooks and small eateries sell it on Friday and Saturday nights, and it turns up at fêtes and festivals. Montserrat, a nearby island, claims goat water as its own national dish, and versions are cooked across the Leeward Islands.",[137,138,140],"callout",{"variant":139},"tip","Goat water is cooked in big pots and often sells out. If you want to try it, go early on a Saturday, and ask locally where the good pot is that week.",[88,142,144],{"id":143},"also-on-the-table","Also on the table",[96,146,147,153,159,165],{},[99,148,149,152],{},[102,150,151],{},"Johnny cakes",": fried dough, often eaten at breakfast with saltfish",[99,154,155,158],{},[102,156,157],{},"Cook-up",": a one-pot rice dish with pigeon peas, coconut milk and meat or saltfish",[99,160,161,164],{},[102,162,163],{},"Conkies",": cornmeal, coconut, pumpkin and spice, steamed in a banana leaf, traditionally around Independence Day on 19 September",[99,166,167,170],{},[102,168,169],{},"Sugar cake",": a simple coconut and sugar sweet",[88,172,174],{"id":173},"and-to-drink","And to drink",[84,176,177],{},"CSR, Cane Spirit Rothschild, is a clear spirit distilled from fresh sugar cane. It was created on St. Kitts in the 1980s under Baron Edmond de Rothschild, and Demerara Distillers took over the distillery and brand in 1996. St. Kitts also has smaller rum makers, among them Brinley Gold.",[84,179,180],{},[181,182,183,184,189,190,194],"em",{},"Photo: ",[185,186,188],"a",{"href":187},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.flickr.com\u002Fphotos\u002F24736216@N07\u002F8672977628","Basseterre - Market"," by roger4336, ",[185,191,193],{"href":192},"https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby-sa\u002F2.0\u002F","CC BY-SA 2.0",".",[196,203,210,217],{"island":7,"slug":66,"path":197,"title":198,"description":199,"section":64,"parish":200,"lat":201,"lng":202,"tone":51},"\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts\u002Fbrimstone-hill","Brimstone Hill Fortress","A UNESCO World Heritage fortress on the northwest coast of St. Kitts, with views to Sint Eustatius and Saba.","Saint Thomas Middle Island",17.3469,-62.8374,{"island":7,"slug":67,"path":204,"title":205,"description":206,"section":64,"parish":200,"lat":207,"lng":208,"tone":209},"\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts\u002Fromney-manor","Romney Manor","Batik workshops and an old saman tree in the gardens of a restored estate above Old Road.",17.3365,-62.7985,"green",{"island":7,"slug":71,"path":211,"title":212,"description":213,"section":69,"parish":214,"lat":215,"lng":216,"tone":51},"\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts\u002Ffrigate-bay","Frigate Bay","Two beaches on one isthmus, with calm Caribbean on the south side and Atlantic breakers on the north.","Saint George Basseterre",17.286,-62.683,{"island":7,"slug":72,"path":218,"title":219,"description":220,"section":69,"parish":214,"lat":221,"lng":222,"tone":36},"\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts\u002Fcockleshell-bay","Cockleshell Bay","Soft sand at the southeast tip of St. Kitts, looking straight across The Narrows to Nevis.",17.2207,-62.624,[224,240,253,267],{"type":225,"slug":226,"path":227,"title":228,"description":229,"island":7,"place":8,"author":33,"published_at":34,"read_minutes":230,"tone":51,"hero":231,"hero_alt":232,"tags":233,"featured":45,"sites":239},"practical","a-cruise-day-in-basseterre","\u002Fjournal\u002Fpractical\u002Fa-cruise-day-in-basseterre","A cruise day in Basseterre","What you can walk to from the Port Zante pier, what's worth a taxi, and how to be back on board in time.",3,"\u002Fimages\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts-independence-square-basseterre.jpg","The fountain in Independence Square, Basseterre, with flame trees in bloom and the stone towers of the Co-Cathedral behind",[234,235,236,237,238],"cruise","basseterre","port-zante","walking","day-trip",[66,67,71,72],{"type":225,"slug":241,"path":242,"title":243,"description":244,"island":7,"place":8,"author":33,"published_at":34,"read_minutes":230,"tone":51,"hero":245,"hero_alt":246,"tags":247,"featured":45,"sites":252},"arriving-in-st-kitts-and-nevis","\u002Fjournal\u002Fpractical\u002Farriving-in-st-kitts-and-nevis","Arriving in St. Kitts and Nevis","Apply through the Saint Kitts and Nevis Electronic Border Management System before you travel. What else to know about passports, airports, the cruise port and money.","\u002Fimages\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts-port-zante-from-a-cruise-ship.jpg","Port Zante and the Basseterre waterfront seen from the deck of a cruise ship, with green hills behind the town",[248,249,250,251,234,236],"arrival","eta","passport","airport",[],{"type":225,"slug":254,"path":255,"title":256,"description":257,"island":7,"place":8,"author":33,"published_at":34,"read_minutes":35,"tone":209,"hero":258,"hero_alt":259,"tags":260,"featured":45,"sites":266},"driving-in-st-kitts-and-nevis","\u002Fjournal\u002Fpractical\u002Fdriving-in-st-kitts-and-nevis","Driving in St. Kitts and Nevis","Keep left, get the temporary licence (EC$62.50 for three months), and watch for goats, monkeys and minibuses. What to know before you hire a car.","\u002Fimages\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts-road-palms.jpg","A road on St. Kitts running past wind-bent palm trees, with a bay and green hills behind",[261,262,263,264,265],"driving","car-hire","getting-around","taxis","buses",[],{"type":268,"slug":269,"path":270,"title":271,"description":272,"island":7,"place":8,"author":33,"published_at":34,"read_minutes":35,"tone":36,"hero":273,"hero_alt":274,"tags":275,"featured":280,"sites":281},"events","sugar-mas-carnival","\u002Fjournal\u002Fevents\u002Fsugar-mas-carnival","Sugar Mas 55: St. Kitts carnival dates for 2026–27","The national carnival runs from 11 December 2026 to 2 January 2027, with J'ouvert on Boxing Day and the Grand Parade on New Year's Day.","\u002Fimages\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts-sugar-mas-masquerader.jpg","A masquerader in a towering headdress of green, orange and blue feathers at Sugar Mas in St. Kitts",[276,277,235,278,279],"sugar-mas","carnival","jouvert","warner-park",true,[],[283,286,289],{"type":225,"slug":226,"path":227,"title":228,"description":229,"island":7,"place":8,"author":33,"published_at":34,"read_minutes":230,"tone":51,"hero":231,"hero_alt":232,"tags":284,"featured":45,"sites":285},[234,235,236,237,238],[66,67,71,72],{"type":225,"slug":241,"path":242,"title":243,"description":244,"island":7,"place":8,"author":33,"published_at":34,"read_minutes":230,"tone":51,"hero":245,"hero_alt":246,"tags":287,"featured":45,"sites":288},[248,249,250,251,234,236],[],{"type":225,"slug":254,"path":255,"title":256,"description":257,"island":7,"place":8,"author":33,"published_at":34,"read_minutes":35,"tone":209,"hero":258,"hero_alt":259,"tags":290,"featured":45,"sites":291},[261,262,263,264,265],[],[293,294,295,296,297,303,310,318,326,334,341,349],{"island":7,"slug":66,"path":197,"title":198,"description":199,"section":64,"parish":200,"lat":201,"lng":202,"tone":51},{"island":7,"slug":67,"path":204,"title":205,"description":206,"section":64,"parish":200,"lat":207,"lng":208,"tone":209},{"island":7,"slug":71,"path":211,"title":212,"description":213,"section":69,"parish":214,"lat":215,"lng":216,"tone":51},{"island":7,"slug":72,"path":218,"title":219,"description":220,"section":69,"parish":214,"lat":221,"lng":222,"tone":36},{"island":7,"slug":76,"path":298,"title":299,"description":300,"section":74,"parish":214,"lat":301,"lng":302,"tone":209},"\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts\u002Ftimothy-hill","Timothy Hill","The pull-off on the peninsula road where the Atlantic and the Caribbean show at once.",17.269,-62.666,{"island":7,"slug":77,"path":304,"title":305,"description":306,"section":74,"parish":307,"lat":308,"lng":309,"tone":36},"\u002Fjournal\u002Fst-kitts\u002Fblack-rocks","Black Rocks","Lava that ran into the Atlantic and set hard, now a line of black cliffs on the northeast coast.","Saint Mary Cayon",17.37,-62.738,{"island":10,"slug":311,"path":312,"title":313,"description":314,"section":69,"parish":315,"lat":316,"lng":317,"tone":51},"pinneys-beach","\u002Fjournal\u002Fnevis\u002Fpinneys-beach","Pinney's Beach","Miles of palm-backed sand north of Charlestown, with beach bars and Nevis Peak behind.","Saint Thomas Lowland",17.16,-62.629,{"island":13,"slug":319,"path":320,"title":321,"description":322,"section":64,"parish":323,"lat":324,"lng":325,"tone":51},"nelsons-dockyard","\u002Fjournal\u002Fantigua\u002Fnelsons-dockyard","Nelson's Dockyard","A Georgian naval dockyard in English Harbour, still full of boats, and a UNESCO site since 2016.","Saint Paul",17.0068,-61.7622,{"island":13,"slug":327,"path":328,"title":329,"description":330,"section":69,"parish":331,"lat":332,"lng":333,"tone":209},"half-moon-bay","\u002Fjournal\u002Fantigua\u002Fhalf-moon-bay","Half Moon Bay","A curve of pale sand on Antigua's Atlantic side, on the island's east coast.","Saint Philip",17.04,-61.673,{"island":13,"slug":335,"path":336,"title":337,"description":338,"section":74,"parish":323,"lat":339,"lng":340,"tone":36},"shirley-heights","\u002Fjournal\u002Fantigua\u002Fshirley-heights","Shirley Heights Lookout","An old military lookout above English Harbour, with Falmouth Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard below.",17,-61.7555,{"island":16,"slug":342,"path":343,"title":344,"description":345,"section":69,"parish":346,"lat":347,"lng":348,"tone":51},"maho-beach","\u002Fjournal\u002Fsint-maarten\u002Fmaho-beach","Maho Beach","A short beach at the end of the Princess Juliana runway, where landing jets pass low overhead.","Simpson Bay",18.0406,-63.1206,{"island":16,"slug":350,"path":351,"title":352,"description":353,"section":69,"parish":354,"lat":355,"lng":356,"tone":209},"mullet-bay","\u002Fjournal\u002Fsint-maarten\u002Fmullet-bay","Mullet Bay","The quieter beach next door to Maho, with shade and clear water.","Lowlands",18.0457,-63.1292,1790258235545]