Oil Down is a fairly simple dish, but it's incredibly filling and packed with local flavor. When you combine all of the ingredients in a big pot and simmer them in fresh coconut milk and potent Grenada spices, the result is warm (both in temperature and on your tongue) and creamy at the same time. It's the perfect blend of so many of Grenada's natural resources. Eating a big bowl of Oil Down in Grenada made me feel very connected to the island and its personality.
For local Grenadians, Oil Down can be the centerpiece of a social gathering. A large pot of Oil Down can simmer and stew atop a fire all day long for maximum flavor, and when it's ready, it can feed a large crowd of family and friends.
Grenada's fertile soil and tropical climate make for ideal growing conditions. From cocoa (and the world-famous Grenadian chocolate it becomes) to bananas and spices and more, the local environment plays a big role in both what people eat here and how the local economy works. For example, there are five bean-to-bar chocolate makers in Grenada alone. One of them, the Grenada Chocolate Factory, has over 200 acres of organic cocoa farms, and those cocoa pods go all the way from their trees to finished chocolate bars without leaving the island.
Grenada is also on the southern edge of the Caribbean hurricane belt, and storms like Hurricane Ivan (2004) and Hurricane Emily (2005) caused a lot of damage and loss-of-life.
