Grenada has a food culture more interesting than most Caribbean islands, built around the same spices that define the island's economy. Nutmeg shows up everywhere — grated over rum punch, stirred into sauces, preserved in sweet syrup, and scooped into ice cream. The scent of nutmeg and cinnamon follows you around the island.
The national dish is oil down: a one-pot stew of breadfruit, salted meat or fish, callaloo greens, and root vegetables slow-cooked in coconut milk with local spices. It is filling, intensely flavoured, and worth seeking out at local cookshops rather than tourist restaurants, where it can sometimes be a pale version.
Callaloo soup — made from the leaves of the dasheen plant, similar to spinach — is another staple. Crab back (land crab meat stuffed back into the shell, seasoned and baked) is considered a local delicacy, worth trying if you see it on a menu. Roti, the influence of Indo-Caribbean migration, is eaten as street food and stuffed with curried vegetables, chicken, or seafood.
Grenadian rum punch is serious business. The formula involves fresh lime juice, simple syrup, Grenadian rum, and nutmeg grated on top. River Antoine Estate near Grenville produces arguably the most powerful rum in the Caribbean — the white overproof rum is around 75% alcohol and available directly from the distillery.
Grenada is also an increasingly important source of fine chocolate. The Grenada Chocolate Company produces single-origin dark chocolate from local cacao, sold in shops around the island. The tree-to-bar tradition here is genuine, unlike much of the "island chocolate" marketed elsewhere in the Caribbean.
For eating out, the area around Grand Anse has plenty of options, ranging from beach bars serving fresh fish to mid-range restaurants. St. George's has good lunchtime options near the Carenage for local food at local prices.