A taste of Eleuthera
By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor
Eleuthera has long been famous for its pineapples (the island was the world’s biggest exporter during the last half of the 19th century), so when you visit you simply have to sample them. My favorite way: the pineapple tarts made by Monica Thompson.
Monica has been baking the much-loved Bahamian confections for more than 30 years, and sells them from her Gregory Town grocery, Monica’s Dis & Dat. “After I close the shop in the evening I go home and bake, sometimes until 2 a.m.” she says. The result of her labors is a bounty of about 100 tarts, which usually sell out by lunchtime. “I never measure the ingredients,” she declares proudly. “But they always taste good. I suppose I just have the touch!”
Monica, who also bakes pineapple pies, coconut tarts and whole wheat bread, shares how she manages to always have Eleuthera pineapple on hand for her tarts, even though they’re only in season during the summertime: “I harvest the fresh pulp, put it into beer bottles, seal them with new caps, and then I boil them to preserve the fruit.” Her clientele pitches in, too, dropping off their empty beer bottles. “I guess they never want me to run out of tarts!”
And once you taste them, chances are that you won’t either. The short-crust pastry treats melt in your mouth, the sweetness of their golden filling spiced with a hint of cinnamon. For just $1.25 a pop they’re a taste of the Bahamas no one should miss.