• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

A Taste for Travel

The world's most amazing food, drink and sun destinations

Header Right

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About Us
    • News and Awards
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
  • Partner with Us
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Us
    • News and Awards
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
  • Partner with Us
  • Contact

Header Right

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Destinations
    • Mexico
      • Mexico City
      • Cancun Riviera-Maya
      • Huatulco & Mazunte
      • Morelia
      • Oaxaca City
      • Puerto Escondido
      • Puerto Vallarta
      • Chiapas
      • San Miguel de Allende
    • Caribbean
      • Anguilla
      • Antigua
      • Aruba
      • Bonaire
      • Curacao
      • Grenada
      • Martinique
      • St. Kitt’s
      • Trinidad & Tobago
    • Central America
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Panama
    • Europe
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Turkey
    • Canada & United States
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Kentucky
      • Ontario
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfasts
    • Drinks
    • Desserts
    • Sauces
    • Entrees
    • Soup
    • Guatemalan Recipes
  • Reviews & Tips
  • Types of Travel
    • Adventure
    • Beach Escapes
    • Food & Wine
  • Destinations
    • Mexico
      • Mexico City
      • Cancun Riviera-Maya
      • Huatulco & Mazunte
      • Morelia
      • Oaxaca City
      • Puerto Escondido
      • Puerto Vallarta
      • Chiapas
      • San Miguel de Allende
    • Caribbean
      • Anguilla
      • Antigua
      • Aruba
      • Bonaire
      • Curacao
      • Grenada
      • Martinique
      • St. Kitt’s
      • Trinidad & Tobago
    • Central America
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Panama
    • Europe
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Turkey
    • Canada & United States
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Kentucky
      • Ontario
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfasts
    • Drinks
    • Desserts
    • Sauces
    • Entrees
    • Soup
    • Guatemalan Recipes
  • Reviews & Tips
  • Types of Travel
    • Adventure
    • Beach Escapes
    • Food & Wine
Home » Destinations » Caribbean » Martinique » A Food-lovers Guide to Martinique Food and Drink

A Food-lovers Guide to Martinique Food and Drink

Posted January 3, 2018, Updated January 22, 2021 //  by Michele Peterson 11 Comments

We may earn income from advertising links in this post. Please read our Disclosure Statement for details.

Food in Martinique

Although Martinique is known for its beautiful beaches, aqua blue sea and Creole cottages in bold pastels, this French Caribbean island has a fascinating  food, drink and restaurant scene.

From rhum agricole to French haute cuisine, there’s a wealth of culinary experiences to discover when it comes to Martinique food.

Here’s a look at what not to miss — restaurants, traditional dishes and food tours — on this French Caribbean island. 

1. Experience Agri-tourism in Martinique 

While eating locally is a movement that is well underway across North America, it’s an emerging concept in Martinique where agricultural production devoted to sugar cane, pineapple and banana exports has meant 80% of the food is imported.

A fresh crop of grassroots-based culinary tourism initiatives is hoping to change that.  

Fishing boats at Anses-D'Arlet beach in Martinique.
Fishing boats at Anses-D’Arlet beach in Martinique

One of the leaders in this initiative is the TakTak Network, an association of farmers, fishermen, chefs and agri-tourism operators who are trying to carve a living out of tourism and at the same time preserve their culture. TakTak believes that by building on such diversity, culinary tourism can boost the local economy in a way that sustains residents’ way of life instead of trampling it.

2. Explore Martinique’s Food Heritage

Martinique’s cuisine is an inventive blend of French haute cuisine and Creole culinary traditions drawn from a mix of African, Indian and Caribbean influences.  

View of lush beach cove in Martinique.
Lush views around every corner in Martinique

One of the top places to visit is in the north of the island. Here, the road criss-crosses past beaches of black volcanic sand, lush rainforest and deep canyons shadowed by cloud-shrouded Mount Pelee, the devastating volcano that erupted in 1902. Driving is a stomach-churning corkscrew ride around pitons, dramatic rock outcroppings that emerge like teeth out of the landscape.

At the  TakTak headquarters, located in a restored stone cottage, culinary workshops introduce visitors to cuisine inspired by the Creole garden. Outside, hummingbirds flit between tangles of dasheen (leafy cabbage), giraumon (squash) and yams.

Woman in front of a Creole garden in Martinique.
Tour of Creole garden in Martinique

“Every home used to have a garden that produced enough to sustain a family throughout the year,” says Duchel. “Now everyone heads to the supermarket and we’re losing our traditional knowledge of how to grow and prepare food.”

3. Sample Local Martinique Food at Breakfast 

Breakfast in Martinique is a colourful affair you absolutely don’t want to miss!

Smoked cod breakfast on a madras tablecloth in Martinique.
A pretty madras tablecloth

A typical breakfast in Martinique might feature a madras tablecloth of cinnamon, orange and yellow topped by pitchers of guava juice and a platter of salty-sour hareng fume (smoked herring) surrounded by shaved cucumber, carrots and lettuce.

A gratin of christophene (chayote) and baked ti-nain, a tiny banana, often anchors the offerings.

4. Enjoy Laid Back Dining at Le Carbet Beach Restaurant

Chef Guy Ferdinand chatting with diners at Le Carbet, Martinique.
True beach dining with Chef Guy Ferdinand

Next, we head to Le Carbet on the Caribbean Coast, to sample contemporary interpretations of local fare under the creative direction of artisan-restauranteur Chef Guy Ferdinand, affectionately dubbed “Chef Hot Pants.”

 He’s a keen supporter of sustainable local producers and Le Petibonum is a  restaurant close to his heart.

His menu, inspired by the sea and the senses, includes a lusciously smooth avocado puree shrimp cocktail, grapefruit salad and a platter of shrimp, lobster and ouassou (fresh water crayfish).

It’s so dripping with juices we jump in the ocean and scrub our hands with the crystalline black sand to wash off.

Avocado puree shrimp cocktail on a white plate in Martinique.
Avocado puree shrimp cocktail

“It’s inspiring to revive the flavours of the past and merge them with the techniques of today,” says Chef Ferdinand who relies on artisans such as Ziouka Glaces to supply him with unique offerings such as manioc ice-cream.

The hand-drafted creation pays homage to the island’s slave ancestry who once relied on the root vegetable as a dietary staple. 

5. Escape to Ilet Madame in Martinique

Woman in bathing suit on a dock at Ilet Madame in Martinique.
Exploring Ilet Madame in Martinique

The commitment to preserving the past also extends to Ilet Madame, a protected island archipelago on the Atlantic Coast.

Here we take a picnic excursion by boat and munch on Martinique’s version of tapas, accras de morue, crisp bite-sized fritters made of salted cod. Recipes featuring salted cod are popular throughout the Caribbean and are a must-try! 

In Martinique, these delicious appetizers are often accompanied by ti-punch, a powerful aperitif made of aged Martinique rhum, cane syrup and lime juice.

One of the best beaches in the Caribbean, the calm waters of Ilet Madame are ideal for swimming and it’s possible to see starfish and other marine life in the clear waters.

6. Soak up Culture and History at La Savane des Esclaves

Further south in Trois-Ilets, at la Savane des Esclaves, Gilbert Larose has taken guerrilla gardening to a whole new level in his quest to preserve island history.

Beginning by planting a few plants on an abandoned piece of land, he’s now added several huts, built using the same techniques slaves would have used in the early 1800’s.

Now, he serves lunch, a hearty cabri (goat) stew topped with delicate skewers of dorado.

Gilbert Larose the host of a cultural and culinary tour in Martinique.
Gilbert Larose is the host of this cultural and culinary tour.

“In the old days we’d cook communally and talk about our troubles together,” he says “Now, we’ve lost that part of our culture.”

The future holds even more challenges. According to the University of Hamburg in Germany, islands in the Caribbean are expected to be severely impacted by global warming due to rising sea levels and increasing frequency and intensity of tropical storms.

Mountainous islands such as Martinique, where 80% of the population lives on the coast, will be particularly affected.  Many believe that the traditions of the past can help islanders deal with an uncertain future.

7. Sample Neisson Rhum Agricole in Martinique

Neisson Rhum shop in Martinique.
Be sure to make a stop at the Neisson Rhum shop

When in Martinique, be sure to visit an agricole rhum producer such as Neisson or another along the rum trail. Unlike other countries where rum is produced from molasses, Martinique’s rum is produced from sugar cane juice.

This means it preserves the subtle nuances of the terroir where the sugar cane is grown, much like fine wine reflects the growing conditions of the grapes.

8. Stay Local at a Gîtes de France

Woman in front of a Gites de France sign.
Welcome to my Gite

One sure way to get a sense of the local culture is at a Gîtes de France, one of the island’s  vacation rental homes. More than a room for the night, these accommodations which range from quaint Creole cottages to luxurious villas are opportunities to sample  rural life and often, cuisine.

Beach with palm tree in Martinique.
Dine steps from the beach in Martinique.

 

9. Indulge on an Abundance of Fresh Seafood 

Lobster on a yellow plate served at lunch at Petitbonum restaurant in Martinique.
Dine on spiny lobster, crayfish and fresh shrimp in Martinique

10. Sample Local fare while Beach Dining

At one home/restaurant combo just steps from the fishing boats at Grand Anse,you can find crab-stuffed rock lobster, plantain and boudin noir, a sausage made of fresh pig’s blood, French bread and spices wrapped in intestine.

Boudin and other traditional cuisine in Martinique.
Boudin is part of the beach dining experience in Martinique

Despite my reticence, I pick up my fork.

When it comes to authentic local culture and Martinique food, there’s no better way to dive in.

Martinique Food, Drink and Restaurant Travel Planner

Getting Around: You’ll need to rent a car to explore this mountainous island fully. Brush up on your French language skills as well. Even a few of the basics will help you navigate your way award this French-speaking island.

Le Petibonum Restaurant in Le Carbet

Gîtes de France: www.gitesmartinique.com

La Savane des Esclaves: www.lasavanedesesclaves.fr

Martinique Tourist Office: www.lamartinique.ca Phone: 514-844-8566

Save to Pinterest!

Food in Martinique

Martinique: A Food Lover's Guide

Imagine sipping French Champagne and dining on fresh grilled lobster while blue waves lap at your toes -- this is what it's like to a vacation on Martinique in the French Caribbean. Our guide showcases the best of the laid back luxury lifestyle waiting in #Martinique #luxury #Caribbean #honeymoon

 

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY

5 Reasons Why Nevis Might Be Your Next Favourite Caribbean Island

A Food-Lovers Guide to Grenada 

 

Category: Martinique

About Michele Peterson

Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.

Previous Post: «Coffee themed mural in Pluma Hidalgo Oaxaca Pluma Hidalgo – Home to the Best Coffee You’ll Ever Taste!
Next Post: Sailing in Spain: Sightseeing on the Move Sailing Menorca with Nautal Boat Rentals»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sand in My Suitcase

    December 3, 2012 at 11:05 pm

    It’s been years since we visited Martinique, but we recall loving the food and French island flavour. Maybe it’s time for a return trip? Thanks for the great read…

    Reply
  2. Lesley Peterson

    December 4, 2012 at 9:50 pm

    What a colorful, flavorful destination! I’d love to try the cod fritters, a grapefruit salad and the manioc ice cream. Kudos to to all, everywhere, who work to keep traditional agriculture – and recipes – alive.

    Reply
  3. Irene

    June 16, 2014 at 9:31 am

    I’ve never been to Martinique. Going “gite” and local seems like the way to visit!

    Reply
  4. Neva @ Retire for the Fun of it

    June 16, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    Your beautiful photos and story is drawing me to this paradise. I couldn’t help but feel the sadness of the islander that explained how people aren’t self-reliant much anymore.

    Reply
  5. Michelle

    June 16, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    Martinique looks like such a beautiful island and the food looks amazing. What more can you ask for. Thanks for the information on getting there. I love your photos of the mountains and the locals!

    Reply
  6. Doreen Pendgracs

    June 16, 2014 at 9:58 pm

    What what I see here, Martinique reminds me of St. Lucia. I’m sire I would like it, as I LOVE St. Lucia!

    Reply
  7. Nancy Thompson

    June 17, 2014 at 7:23 pm

    Beautiful photos! What an interesting and tasty way to explore a culture – through food. It’s the glue that binds us all together.
    Wonderful information on a stunning destination. I need to visit for sure. Thank you

    Reply
  8. The GypsyNesters

    June 17, 2014 at 9:18 pm

    Your photos have us retro-drooling for rock lobster! We’ve never been to Martinique, but lived in the Caribbean for a decade. It always blows us away how different the cuisine is from island to island. So glad you were able to experience the dishes “first hand” and thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  9. Carole Terwilliger Meyers

    June 19, 2014 at 11:44 am

    I’ve been wanting to visit Martinique for a long time. It’s beauty is what has attracted me, but I am pleased to discover that the food is an equal draw. Can’t wait!

    Reply
  10. Susan

    June 19, 2014 at 12:10 pm

    Oooh! Jealous! I write about food, too, and your adventure on Martinique looks delicious!

    Reply
  11. alison @GreenWithRenvy

    June 22, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    I am so glad to see this movement in Martinique Michele. Islands in particular really need to focus on becoming more sustainable. We were recently in St. Martin and saw the same thing starting to happen at the restaurants. Looks like you had some mighty tasty food!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Download the free ebook with 5 easy to make Guatemalan recipes!

About A Taste for Travel

Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico, publisher Michele Peterson’s award-winning work has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source , National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and  100+ other publications. 

At A Taste for Travel — along with a team of expert travel writers and photographers — she  helps readers plan vacations and make delicious global recipes at home. 

Awards and Memberships

Site Footer

Follow A Taste for Travel

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2016–2021 A Taste for Travel

340shares