10 Best St. Croix Foods to Try

Growing up in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands exposed me to lots of different kinds of foods. Because of the warm tropical climate in St. Croix, many different kinds of fruits and vegetables can grow and mature on the island, which may not be able to grow or survive in the U.S. mainland.

This is one of the best things that I love about St. Croix. St. Croix has such a large variety of things to eat from tropical fruits and vegetables to island-style refreshments and desserts.

Let’s take a look at some of St. Croix’s most popular and some of my favorite kinds of foods.

10) Kinep

Kinep pronounced (ki-‘nip) is enjoyed by all ages especially on St. Croix.  When kinep is in season (summertime) you’ll see everyone walking around with a bunch of kineps in their hands like they are eating a bunch of grapes. 

This is because kineps looks like just like a bunch of green grapes.  In other places this fruit is known as Ginep, Guinep, Skinip, Mamones, Spanish Lime, Quenepas and many other names.  Street side vendors tables are usually stocked with this sweet tasting fruit during the summer. 

This fruit is the same family as lychee but has a green rigid skin with a large seed that is basically the size of the fruit covered in a fleshy material.  So, you bite open that kinep skin, discard the skin and throw that entire fruit in your mouth.  Once all the sweet juicy fleshy material is gone, then and only then you can spit the seed out. 

So how can someone get this fruit if you walk up to your favorite street vendor asking for kinep and they respond with “all gaan” (all gone)?  No worries, just a quick drive almost anywhere on the island and you will spot a tree full of kinep. 

If it’s a “non-climber” friendly tree, then you can just walk up, grab a branch that’s low enough and eat to your heart’s content.  Otherwise, you do like locals, and take off your shoes and start climbing.  You may see that favorite stick everyone uses to wrangle in kinep bunches that are too high and use that. 

Whatever option you choose you will enjoy this great fruit we call kinep.  By the way, if you are lucky you may find yourself with a twin kinep (two seeds) or even the rare triplet kinep (three seeds) at times.  

9) Mango

Everyone loves mango! Mango is a tropical fruit that is yellowish or reddish on the outside, round and is a very sweet and juicy fruit. In St. Croix we have so many mango trees on the island that we can climb and pick the fruit right off of.

This has been a tradition for years where we all go out as a family and go pick mangoes. My favorite are the smaller or baby mangoes. My husband loves the biggest mangoes you can find.

No need for a knife or plate, we tear the skin off with our teeth and go to town! You can eat mangoes just as is or you can use mangoes in other foods like salad or ice cream too.

8) Johnny Cake

Johnny cakes are probably one of the top foods that are a must-try in St. Croix. You know how you go to the movies and have popcorn, or you go to the sports game and eat a hot dog? Well, if you go to a local restaurant in St. Croix, there will be johnny cake. Please quickly find the nearest exit, if that restaurant does not have any.

Johnny cakes can be eaten by itself as a snack, small sandwich with cheese or with fried chicken or fish on the side. Please oh please, make sure you eat them when they are hot. Yum! Johnny cakes are simply lightly sweetened round fried bread. You’ve got to try these, you will thank me later.

As wonderful as johnny cakes are, it takes a person with a special heart and special hands to create these yummy snacks. Learn how to make johnny cakes in your home from Tanisha Bailey-Roka, otherwise known as the “Crucian Contessa”.

As a Crucian chef, she has mastered making johnny cakes and we are so lucky to have her graciously share her masterpiece recipe. Learn the Crucian Contessa’s delicious recipe for St. Croix’s johnny cakes here.

7) Fraco

Hmm, what is a fraco? Trust me, you already know what a fraco is and you’ve probably had it before. Fraco is otherwise known as a snow cone. Yep, a good ‘ole snow cone…BUT, with a twist.

In St. Croix when you have a fraco, it’s made just like a snow cone using shaved ice, but the difference is the flavors that are used. You can have the typical flavors like cherry or grape, but if you’re in St. Croix, try tasting the unique local drink flavors like banana, passion fruit or papaya.

My favorite is almond, just delicious! On any hot day on your way home from the beach, stop and get yourself and the kids a nice cold treat of fraco.

6) Kallaloo

This dish has not always been my favorite, but it is by far one of St. Croix’s most popular local cuisine. I would do an injustice to St. Croix if I did not mention kallaloo.

On that note, kallaloo is like a bowl of green goodness. Kallaloo is made from taro leaves or callaloo leaves. You add seasonings like parsley, green onions, garlic and thyme. One of the most important ingredient is okra. If you are not a fan of okra, this is where I say put that bowl down and step away.

This is what kept me away from this dish when I was a little girl. What superfly girl eats a bowl of sappy green vegetable soup?

Inside your pot, you also add fresh fish, crab, conch or pigtail. This also adds plentiful flavor to the dish. You boil all these ingredients with water and/or coconut milk in a large pot, Viola! You’ve got Kallaloo.

This cultural dish can also be served with a scoop of fungi. Fungi (fungee) is another favorite island dish made with cornmeal and okra. Sorry, but I am also not a fan of fungi, but many Crucians love fungi.

Even though I did not like kallaloo when I was a little girl, I love kallaloo today. Living in Florida, it is a little difficult to get the taro leaves, but we can substitute with spinach and it’s just as delicious. I still refuse the fungi though.

5) Tart

This is where you break all of your diet rules in St. Croix. If by chance you are visiting St. Croix during the Christmas season, you will surely find tart.

Tarts are mouthwatering pastries that are part of St. Croix’s Christmas tradition. Most local bakeries and home bakers love to make tarts during this time of year. Tarts are baked desserts usually served with pineapple, coconut or guava filling.

If you are looking for more of a kick, eat the tart with a guavaberry drink. This is NOT guava and I suggest you be 21 years old and up to try this. Guavaberry drink is liqueur made from rum, cane sugar and guavaberries. Enjoy!

4) Pate

Pate is very similar to Jamaican patties or Spanish empanadas. It is nowhere close to a pate paste, pie or loaf. St. Croix’s pates are fried dough with a softer outside. Inside the dough, you will find chicken, beef, saltfish, conch or vegetable filling.

Pate can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. These go great with a nice hot cup of tea. You can get a pate from many local eateries such as restaurants, bakeries, food trucks or local home bakers too.

Remember to call ahead and preorder when purchasing your pate as these bad boys sell out quickly by early morning. You will also want to buy atleast two pates as they are so tasty.

I usually get around four, but who’s counting? Pate, just like johnny cakes are delish when hot. Don’t miss out on these!

3) Sea Grape

Are we in heaven? Sea grapes are definitely a gift from God.

The name gives us an idea as to what these are. Sea grapes look like clusters of purple grape-like fruits. You find sea grape trees along the beaches in St. Croix and you can also find them here in the coastal areas of Florida.

These grapes have a different taste from the grocery store grapes. The sea grapes are much smaller and much sweeter. Once these grapes are ripe, they turn from green to purple and you can eat them right off of the tree. You eat the juicy skin and flesh and discard the seed.

They will also fall to the ground once they are fully ripe, then it becomes a war between you and the neighboring animals to get them first.

Many people on the U.S. mainland are not aware that you can eat these, so when you are picking them off of the tree, people will look at you like you are monkey. This is okay, because this means more for you.

They will ask, “Can you eat these?” and you can proudly say, now that you know, “Yes, you can”. Be aware that you have now leaked one of the world’s top secret and the sea grape community will frown on you.

No one, and I mean, no one likes to share their sea grapes. They are that good!

2) Sugar Apple

This is one of my favorite fruits in the world! This almost ties with number one in my book. Sugar apple is such a flavorful fruit.

Not only is it sweet and tasty, but it’s also good for you. When it’s ripe, it becomes very soft and you can break it in half and scoop out the flesh-covered seeds. You then eat the flesh off the seeds and spit the seeds out. Repeat until your stomach smiles.

Sugar apple is a great source of fiber, provides energy and contains essential vitamins like Vitamin C. My favorite part of waking up in St. Croix is eating sugar apple as part of a healthy breakfast.

My darling husband has grown a sugar apple tree in our backyard here in Florida which means I can eat sugar apple when I’m not in St. Croix. Isn’t he the best? Yes, he is!

Fingers and toes crossed that the delicate tree survives Florida’s climate, otherwise my poor heart will be sad.

1) Tamarind

This is MY number one food from St. Croix. Us Crucians call it “tambran”.

Tamarind is not only locally grown on St. Croix, as it is grown in other tropical islands too. When I visit St. Croix, this is my all-time favorite fruit to eat while I’m there. I’m sure I can live off of just eating tamarind alone every day, that’s how much of a fan I am.

Tamarind is a sour fruit with seeds in a pod with a brown outside shell. You can find a sweet version grown in other countries. However, I love tamarind because it is sour. I dare you to eat tamarind as is.

Because it can get very sour, if you eat too much of it, you will destroy your tongue. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The good news is that tamarind can be tolerable when sweetened and made other ways such as tamarind drinks, tamarind stews or tamarind balls.

If you want to be my best friend, get me some tamarind! I will love you forever!

Do you want to learn more about St. Croix? Check out:

11 MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ST. CROIX

Have you tried any of these foods from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands? Which was your favorite? What is your favorite food from the Caribbean? What other St. Croix foods do you think should be on this list? We’d love to hear about your favorites in the comments.