If you’re ever in Grenada and lucky enough to receive an invitation to an Oil Down, don’t fetch your robe, spa slippers or Musical Massage CD’s. A rub down is not in your future. Instead, get ready for a unique cultural experience that is as fun as it is filling.
The term Oil Down doubles as the national dish of Grenada and the communal party that’s held to make it.
The dish itself is serious comfort food, generally combining breadfruit, coconut milk, saffron, dumplings, callaloo and a salted fish or meat like codfish, smoked herring, salted beef, or pig’s tail. Everything’s cooked together in one big pot over an open flame outdoors, as pictured above, with the key ingredient – the flavorful oil that’s released from the coconut milk as it simmers – inspiring the name.