Le Bokit Magnifique de Guadeloupe: Taste of the Caribbean
What to say, what to say? What to do, what to do?
It’s one of my Dad’s favorite expressions; one he employs whenever he’s exasperated over anything. The words rang through my head on day three of a recent visit to Guadeloupe. The reason…
Food.
As noted previously, I was surprisingly underwhelmed by the cuisine I encountered along much of my adventuring in and around the Guadeloupe Islands. By the time I hit the ferry to Terre-de-Haut, the small in size/big on charm islet in Les Saintes, any great expectations that I might’ve had for phenomenal food had all but vanished.
Enter le Bokit.
I had heard of Guadeloupe’s iconic sandwich before, though I didn’t really know much of anything about them… except that I had to have one… and somehow I never saw any during my first two+ days in Le Gosier.
Things would change almost immediately after I stepped ashore in Terre-de-Haut. Along the short, slow walk from the ferry dock to Hotel LoBleu, a familiar, savory and distinctly West Indian aroma drew me into Ile Blue Pizza, a small snack bar along the main road.
It wasn’t pizza, of course. It was Johnny Cakes! Only I didn’t see Johnny Cakes on the menu; just pizza, hamburgers, paninis, assorted other snacks and sandwiches… and Bokits! I ordered one, of course. Upon getting my hands on it, the Johnny Cake connection became clear.
Like a Bake and Shark in Trinidad, or the awesome saltfish breakfast sandwich served daily at Enoch’s in Marigot, St. Martin, the “bread” in a Bokit is actually a fluffy fried dough. It’s very similar in taste and consistency to Johnny Cakes, Fry Bake from Trinidad, or Festivals (Jamaica).
Depending on your own tastes and where/when you’re getting your Bokit, inside the bread you might find all manner of seafood, meats, veggies, cheeses, sauces, etc. Mine was of the chicken variety, the somewhat spicy creole seasoning tamped down by the lettuce and tomato.
How good was it? Well, I was back the very next day for another one, eschewing the islet’s more celebrated tables for another authentic taste of Gwada street food fabulousness.
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