A true & exact history of the island of Barbados

by Richard Ligon

And though they have divers other Birds, which I will not forget to recount in their due times, and place; yet, none for food for the Table, which is the businesse I tend at this present. Other flesh-meat, I do not remember.

Now for fish, though the Iland stands as all Ilands do, invironed with the Sea, (and therefore is not like to be unfurnish’t of that provision) yet, the Planters are so good husbands, and tend their profits so much, as they will not spare a Negres absence so long, as to go to the Bridge and fetch it. And the Fishermen seeing their fish lie upon their hands, and stink, (which it will do in lesse then six hours) forbear to go to Sea to take it; only so much as they can have present vent for, at the Taverns at the Bridge; and thither the Planters come, when they have a minde to feast themselves with fish, to Mr. Jobsons, or Joan Fullers, where they have it well drest; for they were both my Pupills. Butter they seldome have, that will beat thick; but in stead of that, we are fain to use vinegar and spice, and much of it fryed in oyle, and eaten hot; and some marinated, and souc’t in pickle, and eaten cold. Collonell Humphrey Walrond has the advantage of all the Planters in the Iland; for, having a Plantation neer the Sea, he hath of his own a Saine to catch fish withall, which his own servants and slaves put out to Sea, and, twice or thrice a week, bring home all sorts of such small and great fishes, as are neer the shoar; amongst which, some are very large, and excellently well tasted. For, he being a Gentleman, that had been bred with much freedome, liberty, and plenty, in England, could not set his mind so earnestly upon his profit, as to forget his accustomed lawfull pleasures, but would have his Table well furnish’d, with all sorts of good meat the Land and Sea afforded; and as freely bid his friends welcome to it. And I, as the poorest of his friends, in a lingring sicknesse, and neer death, found such a charity with him, as I shall never forget to pay my thanks for, to the last hour of my life; and I shall account it as a a great happinesse, (if ever it fall in the compasse of my power) to be servicable to him or his, as any thing that can befall me in the world.

Amongst other fishes that were taken by his Saine, (as the Snappers, red and grey, Cavallos, Maquerells, Mullets, Cony-fish, with divers others, firme and excellent sweet fish) he took four, that were about a yard long at the least, all at one draught, and, to that length, bigger grown then Salmonds, of the rarest colour that ever I beheld; from the back-finne, which is the middle of the fish, to the end of the tail, the purest grasse-green that ever I saw, and as shining as Satine: but the finns and tail dapled or spotted with as pure a hair-colour, and from the back finn to the head, pure hair colour dapled with green; the scales as big for the most part, as a halfe-crown piece of silver. This fish is no fish of prey, but lives by what he finds in the bottom of the Sea, as I perceived by what was in his maw. An excellent sweet fish; I dressed them severall waies, and all proved excellent. There is one fish wanting to this Iland, whose kindes are very frequent upon most of the Charibby and Lucaick Ilands; and that is the green Turtle, which is the best food the Sea affords, and the greatest store of them; but I have seen very few of that kind in the Barbadoes, and those neither fat nor kindly; and the reason is, there are no shelves nor sands to lay their eggs, or to ayre themselves on: For, these fishes delight to be on the sands, and can remain there twelve hours, all the time the Tyde is out; and then suffer themselves to be carried away by the return of the next Tide. They take infinite numbers of them, by turning them on their backs with staves, where they lie till they are fetcht away. A large Turtle will have in her bodie halfe a bushell of eggs, which she laies in the sand, and that being warm, they are hatcht in the heat.

When you are to kill one of these fishes, the manner is, to lay him on his back on a table, and when he sees you come with a knife in your hand to kill him, he vapours out the grievousest sighes, that ever you heard any creature make, and sheds as large tears as a Stag, that has a far greater body, and larger eyes. He has a joynt or crevis, about an inch within the utmost edge of his shell, which goes round about his body, from his head to his tail, on his belly-side; into which joynt or crevis, you put your knife, beginning at the head, and so rip up that side, and then do as much to the other; then lifting up his belly, which we call his Calipee, we lay open all his bowells, and taking them out, come next to his heart, which has three distinct poynts, but all meet above where the fat is; and if you take it out, and lay it in a dish, it will stir and pant ten hours after the fish is dead. Sure, there is no creature on the Earth, nor in the Seas, that enjoyes life with so much sweetnesse and delight, as this poor fish the Turtle; nor none more delicate in taste, and more nourishing, then he.

Next to the flesh and fish this Iland affords, ’tis fit to consider what Quelquechoses there are to be found, that may serve to furnish out a Table of such Viands, as are there to be had; which are eggs severall waies, viz. pocht, and laid upon sippits of bread, soakt in butter and juice of limes, and sugar, with plumpt currens strewed upon them, and cloves, mace, and cinamon beaten, strewed on that, with a little salt. Eggs boyl’d and roasted, fryed with Collops, of the fat of Pork well powdered. Buttered eggs, an Amulet of eggs, with the juice of Limes and sugar, a Froize, and a Tansey; Custards, as good as any at my Lord Mayors Table; Chees-cakes, Puffes, second Porrage, which is creame boyl’d to a height, with yelke of egges, and season’d with sugar, and spice, Jelly which we make of the flesh of young piggs, calves feet, and a cocke, and is excellent good, but must presently be eaten for it will not last. Creame alone, and some done severall wayes, of which there is great varietie, having Lymons, Lymes, and Oranges readie at hand; and some wherein we put Plantines, Guavers and Bonanoes, stew’d, or preserv’d with sugar, and the same fruits also preserv’d and put in dishes by themselves, without Creame; and for a whetstone, to pull on a cup of wine, we have dryed Neats tongues; brought from new and old England; and from Holland, Westfalia bacon, and Caviare; as also pickl’d Herring, and Maquerell, which we have from new England, and from Virginie Botargo, of which sort I have eaten the best at Colonel Draxes that ever I tasted.

The fruits that this Iland affords, I have already named, and therefore it will be needlesse to name them twice; you may take your choyce, whether you will have them set on the Table before or after meat; they use as they doe in Italie, to eate them before meat.

The victualls brought from forraine parts are these, Beef which we have from Holland, from Old & New England, Virginie, and some from Russia; and yet comes to us sweet. Porke from all these places, with the most sorts of salt fish; as Ling, Haberdine, Cod, poor-John, pickled Marquerels, pickled Herrings, all very good. Sturgeon from New England, but so ill Cookt, as ’tis hardly to be eaten; for they want the skill both of boyling & seasoning it; they first overboyle it, & next over salt it, & so the fish being over tender by boyling, the salt frets and eats upon it all the way; for when we come to open it, being carried farre from the Bridge, & shaken in the carriage: there is scarce a whole peece, but the Sturgeon and pickle all in a mash, & so vehemently salt, as I could never eate any of it, but at Colonel Walrond plantation it is lesse broken.

Pickled Turtle, we have from the Leeward Ilands, but so uncleanly ordered, as we could hardly finde in our hearts to eate it; for they gather the Salt and Sand together, for haste, upon the Iland where it is taken up, as; though we wash it never so wel, yet the grit cracks in our teeth; it has a taste being salted, almost as ill as puffins, which we have from the Iles of Silly, but this kind of food, is onely for servants; sometimes the Negroes get a little, but seldome the one or the other did eate any bone meat, at our first comming thither.

But now at my comming away from thence, it was much better’d, for by the care and good Husbandry of the Planters, there was greater plenty, both of the victuals they were wont to eate, as Potatoes, Bonavist, Loblolly, as also of the bone meat, viz. Porke, salt Fish, and powder’d beefe, which came thither by sea, from forraine parts, in so much as the Negroes were allowed each man two Maquerels a weeke and every woman one; which were given out to them on Saturday in the evening, after they had their allowance of Plantines, which was every one a large bunch, or two little ones, to serve them for a weeks provision; and if any cattle dyed by mischance, or by any disease: the servants eat the bodies, and the Negroes the skinnes, head, and intrails which was divided amongst them by the overseers; or if any horse, then the whole bodies of them were distributed amongst the Negroes, and that they thought a high feast, with which, never poor soules were more contented; and the drinke to the servants with this dyet, nothing but Mobbie, and sometimes a little Beveridge; but the Negroes nothing but faire water. And now I think, I have given you a just account of the victuals that feeds the Masters, the servants, and the slaves of this Iland: and now you see the provision the Iland affords, give me leave to shew you what feasts they can (when they will) make for their friends, upon their Plantations, which that I may the better doe, I will make two bills of fare; the one for an Inland Plantation, the other for a Plantation neer the sea, of such meat and such plenty of that, as I have seen and eaten of, at either of those Plantations; And for the Inland Plantation, I will make choyce of Colonel James Draxes, at whose Table I have found well drest, these following meates; for the first Course whereof there hath been two messes of meat and both equally good, and this feast is alwayes when he kils a beef, which he feeds extreamely fat, giving him a dozen acres of Bonavist to go loose in, and due times of watering.