The real heart of the French West Indies is discovered when you have a glass of rum in your hand, a product of sugar cane, but also of slavery. The Rum Museum in Ste. Rose in Guadeloupe tells this passionate and colorful story that brings to mind tales of piracy and derring-do. Still today, life in Guadeloupe moves to the rhythm of the sugar cane. 

You have to head to the market early in the morning, among the crooning doudous (women), for a vanilla bean or a cinnamon stick. It's a cacaphony of sound, scents and colors. The mild pale green onions stand in contrast to the fiery peppers that seem to be burned red by the sun and which find their way into every dish. 

West Indian cooking means making a bouquet of chive, parsley, thyme and bay rum. But above all, it's colombo powder, a curry blend that offers a wonderful range of island flavors, an enticing mixture without which goat, pork or chicken wouldn't have the same magical taste.

In Guadeloupe, cod sets the tone and is essential in accras; it's shredded or turned into sauce, served in a gratin or used to stuff avocados. 

The lively and colourful Fête des Cuisinières has been taking place for 90 years. This is the best time to discover and taste local specialties—and hear great music!

Every year, on the Saturday closest to the 10th of August, the Guadeloupe chefs' association (Association des Cuisinières de Guadeloupe) organises a rally in Pointe-à-Pitre to celebrate St. Lawrence, the patron saint of cooks. The women of the island go to mass at the cathedral, dressed in their splendid dresses, headdresses, and madras, in order to bless their dishes, carefully aligned at the foot of the altar in baskets decorated with flowers. Pastry cooks then began a long procession through the streets of the city, baskets on their arm or head, until the hour when everyone gathers for a huge banquet, with traditional songs and dances. This is an essential moment of popular life in Pointe-à-Pitre not to be missed!