If there is a foundation to the Bahamian breakfast, it’s grits.  Anything else on the plate is a bonus.  Grits are dried, ground hominy or corn mixed with boiling water.  When cooked, grits becomes a porridge ranging from a thin gruel to a stiff paste as thick as mashed potatoes.

During slavery, Bahamian owners gave each slave a weekly corn or grits ration, which slaves reconstructed with boiling water.  While grits or hominy is an American-Indian food, cooking ground grain in hot water is also a connection back to Africa.

A typical Bahamian breakfast is centered around grits, souses and fish, boiled or stewed.  With the grits Bahamians like to add a serving of fried bologna/sausage, corned beef commonly referred to as “fire engine” because of the colors, steamed tuna or tuna salad, mackerel or sardines.  To compliment the meal, avocado pear is served as a side dish, when in season.

Although you can find almost any kind of international cuisine in The Bahamas for breakfast, from pancakes and waffles to muffins and bagels, some dishes are unique to the islands.  The Bahamas is the delight of fresh seafood lovers who enjoy the bountifully rich treasures from the sea.  Stew fish, stew conch and boil fish is a jump start for many Bahamians every morning.  Seafood is considered a staple of the Bahamian diet.  Conch (pronounced “konk”) is a large type of ocean mollusk that has firm, white, peach-fringed meat. 

Boiled fish is a broth soup with the fish bones, skin and sometimes even the head still intact.  It is a matter of pride and a test of “Bahamianism” how well you can clean the meat off the bones.  Restaurant cooks prefer to use grouper because of the meat, but snapper or any catch of the day will do.  Stewed fish makes different use of the day’s catch, smothering it in thick brown, tomato-based gravy. 

Stewed conch is a less common variation.  Conch also appears in souse (rhymes with house), another ubiquitous breakfast concoction in several guises.  Souse is another Bahamian breakfast soup.  Prepared much the same as boiled fish, some souses feature chicken (most common), pig feet, mutton, or even sheep’s tongue.  Sheep tongue, a classic favorite, dates back to the times of slavery.  Instead of fish, souses use chicken or other meats. 

Described as “too thick for soup and too thin for stew”, souse combines vegetables – often what the cook has on hand – and meat together.  Such vegetables as carrots, potatoes, miniature corn-on-the-cob and plantains are favorites.  These are used to “stretch” the pot for sharing with large groups.  Salt, goat pepper, and lime season the meal.  When the cook is generous with the lime and pepper, the souse packs a punch, which is why Bahamians consider souse the perfect meal after a festive night.  Some claim that it is a cure for hang over.  Bahamians expect a side serving of grits, home-made bread or Johnny cake when enjoying a hot bowl of souse with cut lime and pepper on the side to further season to taste. 

Whatever their breakfast choice, Bahamians wash it all down with tea, coffee, a selection of juices or lemonade.

Not all Bahamians eat the traditional breakfast everyday, but do most typically on weekends.  Bacon, eggs and pancakes have made their way into the islands’ morning diet, especially in the city of Nassau, New Providence.  Bahamians still enjoy their traditional breakfasts at home and at restaurants on the weekends.  Increasingly, when they don’t have time to eat at home they grab something quick on their way to work.  In recent times the 99cents breakfast has become very popular and can be seen on almost every street corner.