No matter where you travel in the world, there’s always a number of tourist attractions to lure you into the taste of a new culture.
A range of “must-do” and “must try”, especially when it comes to food and drink.
“Travel and eat like the locals.” - Unknown
On the island of Newfoundland, we tend to lure people toward a traditional screech-in ceremony, a big feed of fish and chips or a plate of Jiigg’s Dinner.
Man, oh man, how I love a dandy feed of jigg’s!
While visiting family on the island of Bermuda, it’s always a toss-up between ordering their deliciously moist rum cake and a dark’n’stormy drink.
Heck, who am I kidding? It’s both every single time.
The main ingredient that ties these together is the island’s much loved Gosling’s Black Seal Rum.
Admittedly, I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed both the drink and cake because I’m not a rum cake or rum beverage fan. It’s never something I would typically order or make.
“Food is not just eating energy. It’s an experience.” – Guy Fieri
Bermuda’s rum cakes are unlike any other I’ve tried.
They’re absolutely bursting with flavour and super moist. As soon as you take a bite, it melts in your mouth and all the flavour bursts get woven in and around your taste buds. You can taste a hint of the rum, but by no means is it overpowering.
The Bermuda Rum Cake Company has a wide variety of flavours for tourists to drool over - everything from traditional lemon and vanilla rum cake, tea time rum cake, rum fruit cake and classic coffee rum cake.
I normally go for the chocolate rum cake as its decadent, but this time I decided to reach outside my norm.
I chose the small-sized rum swizzle, and rum and ginger cakes as the gentleman serving me said they would deliver a true taste of the island. How could I say no to that? It certainly didn’t take long to sell me after indulging in a couple of samples (OK, a few samples).
Yes, I’ll take them both, please, kind sir.
Note to self: if you plan on making a version of this cake, I should tell you that you must keep one thing in mind. There is actually a sign posted on the cake sampling table that reads, “At 80 proof neat. Preserves our cakes. Not for children!”
You can serve it on its own or with a spoonful of ice cream. So tasty!
“Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum.” – Unknown
Like most rum stories, this one starts at sea. Gosling’s Black Seal Rum is no different.
The drink is a fusion of Bermuda’s British history when it comes to their merchant and naval traditions.
The Dark’n’Stormy has a pretty neat history dating back to the early 1800’s, but that story would put me way over my word count.
Search Dark’n’Stormy on thebermudian.com. They have a great tale of how the drink came to be. It says, “The drink earned its rather ominous moniker when a sailor, allegedly, quipped that his drink was ‘the colour of a cloud only a fool or a dead man would sail under.’ And that is how legends are born.” The Dark’n’Stormy ingredients of rum, ginger beer (not root beer), ice and a wedge of lime for garnish is a fine combination.
The rum isn’t overbearing at all. In fact, this mixture is very flavourful, rich, smooth and refreshing.
“I was going to make you a rum cake for your birthday. But now it’s just cake and I’m drunk.” – Unknown
If you’re looking for a pick me up during our cold, snowy winter months, I suggest making a little themed afternoon or evening for yourself and escape to Bermuda.
How? Put on your summer clothes and flip flops, crank the music, mix yourself a Dark’n’Stormy and break out a recipe online for Bermuda’s rum cake because it’s definitely fit to eat.
No, it’s not a ridiculous idea — I dare you to try it! Come on foodie friends, we have to stay together and be creative to get us through the winter months, right? Enjoy life — it’s delicious!
Erin Sulley is a self-confessed foodie who lives in Mount Pearl. Email [email protected]: @ErinSulley Instagram: @erinsulley.
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