Introduction

The Cayman Islands consist of three individual Islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. All three are located just south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. The Cayman Islands are known for having some amazing conch, turtle and coconut recipes. Conch and turtle are not easy to find, so the recipe I have is a family recipe called Coconut Chips. My Aunt created this recipe which now is a tradition every year when we go to Cayman.

Image via Wikipedia

Country Information

·       Geographic Facts

Here are three geographic facts about the Cayman Islands:

1.                  The Cayman Islands are peaks of a massive underwater ridge known as the Cayman Trench, which stands 8,000 feet from the sea floor.

2.                  The three Islands were formed by large coral heads and are all mostly geographically flat.

3.                  The Caymans are known for their two endemic subspecies of parrots. The Cayman Brac Parrot (native only to Cayman Brac) and the Grand Cayman Parrot (native to the Cayman Islands.)

“Serious” Facts

Here are three serious facts about The Cayman Islands.

1.                  Christopher Columbus first sighted the Islands in 1503; he named them Las Tortugas (The Turtles), after the numerous sea turtles that live there. There is now a Turtle Farm to house the different species.

2.                  Great Britain took control over the Cayman Islands in 1670. Following several unsuccessful attempts, settlement became permanent in the 1730’s.

3.                  Hurricane Ivan hit Grand Cayman on September 11-12, 2004 damaging over 90% of all buildings.

 

·       3 “Fun” Facts

Here are three fun facts about the Cayman Islands:

1.                  Another bird known to the Caymans is the Booby Bird, also known as Boobies. Booby Birds got their name from the Spanish slang term bobo, meaning “dunce”, as these birds had the habit of landing on sailing ships and were easily caught and eaten.

2.                  Stingrays are another very common marine animal found in the Cayman Islands. There is a sandbar you can travel to that is no more than 3 feet deep, where Stingrays are the main attraction. Known as Stingray City, you can pet, hold and feed Stingrays.

3.                  Tortuga Rum Company is the largest duty-free liquor business in the Cayman Islands. Not only do they have wonderful tasting rum, but they also make a very yummy Rum Cake.

Image via Wikipedia

·       A “Potpourri” Item

Here is an unusual fact (or two or three) about the Cayman Islands:

1.              Grand Cayman, the largest of three Islands, is the home to 7-mile beach; which despite its name is only 5.5 miles long and decreasing every year due to erosion.

2.              The Green Flash is an optical Phenomena that occurs shortly after sunset. On Grand Cayman, when you look out over the Gulf at night, for just a second or two, you can see this amazing light.

Image by javajoba via Flickr

Food Information

 

·       Recipe

 

Ingredients:

·       Coconut (1 is plenty)

·       Butter

·       Salt

After cracking open the coconut, take off the hard outer shell, plus the soft brown shell underneath. Cut the coconut “meat” into thin slivers, then spread evenly onto a cookie sheet. Put small dollops of butter around the sheet and sprinkle with salt. Put in oven on HIGH BROIL. When they start to turn brown, shake them around to brown on other side. Add more salt if needed.

This recipe comes from my Aunt who created this snack while trying to figure out what to do with all the coconuts lying around.

·       My Kitchen Story

The hardest part of this recipe is actually breaking up the coconut. Also, when you use a broiler, things tend to get a little smokey. This recipe has been in my family since before I was born and everyone loves it. A lot of my friends aren’t really into coconut; this bizarre snack is hard to have a taste for.

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Contact Info: To contact the author of “A Taste of the Cayman Islands: A Recipe for Coconut Chips,” please email Taylor.Lawrence@selu.edu.

David C. Wyld (dwyld@selu.edu) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/.