What do I buy in St. Lucia?

[RogerandChris]

We're there in Dec and only in port from 7-2. I figure this is a shopping port. What's good to buy? Blue Mountain coffee avail? I'm thinking of that as a universal Christmas Present.

[Solstice]

Fresh spices were my favorite purchase in St. Lucia. The open marketplace has wonderful spices for sale. And don't pass up the banana ketchup! Sounds odd but the taste is wonderful on seafood.

 

We haven't cruised to St. Lucia, but we spent a week at a resort there a couple years ago.

[vossjemi]

I have heard the items of the island are the cassava bread and the banana ketchup.

[eh2zed]

Banana ketchup for sure or a screened item if you go on the Bagshaw tour.

[Whoshr]

I agree that fresh spices are the best! You can buy them from markets to roadside stands, they are cheap, and are easy to carry back to the U.S. You can also remember the trip every time you use them!

[WarmWaters]

We are just back from St Lucia and I bought 1 bottle of locally made banana ketchup for $5. I now regret that I didnt buy a few more bottles ! I saw a lot of hot sauces to buy and also the local spices for food and also the packates of local spices that you add to a bottle of rum to make your own spiced rum.

 

At the tourist stalls the banana ketchup was $8 a bottle US.. other guests we spoke to said they got it for $4 a bottle after doing some shopping in the local market.

At the local market the price for me was quoted anything from $8 US to $6 US, but then a very kind local man suggested that we buy it from the big local supermarket just a block away from the local market. He kindly walked with us there, it was interesting to see the local supermarket and we paid with a $5 US bill and got some local money as small change back.

 

In hindsight I now regret not buying a few more bottles, its the perfect gift to bring home for neighbours, colleques and friends. Locals told me they put the banana ketchup on fish, chicken and meat.

[cheeseheads1]

Could you elaborate on the banana ketsup? Like our condiment or something totally different?:confused: