Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Oil Down
Grenada's one-pot national dish: breadfruit, salted meat, dumplings, and callaloo cooked down in coconut milk and turmeric.
Grenadian · medium · serves 8
prep 40 min · cook 75 min
~517 cal · 20g protein · 41g carbs · 32g fat · 6g fiber · 10g sugars · 24g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Oil down is the national dish of Grenada, the Spice Isle, a one-pot feast cooked communally at beaches, gatherings, and celebrations. It takes its name from the way the cooks down until the food is left glistening in a rich, oily sauce.
, salted meat, and vegetables are layered in a big pot with dumplings and , then everything is simmered in seasoned with turmeric, thyme, and a whole for aroma, the layers left undisturbed as the liquid .
The result is a savoury, coconut-rich medley eaten straight from the pot, often outdoors among friends. More than a meal, oil down is a social event and a symbol of Grenadian togetherness, the dish that brings a community around one pot.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy- and egg-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
1 medium , peeled and cut in wedges
Hard to find? canned breadfruit, or waxy potatoes - canned, from Caribbean grocers, keeps the true taste; potatoes hold the coconut milk well but lose breadfruit's dense, bready bite
1 lb salted pigtail or salt beef, soaked
1.5 cups flour flour dumplings
2 cans (27 oz)
1 onion, chopped
2 carrot, chopped
1 bunch (or spinach)
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp thyme
1
Instructions
1
Soak and boil the salt meat to remove excess salt, changing the water (skip for jackfruit).
2
Layer the breadfruit, meat (or jackfruit), onion, carrot, and dumplings in a large pot.
3
Pour the coconut milk over with the turmeric, thyme, and the whole Scotch bonnet, and do not stir.
✎ Chef’s note
Keep the Scotch bonnet whole and unbroken for aroma without searing heat, and resist stirring so the layers stay intact and the pepper does not burst.
4
Cover and simmer 45 to 60 minutes, until the liquid cooks down and coats everything in the golden coconut "oil" that gives the dish its name.
5
Fold in the callaloo near the end and serve straight from the pot.
St. George's tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
St. George's. St. George's is a spice-port capital, and the nutmeg and mace Grenada exports run through its cooking generally. The national dish, oil down, is layered rather than spiced that way: breadfruit, salted meat, callaloo, and dumplings simmer down in turmeric-yellow coconut milk until the pot runs dry and the oil is all that is left.
🗺️
Grenada. Grenada is the 'Spice Isle,' and nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove perfume its cooking, from the national oil down (a one-pot of breadfruit, meat, and coconut) to cocoa tea. Fresh spice and Caribbean warmth define the plate.
🌍
North America. Almost every regional cooking here records who arrived and on what terms. Enslaved West Africans brought rice, okra, black-eyed peas and the techniques behind Lowcountry and Creole food; Chinese railway labour and later Italian, Jewish, Mexican and Vietnamese arrivals built the way the cities eat; and Indigenous foodways sit underneath all of it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Grenada
Cocoa Tea and Fried BakesSpiced local cocoa simmered into a rich, cinnamon-scented "tea," served with hot fried bakes, breakfast on the Spice Isle.
Grenadian Nutmeg Ice CreamA cool, creamy ice cream fragrant with fresh-grated nutmeg, showcasing the spice that defines the Isle of Spice.
Grenadian Fish BrothA restorative Saturday soup of fresh fish, green figs, and provisions simmered with dumplings, coconut, and island spice.
Browse all Grenada recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Grenada meal
Cocoa TeaDrink
Grenadian Nutmeg Ice CreamDessert
Grenadian Callaloo SoupLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Oil Down?
Grenada's one-pot national dish: breadfruit, salted meat, dumplings, and callaloo cooked down in coconut milk and turmeric.
Where does Oil Down come from?
Oil Down is a Grenadian dish from St. George's, Grenada.
Can Oil Down be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Oil Down recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Oil Down safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Oil Down take to make?
About 115 minutes total (40 minutes prep, 75 minutes cooking), serving 8.
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