Saint Lucia, Mango, TAO and the bodyholiday LeSPORT

click on the links in green

SAINT LUCIA

St. Lucia Coat of Arms

antique map of the West Indies by Joannes de Laet 1593-1649

Santa Lucia song:  These are several different versions of the Neapolitan song Santa Lucia.  This tune is usually played by Steel Bands  in Saint Lucia but these are the sung versions:

The great Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso, 1916 and the The Three Tenors version, the most magnificent Tenors Luciano Pavarotti,  Plácido Domingo and José Carreras.   The Andrea Bocelli version  and the beautiful voice of Elvis Presley.

This is the better translation from the original, of course, nothing like the poetic Italian version!

The silver star shimmers on the sea,
The wave is peaceful, the wind is favorable.
The silver star shimmers on the sea,
The wave is peaceful, the wind is favorable.
Come to my sprightly little boat,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
Come to my sprightly little boat,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

With this breeze so sweet,
Oh, how lovely it is to be on a boat!
With this breeze so sweet,
Oh, how lovely it is to be on a boat!
Come on passengers, come away!
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
Come on passengers, come away!
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Amid the sails, supper is ready
On this night so serene.
Amid the sails, supper is ready
On this night so serene,
With no demands, with no desires,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
With no demands, with no desires,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

This sea so calm, this wind so dear,
Makes the sailor forget his troubles.
This sea so calm, this wind so dear,
Makes the sailor forget his troubles.
And he is shouting cheerfully,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
And he is shouting cheerfully,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Oh sweet Naples, oh blessed land,
Where Creation wished to smile!
Oh sweet Naples, oh blessed land,
Where Creation wished to smile!
You are the realm of harmony,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
You are the realm of harmony,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Now why delay? The night is beautiful,
A cool and light breeze is blowing.
Now why delay? The night is beautiful,
A cool and light breeze is blowing.
Come to my sprightly little boat,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
Come to my sprightly little boat,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

St. Lucia National Bird: Amazona versicolor parrot 

St. Lucia Parrot stamps

Amazona Versicolor by Fleur

St. Lucia National Tree:  Calabash

the bodyholiday LeSPORT

the bodyholiday LeSport beach and Tao

the bodyholiday Wellness Centre 

and the TAO restaurant

Sushi at TAO

Everyone returns to the newly renovated Le Sport Body Holiday for some reason; the great spa treatments, the fresh and varied menus, the beautiful beach, the elegantly classy hotel, the friendly staff, and we enjoy going to Tao Restaurant, overlooking the sea, for the atmosphere and  good food.  We spent part of our honeymoon here and have been visiting ever since.

An all-inclusive with class.  Just check out Trip Advisor.

view from Llewellyn Xavier's Studio at Cap Estate, in the North of St. Lucia,

overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Lucia Golf and Country Club.

photo by Zeno Frediani

and on to mangoes

from mango blossom to fruit

The mango season is here!  Hurrah, collect them,  then peel, cut and freeze the pulp.  Store in the freezer in a ziploc bag.  They will last for the whole year.  They freeze well, you can slice the pulp for any dish, juice or fruit crumble.

Driving along St. Lucia one sees mangoes on the roadside in abundance.  Palwi, (my favourite when ripe straight from the tree, sweet and crunchy), mango long, Tin kwem, Graham, lovely Julie, Madame, Mango Pont, mango bouteille, mango dirizdu, mango a la rose, mango cocobef, ceylon, bombay, Tommy Atkins,  Zill,  and a host of other names far, far too numerous to mention.

The Trindidadians are the best in the Caribbean at putting mangoes to good use making a green mango salad as well as chutneys, pickles, sweet and hot as accompaniments to a variety of dishes.

chicken  with mango and coconut 

2 roughly cubed chicken breasts

1 crushed garlic clove

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Soya sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp crushed ginger

50 ml coconut milk

3 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 thinly sliced Jalapeno pepper or 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or to taste

2 tbsp pureed mango or a couple of slices

2 tbsp chopped red onion

1 tbsp chopped cilantro or Shado Beni and 1 tbsp grated coconut

pepper and salt to taste

Heat oil and gently fry crushed garlic. Add chicken cubes for a few minutes until cooked through,

about 3 minutes.  Add red onions, and then all the remaining ingredients, except cilantro and grated coconut,

mix well and cook  for 5 minutes add the last two ingredients.  Season to taste.

antique print of Mango and Mango Blossom

antique print of Mango

Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin travelled to the Caribbean, painting in Martinique.

Mango Pickers, Martinique, 1887

Two Tahitian Women with Mango Blossom, 1899

Mango Pannacotta

mango, soursop and guava pannacotta (left to right)

Pannacotta is not as daunting as some people think.  Once you get the exact amounts of gelatine and cream right, you will be experimenting on all sorts of pannacottas with fruit, herbs or spices.  For Soursop and Guava use the basic recipe, removing any seeds, before pureeing.

 1 cup chopped fresh mango
2 cups heavy cream (room temperature)
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavoured gelatine 
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup white sugar

Puree the mango until smooth.  Add 1 cup of the heavy cream and puree in a blender until smooth.  Strain the mango puree through a fine sieve over a bowl, pressing down with the back of a spoon to extract as much of the puree as possible.

Knox Gelatine Powder

In another bowl, sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the water and allow to soften, about 5 minutes.  Scrape the gelatine into a saucepan with the sugar, add the 1 cup of cream and cook over very low heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Do not let the cream boil.  Cool completely, about 10 minutes, then whisk in the mango puree.  Put in glasses or small bowls.  Refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight.

 Dr Oetker Sugar Butterflies

Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was very fond of mangoes

So, Ghalib ji, can you advise us on the fine qualities of these heavenly fruits? He opined, "In my view, there are only two essential points about mangoes: they should be sweet and they should be plentiful." Exactly! Sweet as honey and plentiful. On receiving a basket of 65 mangoes from a friend, he wrote in 1859, "I thought of each mango as a sealed glass, filled with the liquor of the grape, and filled with such superb skill that not so much a single drop spilled from any of the 65 glasses."

(References: Ralph Russell and Khurshidul Islam, 1994, "Ghalib: Life and Letters", OUP, New Delhi.)

[Source: Daily Times, Lahore]

The logwood is still blossoming

Cap Estate, in the North of St. Lucia, is surrounded by ancient logwood trees, known locally as Campeche and by its botanical name of Haematoxylum campechianum. It is a virtual fragrance diffused landscape and the thrill of waking up to this intense scent of logwood blossom which perfumes the whole valley is pure caribbean ecstasy. Bees feed on the nectar of the logwood, producing the finest honey. Logwood is one of the sweetest smelling blossoms, pretty yellow flowers, and although it is short-lived, the mesmerising intensity of the perfume lingers in ones thoughts. The tree is used in medicine and also as a dye creating deep purple blue hues.

 click for a great  close up of logwood bossom by Christian Defferard

and the yucca is now in bloom

yucca flowers

yucca and the day moon

The Flamboyant Trees are flowering..............next time