Grenada - The Island of Spice

Today, the team enjoyed a day off. We took the opportunity to explore our neighbourhood, and to visit some of the historic sites on the northern part of the island. Grenada is known as the Island of Spice because of the nutmeg and mace grown and exported. Finn also introduced me to tamarind balls, a popular, sweet, treat here. Our first stop was 'Leaper's Hill', this is where the last of the Carib population allegedly leapt to their deaths rather than submit to French rule.

Touring through the country, it is clear why Grenada is thought of as a tropical paradise. Everything is so lush, green, and beautiful. There is so much to see and experience, so I have made a slide show of some of my snaps from today.

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But what do a bunch of archaeologists really get up to when let loose in a tropical paradise? I'll leave it to Finn to give you an idea.

We also visited the local rum distillery, where it would have been rude not to try the produce. The chocolate rum punch is lethal! It's like drinking a chocolate milkshake. I have decided to buy a bottle towards the end of the digging season, or it won't make it back to Europe. On the way back to the accommodation we were given a ripe cocoa pod. You open it, and then just suck the beans. This is a really slimey, but sweet, treat. We have also decided to try a little bit of experimental anthropology. We calculated that we just about have enough time to attempt to make our own chocolate. So, we removed the beans from the pod, and put them in a cup, covered with a banana leaf (normally the beans would be piled up and/or put in wooden boxes, but we only have half a pod's worth of beans left after some of the local children tried to help us by eating a few). These we now leave to ferment (occasionally stirring) for about 6-10 days. The slimey pulp will break down and release acetic acid. This acid will kill the bean, after which the cell walls start to break down and the different substances in the bean can mix together. This allows some complex chemical changes to occur and these reactions cause the chocolate flavour and colour to develop. More detailed info on the fermentation process can be found here. After this, we will dry the beans for another 6-10 days. I will keep you posted on our progress...