Your guide to the food and culture of the tropics

About

Warm, bold and welcoming, the tastes of the tropical region of the world, whether  Southeast Asian, Latin American or Indian, share a wealth of flavors, yet are expressions of each unique culture. TropicsGourmet was founded to take you on a trip of discovery of these cultures through their food. Whether you are looking for the right recipe, want to find out where to have an exotic dining experience, are planning your next vacation or simply want to explore and learn from the comfort of your home, TropicsGourmet provides both a wealth of information and a forum to share with like souls.

From Mexican to Thai, Indian to Ethiopean food, we hook you up with the flavors from the tropical cultures of the world, and take you through a journey of learning and exploration.

Every week we will publish recipes, reviews, guides and news. Our team looks around the globe to bring you the information and insights to become an enlightened connoisseur, proficient cook, informed traveler and healthy eater of the foods from the tropical countries of the world. Our community allows you to participate, share and learn from fellow adventurers.

But, what is food from the tropics?

When European explorers and traders took to the seas in search of a better route to the far east, they unleashed a long history of cross-pollination in culinary tradition across the different countries in the tropical band of the globe. This process was accelerated after Christopher Columbus stumbled on the Americas during his quest to find a quicker way to the east indies, and the Portuguese established trade routes around the globe. As they transplanted ingredients from one latitude to another, they were largely responsible for the amazing fusion of flavors which have become the national cuisine of the cultures of the Tropics.

Examples of this tropical fusion in food are the extensive use of chili peppers in Indian and Asian cuisine when this crop is originally from the Americas, as well as the use of coconut in Brazilian and Caribbean dishes, an ingredient from Africa. The result has been a delicious mix of spice and freshness, with boldly exotic undertones, for the ultimate Fusion Cuisine. Join the conversation through Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, and be sure to sign up for updates through our weekly newsletter.

List of Tropical Countries

The tropics is a region of the Earth by the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26′ (23.5°) N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at 23°26′ (23.5°) S.The tropics are also referred to as the tropical zone and the torrid zone.

NORTH AMERICA

Mexico

CENTRAL AMERICA

Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama

SOUTH AMERICA

Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Ecuador
French Guiana
Galápagos Islands
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Venezuela
Suriname
Venezuela

CARIBBEAN

Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Haiti
Jamaica
Martinique
Montserrat
Netherlands Antilles
Puerto Rico
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Kits and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin (France)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Cacaos Islands
United States Virgin Islands

CENTRAL AFRICA

Angola
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Sudan
Zambia

EAST AFRICA

Burundi
Comoros
Djibouti
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mozambique
Reunion
Rwanda
Seychelles
Somalia
Tanzania
Uganda

WEST AFRICA

Benin
Burkina
Faso
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
The Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Liberia
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Nigeria
Saint Helena
São tomé and Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Brunei
Burma (Myanmar)
Cambodia
East Timor
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
India