What Is Callaloo? The Caribbean Green Explained

For Caribbean families in Britain, callaloo is the taste of an island breakfast and a Sunday pot. It is the greens steaming on the stove next to ackee and saltfish, the smell of thyme and scotch bonnet on a weekend morning, the thick green soup that means home and family in Trinidad. It is humble, everyday, nourishing food, the kind that a grandmother pressed on you as a child and that quietly says you are cared for, and finding it, even in a tin, is a small reassurance that home is still on the shelf.

There is heritage in it too. Callaloo carries the story of African greens and cooking traditions that crossed the Atlantic and put down roots across the Caribbean, adapting to whatever leafy greens grew on each island. Cooking it in a British kitchen keeps that thread alive, and setting it down for family, or introducing a friend to a plate of steamed callaloo or a bowl of the soup, is a gentle act of sharing. That warmth, as much as the greens themselves, is the quiet gift of callaloo.

What is Callaloo?

Callaloo is one of those words that means a plant and a dish at the same time, which is part of why it can be confusing. At its heart it is a leafy green vegetable, cooked down much as you would cook spinach, kale or spring greens. The tricky part is that the exact green called callaloo changes from island to island. In Jamaica, callaloo most often means the leaves of a type of amaranth, sometimes called Chinese spinach. In Trinidad, Tobago and much of the eastern Caribbean, callaloo usually refers to the large leaves of the taro or dasheen plant, and the name is given above all to the thick soup made from them.

So when someone mentions callaloo, it helps to know where they are from. A Jamaican is probably picturing a pan of steamed amaranth greens eaten with breakfast, while a Trinidadian is more likely thinking of a rich, blended callaloo soup. Both are traditional, both are called callaloo, and both come from the same idea of turning a hardy leafy green into everyday food.

Callaloo is a familiar part of the Caribbean table, and you can see where it fits in our guide to [Caribbean food](/blog/caribbean-food).

The leaf and the soup

It is worth teasing apart the two main things callaloo can be, because they are quite different on the plate. The Jamaican style is essentially a green side dish. The amaranth leaves are chopped and steamed or sauteed with onion, tomato, garlic, thyme and often a little scotch bonnet, until soft and savoury. It is eaten at breakfast alongside ackee, saltfish, fried dumplings or hard food, and as a side at other meals. It is simple, healthy and quick.

The Triniadian style is a soup, and a more involved one. Taro or dasheen leaves are cooked down with okra, coconut milk, onion, garlic, herbs and often crab or salted meat, then blended smooth into a thick, green, velvety soup. This callaloo is a dish in its own right, sometimes served at Sunday lunch and at celebrations. Same name, same family of greens, but one is a quick side and the other a rich, blended bowl. Knowing which you are after helps when you are buying and cooking.

Callaloo versus Spinach

Because callaloo is not on every British shelf, people often ask how it compares to spinach, and it is a fair comparison. Both are soft leafy greens that cook down a lot from raw, both are mild and savoury, and in many recipes spinach or spring greens can stand in for callaloo if you cannot find the real thing. That said, callaloo has its own slightly earthier, more robust character, and the amaranth and taro leaves hold up a little differently in the pot.

If a recipe calls for callaloo and you can find it fresh or tinned, it is worth using the real thing for the original taste. If you cannot, spinach, spring greens or chard will give you a dish in the same spirit, even if it is not identical. One important note on the taro or dasheen leaves used in the Trinidadian soup: like cassava, they must be cooked thoroughly, as the raw leaves are not meant to be eaten, and proper cooking is what makes them safe and delicious.

How callaloo is cooked

Cooking Jamaican callaloo is quick and forgiving. The leaves are washed and chopped, any tough stalks trimmed, and then steamed or sauteed in a little oil with onion, tomato, garlic, thyme, spring onion and a piece of scotch bonnet for gentle heat. A few minutes is all it takes for the greens to wilt down soft. Some cooks add a splash of water to steam it, others keep it drier and more sauteed, and both are good. It is a light, healthy dish that pairs with almost anything.

The Trinidadian soup takes longer and more ingredients, simmering the leaves with okra, coconut milk and seasonings before blending, but it is well within reach of a home cook following a trusted recipe. Whichever version you make, callaloo is an easy way to get a generous serving of greens onto a Caribbean plate, and it goes beautifully with saucy mains, which is why it turns up so often alongside stews and grilled fish.

Where to Buy Callaloo in the UK

Callaloo is one of the easier Caribbean greens to find in Britain, largely because it is so commonly sold tinned. Tinned callaloo, already cooked and ready to heat with your seasonings, is a staple on the shelves of Caribbean and African food shops, and it is a convenient way to make the Jamaican breakfast dish quickly. Fresh callaloo, both the amaranth type and the taro or dasheen leaves, is also sold in many of these shops, especially in areas with large Caribbean communities.

If you are buying fresh, look for perky, unwilted leaves, and remember the taro or dasheen leaves need thorough cooking. The shop staff can tell you which type they have and point you to the scotch bonnet, thyme and coconut milk you might need to go with it. You can find Caribbean food stores near you or look up African food stores near you.