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Turks and Caicos Islands
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Last Updated: Jan 21st, 2009 - 22:25:00 |
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Turks and Caicos is the world’s second largest exporter of conch, and one of the few countries allowed to take conch directly from the sea thanks to its established Fisheries Division, which manages the process, and the Islands’ strong conservation practices.
The Islands are also home to the world’s only conch farm, Caicos Conch Farm, where Caribbean Queen Conch are raised from veliger to adult. As such, conch is a specialty dish served countless ways in the Islands – cracked conch, conch fritters, conch chowder, conch salad, curry conch – at upscale establishments like Simba at Turks & Caicos Club and Grace Bay Club’s Anacaona and local eateries including Da Conch Shack and Hole in the Wall, a past champion of the competition. During the festival, chefs will prepare this protein-packed delicacy using a variety of techniques in hopes of being awarded the winner in one of three categories: best conch salad, best conch chowder, and best specialty conch dish.
Visitors are invited to join locals, in November, on Providenciales’ (Provo) powdery white sand beach to indulge in Turks & Caicos’ unique flavors. The Annual Turks & Caicos Conch Festival, named one of the “Top 10 Festivals of the Year” by MSNBC in 2007, includes music, cultural activities and a cooking competition in honor of conch, a cultural icon and fundamental element of Caribbean cuisine.
"The Conch Festival allows Turks and Caicos to showcase our culture and cuisine to visitors from around the world. We look forward to seeing the winners represent Turks and Caicos in South Beach this winter,” said Ralph Higgs, director of tourism marketing at the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board.
The full-day celebration, held in historic Blue Hills, one of Provo’s original settlements and a quaint seaside throwback to earlier days in the Caribbean, will include a conch recipe contest, native boat races, live music, a conch treasure hunt and a conch blowing contest.
For those who can’t get enough conch, the Caicos Conch Farm is open to visitors interested in learning how conch are raised, handpicking a pink conch pearl souvenir, purchasing fresh conch or conch shells to bring home, and watching a show with two trained and very friendly conchs. Travelers can also embark on full-day or half-day conch cruises where boat captains will first take guests snorkeling along the Islands’ world-renowned barrier reef and then teach visitors how to free dive for conch, get the conch out of its shell, and prepare fresh conch salads, to be enjoyed during a Caribbean BBQ on an uninhabited island.
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Keywords: Turks and Caicos Islands, Conch Festival, festival, conch, chowder, top ten festival, conch salad, Caribbean
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