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Foreign Grocery Friday: Pour Out the Banana Ketchup on St. Lucia

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

Your first reaction to banana ketchup may be "eww," but it should really be "ooh!" This atomic yellow substance is just one of the local products that comes out of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, and it's probably the easiest take-home souvenir aside from a stupid hat or T-shirt.

The good news is, if you're not in love with ketchup, then the island makes banana-tinged versions of barbecue and hot sauce as well. Mmm.

The taste: it's okay if you go into trying banana ketchup thinking it'll be too sweet or too banana-y, because the taste will banish those thoughts right away. You know how ketchup is super tomato-tasting? Well, banana ketchup isn't super anything. It's actually quite mild and thin, and tastes more like a light tropical chutney. Note: there are no tomatoes in it; it's only bananas, vinegar, "spices," and fresh garlic.

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