The Jewish community has long been living in Bermuda. In fact, dating back as far as the 17th century. The island also receives many Jewish tourists from the US, Canada, Britain, and other Jewish personnel serving in the US military on the island.
Despite this, it is not very common to get kosher restaurants on the streets of Bermuda. This is why keeping kashrut is a problem for many local and visiting Jews. Most kosher foods are, however, available in local grocery stores. These foods are easy to prepare. However, when the family wants authentic kosher food, they order their food from the US.
The US has many kosher restaurants that comply with Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws). Most of the restaurants also have rabbinical supervision. Some menus are native to Jews, while others include modifications that make them better, if not their best versions.
But if you are new to Bermuda, here are a few dishes you can try while observing kashrut.
Best kosher food in Bermuda
There are particularly no kosher restaurants in Bermuda. However, when you walk into a restaurant, you can order Kosher. However, you need to make a reservation for this. The only other solution to your problem is to order kosher food through famous delivery services like Uber Eats, Dashdoor, and Postmates.
From the online menus, you can get some delicious kosher foods in Bermuda like:
Bermudan Codfish breakfast
You will probably get to eat their traditional codfish breakfast when you visit the island. The recipe features a nutrition-packed plate with boiled and salted codfish, tomato and onion sauce, boiled potatoes, hard-boiled egg, a banana on the side, and sometimes, slices of avocado.
The recipe shouts kosher from a mile. Cod from the Atlantic Ocean is a clean fish. It has scales and fins and lives in the water. Moreover, fish and eggs are pareve, meaning you can eat them together.
The fruits, in this case, contain no insects or pests, meaning they are fully kosher. There is no cheese or dairy involved; if it was, kashrut permits the consumption of fish and dairy together.
Your visit to the island should start with a proper breakfast. Restaurants like Paraquet, Bouchee, Anchor Restaurant, Speciality inn, and Fairmont Southampton serve the perfect Sunday codfish breakfast in Bermuda.
Vegan Pulled Mushroom Tacos
When it comes to the selection of kosher foods for the Jewish community in Bermuda, the options are limited. Almost zero restaurants observe kosher guidelines in their food preparation; however, if you find a restaurant serving vegetarian dishes that are very close to kosher.
A vegan pulled mushroom taco is the perfect example. The recipe includes corn tortillas, which are perfect even for Passover (they have no yeast), mushrooms, chipotle mango ketchup, avocado, hemp seeds, pickled onions (prepared in New York Jewish style delis), and kale.
This vegan meal uses no dairy products in preparation and no cheese. Therefore, you can be sure about observing kashrut when ordering one. However, to be safe, you should ask the chef to prepare the food with vegetable oil and tell them you are following dietary laws.
When ordering tacos, you can choose a salad for the side. You can choose between fruit, French fries, sweet potatoes, or a side salad.
In Bermuda, the best vegan pulled mushroom tacos sell at affordable prices at Huckleberry Restaurant.
Branzino Gratinato al Forno
Ocean-grown fish are very kosher. However, it needs to have fins and scales. Therefore, most ocean animals like shrimp, lobster, and mussels are not kosher.
Luckily, as you walk through Bermuda, you can almost see the ocean from any point you stand. That means the island is not short on fish, and kosher fish in this case. There are spots where you can find delicious kosher fish on the menu.
At Little Venice, you can order a Branzino Gratinato al forno. This dish, custom to the restaurant, comes with baked, roasted Mediterranean seabass with sautéed sweet garlic broccoli. You also get orange and Bermudan rosemary.
Remember, you can never be too safe when eating kosher. So advise the chef that you are observing dietary rules for exceptions like cleaning the broccoli extra carefully to remove any insects and using non-dairy products when preparing the food.
Steak
One of the few straightforward kosher types of meat is beef, slaughtered under Jewish dietary laws. Now, in Bermuda, you can find your perfect piece of steak for lunch or dinner at Waterlot Inn or Blt Steak, NY.
At the Waterlot Inn, you can order a yellowfin tuna crudo for appetizers. This dish comes with a cucumber salad, crispy shallots, and a broken caper vinaigrette.
You can order delicious and juicy T-bone steak cut from grain and grass-fed cows for the main dish. Alternatively, you can get rib eye or filet mignon.
On your order, you can request vegetables like spinach, carrots, or sweet potatoes, prepared without starch or cheese.
Once you eat your steak, you can request wine from a kosher wine house such as Gonzales Byass Tio Pepe Palomino Fino, Elvi Herenza Rioja Reserva 2014, or Rashi Joyvin Red wine. However, if you know of another wine house that prepares their wine per halakha, you can ask if they serve it at the restaurant.
Final Thoughts
Purely Kosher restaurants do not exist in Bermuda. However, you can find hotels and restaurants that observe the Jewish dietary rules and enjoy a meal. Sometimes, you may need to make reservations and tell the chef that you are following dietary restrictions. Sometimes, you can carry your food and ask the restaurant where you have reservations to warm the food.
