"Island Creole" Really Different From "New Orleans Creole"?

I didn't know that “Island Creole” cuisine is distinct from New Orleans Creole, and, despite having read an “Island” cookbook, I don’t really see a huge difference.

Island Creole uses more hot pepper

   But there are indeed differences -- “Island” equals Caribbean. So, in “Island” cuisine there are dishes produced from ingredients found uniquely in the Caribbean, as well as preparation styles favored by immigrants (captive or voluntary) who settled there.

   “Do not confuse the Creole of the islands with Cajun-Creole dishes,” writes author Sue Mullin, a former colleague of mine from newspaper days in Washington DC.
 
Sue went off to Central America and then Miami, developing expertise as a food writer. Her cookbook is called “Creole Cooking: A Taste of Tropical Islands.” 

   She explains the differences: “The influences of Acadia and Alsace-Lorraine so prominent in many dishes of Louisiana and the Gulf States are not a factor in the islands because of a different ethnic history.” 

   Here is a list of Island food terms illustrating some differences. 

   Mullin says you will find far greater use of hot peppers, tomato and tomato puree, lard, tropical tubers, fruit and spices such as allspice, cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg in Island dishes. Also, more jerk sauces and less roux.

   Regrettably, Sue’s cookbook seems to be out of print. At last check there were quite a few copies available from vendors on Amazon.

   I wrote to the British publisher for permission to reprint a Trinidad chicken stew recipe but haven’t heard back. (Interestingly, I could give you Sue’s ingredients and a basic idea of how to put them together, it is only the creative description of preparation that might be protected by copyright – as I understand it. But, I don’t take chances, I prefer to receive  permission to quote).

   Here is a quite similar recipe from Global Table. There are some differences in that Sue’s recipe includes an ounce of dark brown sugar and some optional shredded cabbage