<P> Saint Lucia's national dish is green figs and saltfish . </P> <P> The island's cuisine is a unique blend of West African, European (mainly British and French) and East Indian cuisine; this creates dynamic meal dishes such as macaroni pie, Stew chicken, rice and peas, fish broth or fish water, and soups packed full with fresh locally produced vegetables . Typical essential foodstuffs are potatoes, onions, celery, thyme, coconut milk, the very hot scotch bonnet peppers, flour, and cornmeal . All mainstream meat and poultry are eaten in St. Lucia; meat and seafood are normally stewed and browned to create a rich gravy sometimes served over ground provisions or rice . The island is also home to the famous fried dough, known by many as a bake or Johnny Cake . These bakes can be served with different sides, such as saltfish which is either sautéed or lightly fried along with red, green peppers, onions, and seasoned well . This is the most common way for bake to be prepared, though it can also be served with meats such as stewed chicken or beef . </P> <P> One popular Saint Lucian dessert is the pastry called a turnover . The pastry is made with sweetened coconut that is boiled with spices, some sugar, and whatever is satisfying . It is boiled until cooked to a light or dark brown colour; then the mixture is separated into various size portions placed on a rolled out piece of dough . The dough size may vary too depending on how much is desired, and lastly, it is baked in the oven until the colour of the turnover is nicely browned . </P> <P> Due to Saint Lucia's Indo - Caribbean population, curry is very popular, however due to the blend of cooking styles, curry dishes have a distinct Caribbean twist . Roti is typically served as a fast food meal: the bread itself is very flat (sometimes very thin) and is wrapped around curried vegetables such as chickpeas and potato, seafood such as shrimp and conch, or meats such as chicken, beef, goat, and liver . </P>

Who did st lucia gain its independence from