Mountain Chicken is the national dish of Dominica, despite its name referring not to poultry but to the giant ditch frog (Leptodactylus fallax). The dish has deep roots among the island’s Indigenous inhabitants, the Kalinago People (also historically known as the Carib people), who prepared and consumed the frog long before European contact.
Traditionally, Mountain Chicken was valued as a protein-rich food sourced from Dominica’s forests and rivers and was prepared for communal meals and special occasions. Over time, it became embedded in the island’s culinary identity and was commonly served with local provisions such as yams and dasheen, along with rice and peas. In modern times, the frog species has become critically endangered due to disease and habitat loss, and its hunting is now heavily restricted or prohibited. Today, Mountain Chicken survives primarily as a cultural symbol of Dominican heritage rather than an everyday food, representing the island’s Indigenous history, food traditions, and evolving relationship with conservation.
