Grenada's French colonists brought their culture, as did the African slaves they brought across the Atlantic for agricultural work. Indians have also influenced the island culture in more recent years.
With the passing of the Slave Trade Act 1807 by the British Parliament and the subsequent abolishing of slavery, indentured labor from India was procured at a very large scale.
The first ship, named the Maidstone, departed from Calcutta, India on January 27, 1857, and arrived a few months later on May 1. In all, 3,206 East Indians arrived in Grenada by 1885. Only 380 of them returned to India. The Indians made many contributions to Grenada. Indian Arrival Day was celebrated in 2007 on the 150th anniversary, for the first time since the centenary celebration in 1957.[1]
The Indians later on assimilated with the existing Africans, Europeans and other ethnicities intermarrying with each other. This very much influenced the culture and cuisine of Grenada.