Cuisine of Jamaica
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Cuisine of Jamaica contains cooking techniques, flavors, spices and influences from each of the many waves of immigration to the island. Today, dishes which grace nearly every Jamaican menu include curry goat, fried dumplings, ackee and salt fish (cod) (the national dish of Jamaica), fried plantain, "jerk", steamed cabbage and "rice and peas" (pigeon peas or kidney beans).
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[edit] History
[edit] Cuisine of the Tainos
Christopher Columbus visited Jamaica multiple times towards the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, once even shipwrecked off the north coast for 2 years (1503-1504 ). During these visits he described a way the Taínos (the indiginous inhabitants of Jamaica) preserved meat by adding peppers, allspice and sea salt to make what is now known as Jamaican jerk spice.
[edit] Development of the cuisine
The Spanish, the first European arrivals to the island contributed dishes such as the vinegary concoction escovitch fish [Spanish escobeche). Later, English influences developed the Jamaican patty, a turnover filled with spicy meat. African cuisine developed on the island as a result of waves of slavery introduced by the Europe an powers. Chinese and East Indian influences can also be found in Jamaican cuisine, as a result of indentured labourers who replaced slaves after emancipation brought their own culinary talents.
African cuisine, Indian cuisine and American cuisine, Chinese cuisine and British cuisine are not new to the island. Through many years of British colonialism the cuisine developed many habits of cooking particular to a trading colony. The natives of Jamaica drink the most tea per capita in the Caribbean to this day as a result.
[edit] Popular ingredients
- There is a difference in the flavors of meats, such as turkey and chicken, from other countries because of differences in the diet of the animals being fed on local foodstuffs as opposed to imported grains. Jamaican chickens in particular some allege compared to other chickens have an unusually rich flavor. Jamaicans eat much more chicken than beef or pork.
- Ackee
- Cassava
- Plantain
- Green Bananas
- Scotch bonnet peppers
- Chayote (locally known as "chocho")
- Taro (locally known as "dasheen" or "coco")
- Pigeon peas (locally known as "gungo peas")
- Allspice (locally known as "pimento")
- Ginger
- Jamaican jerk spice
- Callaloo
- Escallion
- Breadfruit
[edit] Popular dishes
- Ackee and saltfish
- Jerk chicken - grilled Jerk-spiced chicken
- Curry goat
- Rice and peas - rice stewed with beans and coconut milk.
- Jamaican beef, chicken, curry patties
- Jamaican spiced bun
- Brown Stew Chicken
- Red Peas Soup
- Stewed Peas
- Mannish Water (Head of Goat Soup)- This is said to be an aphrodisiac and is a common New Year's Eve tradition.
- Escoveitch Fish
- Coconut Rundown - spicy mackerel and coconut stew
- Oxtail
- Pepperpot Soup
- Callaloo and Saltfish
- Cabbage and Saltfish
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Steamed Fish
- Okra (also Okra and saltfish stew)
- Pigfoot
- Cowfoot
- Renta Pineapple Drink
[edit] Desserts
Mango and soursop ice Cream are two popular desserts. Jamaican ice cream is traditionally made with coconut milk, rather than milk or cream as used elsewhere. The most popular Jamaican ice cream flavours are grapenut and rum & raisin.
Other popular desserts include potato pudding, gizzada (a small tart shell with sweet spiced coconut filling), toto (a small coconut cake), banana fritters, coconut drops, plantain tart. Dookoonu is a Ghanaian dish made with sweetened starch (usually cornmeal but can also be cassava) wrapped and boiled in a banana leaf. Also called "blue drawers'. [Asham] is ground or powdered sweetened parched corn.
[edit] External links
- Pictures of Jamaican Food
- Jamaica Recipes (includes description of Jamaican Cuisine)
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