Like the music, the food of the beautiful country of Jamaica, is intimately linked with its history and culture. All who have inhabited the island, from the indigenous peoples, the British, Spanish, Africans and even Chinese, have all left their mark on the cuisine. Beyond the techniques and styles of the foreign visitors, the plants they brought with them also affected the food.
No cuisine brought to Jamaica was copied outright, but rather incorporated into their diet, much like the incorporation of foreign music into Jamaica's distinctive sounds. Where the ingredients for a visitor's traditional dish couldn't be found, an ingredient native to Jamaica would be introduced, thus putting their cultural stamp on it.
Some very popular Jamaican dishes are goat curry, fried dumplings, ackee and salted cod (the national dish of Jamaica), fried plantain, jerk sauces for all manner of meats, rice and peas and steamed cabbage. There is also a fine tradition of baked goods to be had, such as Jamaican patties and an assortment of breads.
Documentation of local food preparation dates back to Christopher Columbus. Columbus visited Jamaica numerous times near the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century. Records were kept by Columbus, detailing how the Arawak people preserved meat using salt, peppers and allspice. This combination is now more commonly known as Jamaican jerk spice.
The first European visitors to the island were the Spanish. A vinegary dish know as escovitched fish was introduced by Spanish Jews. The Cantonese/Hakka peoples were influential in the development of the Jamaican patty, which is similar to an empanada filled with spiced meat. Curried goat can be traced back to not only the Chinese, but also to East Indian inhabitants, who were brought in as indentured laborers to replace slaves after emancipation. The British influence turned Jamaica into the largest tea consumers, per capita, in the Caribbean.
There is also strong vegetarian culture in Jamaica, which can be attributed to the Rastafarian religion. The Rastafarian approach to food is very healthy, whether it is in the preparation, cooking or consumption. Some within the religion go so far as to strictly limit, or completely remove, the addition of salt to all their food.
No article about Jamaican food would be complete without a look at their desserts. Two very popular deserts are soursop and mango ice cream. Unlike ice cream in North America, Jamaican ice cream is made using coconut milk. An interesting dessert is the ducknoo or blue drawers. It is a dish that combines coconut milk with a starch (usually cassava or cornmeal). It is wrapped in a banana leaf, tied, and boiled. A few other popular desserts are banana fritters, potato pudding, grated cakes, gizzada (a small tart filled with a spiced coconut filling), toto (coconut cake), asham (ground dried corn combined with brown sugar) and a candy called, Bustamante Backbone, which is named after Jamaica's first Prime Minister, Alexander Bustamante.
No cuisine brought to Jamaica was copied outright, but rather incorporated into their diet, much like the incorporation of foreign music into Jamaica's distinctive sounds. Where the ingredients for a visitor's traditional dish couldn't be found, an ingredient native to Jamaica would be introduced, thus putting their cultural stamp on it.
Some very popular Jamaican dishes are goat curry, fried dumplings, ackee and salted cod (the national dish of Jamaica), fried plantain, jerk sauces for all manner of meats, rice and peas and steamed cabbage. There is also a fine tradition of baked goods to be had, such as Jamaican patties and an assortment of breads.
Documentation of local food preparation dates back to Christopher Columbus. Columbus visited Jamaica numerous times near the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century. Records were kept by Columbus, detailing how the Arawak people preserved meat using salt, peppers and allspice. This combination is now more commonly known as Jamaican jerk spice.
The first European visitors to the island were the Spanish. A vinegary dish know as escovitched fish was introduced by Spanish Jews. The Cantonese/Hakka peoples were influential in the development of the Jamaican patty, which is similar to an empanada filled with spiced meat. Curried goat can be traced back to not only the Chinese, but also to East Indian inhabitants, who were brought in as indentured laborers to replace slaves after emancipation. The British influence turned Jamaica into the largest tea consumers, per capita, in the Caribbean.
There is also strong vegetarian culture in Jamaica, which can be attributed to the Rastafarian religion. The Rastafarian approach to food is very healthy, whether it is in the preparation, cooking or consumption. Some within the religion go so far as to strictly limit, or completely remove, the addition of salt to all their food.
No article about Jamaican food would be complete without a look at their desserts. Two very popular deserts are soursop and mango ice cream. Unlike ice cream in North America, Jamaican ice cream is made using coconut milk. An interesting dessert is the ducknoo or blue drawers. It is a dish that combines coconut milk with a starch (usually cassava or cornmeal). It is wrapped in a banana leaf, tied, and boiled. A few other popular desserts are banana fritters, potato pudding, grated cakes, gizzada (a small tart filled with a spiced coconut filling), toto (coconut cake), asham (ground dried corn combined with brown sugar) and a candy called, Bustamante Backbone, which is named after Jamaica's first Prime Minister, Alexander Bustamante.
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