Food of Jamaica. John DeMers
the standard Jamaican backyard is thickly planted with mangoes, limes, sweet and sour sops, ackees, sugar cane, bananas, avocados and whatever else the land will hold.
Vegetables are grown both in the cooler mountains and on the plains. The Santa Cruz area of St. Elizabeth is known as the breadbasket of Jamaica. The industrious farmers here manage to produce an abundance of food, in spite of a lack of irrigation, through heavy mulching, which helps the soil retain moisture. The largest quantities of scallions, thyme and onions are grown in this area. The mountain regions produce excellent lettuce, bok choy, cabbage, scallions and thyme.
Starches and root crops consisting of breadfruit, cassava (bitter and sweet), sweet and Irish potatoes, cocos, yams, plantains and bananas both ripe and green—the latter being eaten as a starch—are grown both in the mountains and on the plains.
The island is blessed with an astonishing variety of fruits—some indigenous, others introduced over the centuries. Summer is, of course, the most abundant season for fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, otaheiti apples, sweet and sour sops, plums, naseberries and so on.
Both dairy and beef cattle are raised in Jamaica. Beef cattle were usually bred by owners of large sugar estates and other landowners who had enough acreage of pangola grass to support the cattle. Pigs were introduced into Jamaica as early as the sixteenth century by the Spaniards and became wild in the mountains. They were notably hunted and barbecued, or “jerked,” by the Maroons, using a method that was uniquely their own. Originally, goats were reared by the peasantry strictly for their milk. However, with the influx of Indian immigrants, the demand for goat meat has escalated to such an extent that this meat is often more expensive than beef. Poultry was introduced in waves to the island by the Spaniards, the English, and the Africans. Many households also raise chickens on a small scale.
Fish and crustaceans were once abundant but have become scarce owing to overfishing. They now come mainly from the Pedro Banks to the south of the island, and commercially produced pond fish now fill the demand for wild fish.
The astonishing array of ingredients available on the island has been the source of inspiration for many a newcomer to Jamaica, who, eager to recreate recipes from home, has created new dishes that are at the root of today’s Jamaican cuisine.
Eating and Cooking
Goat feeds and wedding cakes—new traditions displace the old
By Norma Benghiat
Jamaica’s cuisine has changed over time, and new traditions have displaced some of the old. But eating customs and dishes exist there today that are both remnants of Jamaica’s colonial history and the result of its many immigrant contributions.
One cannot say enough about the influence of immigration on the food of Jamaica. Since the English had already acquired a craving for curry in India, Indians found a ready audience for their contributions to the great Jamaican cook pot. They brought from home the technique for blending fragrant curry powders and using them to showcase local meat and fish. When traditional lamb proved hard to find, they drafted the most convenient substitute. The dish curried goat was born, turning up now and again with a side of chow mein.
The Chinese and, in smaller numbers, the Syrians and Lebanese added tremendous complexity to Jamaica’s culture and cuisine. The island’s very old Jewish community was joined over time by migrant Arab traders from Palestine. These groups all prepared traditional dishes from their homes—curried goat and sweet and sour pork, to name a few of the many—that have become an integral part of Jamaica’s cuisine.
Plantains, which like bananas were brought to the island by the Spanish, are eaten by the locals in a variety of ways—green or ripe, salty or sweet, fried, baked or boiled. This stuffed plantain is one of the best variations.
Eating traditions hark back to the days of Britain’s control of the island. During the eighteenth century on the plantations meals were copious for the residents of the grand plantation houses. The day began with a cup of coffee, chocolate or an infusion of some local herb, all equally called “tea.” Breakfast was served later in the morning, a “second breakfast” was served at noon, and dinner was served in the late afternoon or evening. Both the breakfast and “second breakfast” were substantial meals, as was dinner.
Today’s Jamaican breakfast varies considerably depending on where one lives. Farmers, who rise early to tend their fields, start the day with a cup of “tea.” Late in the morning they may eat a substantial breakfast of callaloo and saltfish (salted cod), ackee and saltfish accompanied with yams, roasted breadfruit, dumplings or green bananas.
This festive Jamaican dinner brings together the Caribbean flavors of pineapple and pork.
Both country and town lunches consist of some of the favorite Jamaican dishes, such as stewed peas (which are what Jamaicans call beans); curried goat; oxtail; escoveitched fish (marinated in lime juice), brown stewed fish (pan-fried and then braised in a brown sauce seasoned with hot peppers and spices) or simply fried fish. These main dishes are usually served with rice, yams, green bananas or other starches. There might also be a satisfying soup of meats, vegetables, yams, cocos (taro, also called dasheen) and dumplings served as a one-pot meal. Dinner can include stewed beef, jerked meat, oxtail and beans, fish or fricasseed chicken.
The most important meal of every Jamaican household is the traditional Sunday dinner. This is usually eaten midafternoon after eating a bigger Sunday breakfast of ackee and saltfish or liver and onions with johnny cakes, green bananas and bammie (a flat cassava bread) and fruit.
Dinner (sometimes called late lunch as well) is the time when family and friends gather for a more relaxed meal. Rice and peas are de rigueur for Sundays, and often at least two meats—fricasseed chicken as well as a very spicy roast beef—will be served. Fried plantains, string beans, carrots and a salad might accompany the meats, followed by a pudding, cake or fruit salad. Beverages include soft drinks, lemonade, coconut water, beers and rum or rum punch.
Christmas is the most important holiday of the year for Jamaicans. This goes back to the days of slavery when there were four seasonal holidays— Christmas, Easter or Picanny Christmas, Crop over Harvest and the Yam Festival. The Yam Festival has since disappeared, but the other three holidays are still celebrated, and celebrated well.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Christmas consisted of three nonconsecutive days— Christmas, Boxing and New Year’s Days. During this time, a temporary metamorphosis occurred in the relationship between master and slaves: the slaves assumed names of prominent whites, richly dressed (most of their savings went into dressing), and addressed their masters as equals. Christmas celebrations began early in the morning when a chorus of slaves visited the great house, singing “good morning to your nightcap and health to the master and mistress.” After this, the slaves collected extra rations of salted meats for the three days of celebrations.
The great attraction on Boxing Day was the John Canoe Dance—which is slowly dying out—and on New Year’s Day, the great procession of the Blue and Red Set Girls. Each set gave a ball, and each was represented by a king and queen. The queen and her attendants wore lavish gowns that were kept secret until the day of their appearance.
For most Jamaicans today, the idea of Christmas conjures up cool days, shopping, social gatherings, and much eating and drinking. This is the time of year when the sorrel plant, used to make the traditional red Christmas drink, is in season along with the fresh gungo (pigeon) peas used to make Christmas rice and peas. A very rich plum pudding, made from dried fruits soaked for weeks in rum and port, is a must for Christmas dinner. It is usually served with a “hard” or brandy sauce.
Easter time reflects the passing of the cooler months and heralds the coming of summer. For strict Catholics, it means the abandoning of meats for fish. Even though the majority of the Jamaican population is not Catholic, more fish is eaten during Lent than at any other time of the year.
The eating