Jamaican cuisine

Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavors, spices and influences from the indigenous people on the island of Jamaica, and the Spanish, Irish, British, Africans, Indian and Chinese who have inhabited the island. It is also influenced by the crops introduced into the island from tropical Southeast Asia.

History

Jamaican cuisine has been influenced by a wide range of cultures throughout history. The indigenous Arawak and Taino tribes introduced the Spanish to cassava, while the Spanish brought with them various types of livestock. The British introduced baking methods and the Africans introduced the use of spices. The Chinese and Indian immigrants brought stir-fry and curry methods respectively.

Ingredients

Common ingredients used in Jamaican cuisine include coconut, jackfruit, allspice, pimento, thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, curry, ginger, garlic and nutmeg. Seafood, particularly fish, is also a staple in Jamaican cuisine.

Dishes

Some popular Jamaican dishes include jerk chicken, ackee and saltfish, callaloo, patty, rice and peas, and oxtail. Jamaican cuisine also includes a variety of soups, such as mannish water and pepperpot soup, and desserts like grater cake and gizzada.

Beverages

Traditional Jamaican beverages include Jamaican rum, Red Stripe beer, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, sorrel drink, and Jamaican ginger beer.

See also

• Caribbean cuisine
• List of Jamaican dishes
• Jamaican jerk spice