On Jamaican food*

By far, one of the best things about learning about a new culture is getting to try all the new foods. Jamaica has no shortage of unique foods, and trust me, I’ve done my fair share of sampling in the past 6 weeks. So I thought it would be fun to give you all an idea of what I’ve been eating lately.

Jerk – Probably the most famous Jamaican dish and it’s usually chicken or pork (though the pork probably isn’t the best idea right now…). To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed by this one. Not because it’s not delicious, because trust me, it is. It’s just not that different then other slow cooked, smoked chicken I’ve had. But, like I said, it is tasty. The spice level really varies with the cook – sometimes it’s not hot at all, and other times it is smokin’ hot. What makes it jerk is the spices, and that’s where the variation comes in. Serious jerk chefs usually make their own blend and use that to season the meat. After the meat is spiced, it is slow cooked in a grill and becomes really tender. It’s usually served with festival – little sweet breadsticks that go really well with the chicken, especially if it’s a little spicy. The most interesting thing about jerk is where you usually find it. Besides the “jerk centers” around towns, there are usually a few people in each neighborhood who cook jerk chicken and pork on weekend nights at the end of their driveway. In Hellshire, this became a community event, with people eating and chatting with their neighbors. It’s not as much of an event in my community here, although I did meet Colin this past weekend, who sold me some delicious jerk chicken and festival – a huge portion that I had trouble finishing for only J$290! (That would be just over US$3.00)

Ackee and Salt-fish – This would be the national dish of Jamaica. (Yeah, I didn’t know countries had national dishes either. I guess America’s would be a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a coke?) Ackee is a red fruit that grows all over the place in Jamaica – on the tree it looks a little like a red pepper. It is poisonous until it opens on its own on the tree, when the middle can be taken out and cooked. It looks a lot like scrambled eggs when it is all cooked up, but doesn’t really taste at all like eggs. I’m not actually sure what it tastes like… the salt fish I had it with was so amazingly salty and fishy that I really couldn’t taste anything else. I think salt fish is cod, although I’m not really sure. Like I said, it is really, really salty. So much so that it actually doesn’t have to be refrigerated or kept cold. The whole dish just tastes salty and fishy and is obviously not my favorite. Apparently salt fish grows on you, but in order for that to happen, I’ll have to eat it a few more times…something that I don’t really see happening.  But when I try the ackee sans salt fish, I’ll let you know what I think.

Rice & Peas – can accompany pretty much any Jamaican dish, and I’ve already found myself craving it lately. The rice is usually prepared with a little coconut milk, giving it a slightly sweet taste. And mixed in are beans (beans are known as peas here) – usually red kidney beans, but sometimes a few other varieties. Like I said, this is a side with almost every meal, and the portion of rice is usually about the size of my head. I have no idea how Jamaicans eat so much rice and aren’t all 300 lbs., but they can seriously put it away. It’s impressive.

Stewed chicken – I think this is my favorite dish so far. The chicken is stewed in a pot for a while with just a slightly sweet sauce and its own juices – no oil or anything needed. As a result, the flavor of the sauce really comes out, but doesn’t overpower the flavor of the chicken. I feel like when people in America cook with sauces, we tend to just throw the sauce on there and that is kind of all you can taste. But when you can actually taste the meat, it’s just delicious. Jamaicans eat any part of the chicken, and the breast is actually most people’s least favorite part. People think I’m a little weird when I ask for it, but I can deal with that. It is usually served with a heaping side of rice & peas and/or what Jamaicans call food…

Food – a general term for starchy vegetables served as sides. This usually consist of yam (there are over a dozen different kinds of yams here…), potatoes (sweet, Irish, etc), and boiled green bananas. That’s right – unripened bananas are boiled and eaten here. They are surprisingly tasteless and turn an unappetizing grey color when cooked. They’re not exactly my favorite. There are also dumplings – little pods of water and flour that are not near as tasty as what I know of as dumplings. All of these items are usually placed in one pot and boiled, usually with no spices or anything added. For a culture that puts so much flavor into their meat, it’s shocking that they wouldn’t think to add even a little salt to this mix. It would definitely go a long way. But alas, no culture is perfect, right? And yes, food is used both in context, as well as in the way we would use the word. And yes, this does get really confusing. I never thought I would hear someone ask, “You want some food with your chicken?” 

As a side note, Usain Bolt, the current fastest man in the world, is from the parish bordering mine, Trelawney. That parish is actually also home to several other of Jamaica’s best sprinters. Trelawney is also where most of the yam in Jamaica is grown, and it’s said that all the yam is what makes them so fast. Personally, I’d say it’s the combination of luck and hard work, but you know, that’s just me. 

Patties – These are similar to a calzone or an empanada. It’s pretty much just ground up meat in a fried dough. The most common type is beef, although you can also get chicken, fish, veggie, and beef & cheese. They are surprisingly good, and pretty cheap. They are awful for you, and I’m pretty sure the meat would be somewhere around grade D in the states, but it’s best not to think about this when you’re eating them. They make a really good fast, cheap lunch and like most things that will give you a heart attack, are pretty tasty.

Bun & Cheese – definitely the most processed meal on this list. Thankfully, it’s usually only eaten around Easter – it’s definitely one of those things you can only eat a few times a year. The bun in this combo is a spiced muffin type of thing that’s sweet and a little sticky. It’s cut in half and served sandwich style with Tastee Cheese inside. The best way to describe Tastee Cheese is to think of a solid version of cheez-whiz – the “cheese” that comes in a can like whipped cream. The cheese comes in a can and doesn’t need to be refrigerated until it’s opened. I was a little hesitant of the combination at first, but it’s actually surprisingly delicious. But, like I said, something you really only want once or twice a year. I think eating it any more often than that would kill you.  

There are a few Jamaican delicacies I have yet to try including oxtail, pig tail, chicken foot (usually cooked in a soup), conch, fish head and manish water (goat head soup...). 

Gah. Two pages in and I haven’t even touched on all the fruit yet! Well, that’ll have to be another entry on another day. I could keep talking for days about food, but I think I’ll spare you all. 

*this entry is dedicated to Lindsay Giesen, mostly because she’s probably already trying to figure out how to make all of these things back in DC.