Brazilian Food - A National Dish

Brazilian Food - A National Dish

Brazilian food can be very attractive and interesting. The cuisine of Brazil is characterized by a great variety of flavors and dishes, and due to the great size of this country, its cuisine can offer unbelievable differences when going from one region to other.

Feijoada is the National Dish

However, there are some dishes and drinks that can be found at most Brazilian places, and the feijoada is at the top of this list. Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil and can be found at every city or town of this country. This dish is characterized by being very intense and heavy, and therefore is traditionally served for lunch, and often followed by a nap. This dish became popular during the times of Portuguese colonies. Since then, it gained such a weight in the traditions of Brazil that is considered the main national dish of the country.

Brazilian national dish

Brazilian Food - A National Dish

The traditional Brazilian feijoada is a stew that contains a variety of ingredients, based on pork meat (tail and ears are often added to the traditional recipe), beef products, and black beans. This dish is usually served with rice and orange, and sometimes fried cassava as well. Portuguese feijoada contains a few different ingredients than the Brazilian one. This feijoada often includes red beans or white beans, carrots, cabbage, and other vegetables. Besides this, this feijoada might be accompanied as a side dish by some of the beef products that are part of the Brazilian recipe.

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Traditional Jamaican Dishes Ideas

Traditional Jamaican Dishes Ideas

Traditional Jamaican Dishes Ideas

Traditional dishes in Jamaica are the representation of their history and culture. Through the dynamic and innovative minds of Jamaican people, they learn to adopt and mimic ideas from other foreign culture. Hence, Jamaican tend to combine food elements and techniques which make their food interesting and exciting to eat.

Having a strong influence of people that colonized Jamaica, their food preference has become extraordinary to taste with. Jamaican spices have been the most sought out seasonings that modifies the cuisine into more outstanding taste and style. These spices and seasonings are usually added in breakfast, lunch, and dinner food. Common spices used in Jamaican cuisine are the following:

• Allspice (also called Jamaica pepper or pimiento leaves)
• Breadfruit
• Ackee
• Callaloo
• Nutmeg
• Sorrel or Roselle Plant
• Scotch Bonnet Pepper
• Tamarind
• Escallion
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Thyme
• Bayleaf
• Annatto
• Garlic
• Coconut
• Coconut milk
• Onion
• Jackfruit
• Vinegar, Ketchup
• Sugar cane
• Jamaican Jerk Spice

These spices are grown in Jamaica, and they provide a distinct flavor to every Jamaican dishes. On the other hand, aside from having a unique blend of Jamaican spices, Jamaican foods have a special define dishes that can only be found in the island. Jamaica served spectacular meals with different styles and tastes. The typical traditional dishes and desserts in Jamaica becomes their trademark of having such an incomparable taste among all the islands in Caribbean.

Traditional Jamaican Dishes Ideas

Traditional Jamaican Dishes Ideas

Traditional Dishes are:

• Ackee and Saltfish (Jamaican's national dish)
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken
• Curry goat and Curried Mutton
• Jamaican patties (beef, chicken, vegetarian, cheese, curry)
• Brown Stew Chicken, Brown Stew Beef
• Oxtail
• Saltfish with cabbage or Callaloo
• Steamed Fish
• Jamaican Spiced Bun

Traditional Desserts are:

• Fresh Mango
• Soursop Ice Cream
• Coconut Drops
• Banana Fritters
• Gizzada
• Sweet Potato Pudding

Above examples, only shows that the foods and spices in Jamaica are fresh and healthy to eat with. Even other countries and Caribbean islands were enticed with the uniqueness that the island could offer. People have always been tempted by the delicious and nutritious Jamaican dishes. Most people travel in Jamaica not only for the breathtaking beaches, and festivals they also visit the island because of food. It has been known that the Jamaican culture is very endearing and promising to others which give them lots of acknowledgment. Jamaican people have excelled in terms of festival, music, people, art, tradition, and most especially in terms of food and with this it is an achievement that everyone should be proud of.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, Food and Island Trivia

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, Food and Island Trivia

Green Mountain Coffee

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, Food and Island Trivia

Coffee is the most popular beverage worldwide with over 400 billion cups consumed each year. Coffee Arabica traces its roots to Abyssinia and was introduced into Arabia more than one thousand years ago. The tradition of coffee consumption is certainly one of the most established ones with ties to many cultures as merchants and people kept promoting coffee as a beverage of choice across the world.

In India, tradition gives credit to BaBa Budan, a Moslem pilgrim to Mecca, with the introduction of coffee into Southern India about 1600. The region where Baba Budan settled is still known as the Baba Budan Hills and continues to be an important coffee producing area in this part of the world. In 1699 coffee was introduced into Java. The coffee plants went from Java to Amsterdam in 1706 and a few years later they ended up as seedlings in the Paris Botanical Gardens. This explains how, in 1723, three of these plants went from Paris to Martinique. The French naval officer, Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu, was the person transporting the seedlings. Only one of the plants survived and from it Arabica coffee was established in Martinique. From Martinique, coffee went to Jamaica and to other coffee producing areas of the Western Hemisphere.

Coffee remains a popular and sought after beverage worldwide with many people devoted to finding new flavors, trying out new ways of cooking with coffee, painting with coffee, using coffee as additive for natural pesticides, natural soil conditioners and fertilizers, as ingredient in natural organic cosmetics and many other uses!

Following is some interesting trivia about coffee, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, food and the island of Jamaica.

First, some general trivia:

• A cup of coffee contains around 100 to 150 milligrams of caffeine as compared to 30 milligrams of caffeine in the average chocolate bar
• 75% of all caffeine consumed in the United States is from coffee
• The steam rising from a cup of coffee contains the same amounts of antioxidants as three oranges, according to a scientific report from the University of California. Antioxidants are good for you, they are heterocyclic compounds that can prevent risk of some illnesses
• The famous Lloyd's of London started under the name Edward Lloyd's Coffeehouse
• "To Insure Promptness" was an inscription placed on brass boxes in old London coffeehouses. Customers were encouraged to place money in these boxes to promote good and efficient service from the coffeehouse workers. In time, the acronym, TIP, became a byword and it is what we use everywhere......next time you add the 'tip" to your bill, remember that the tradition originated around coffee

Now, some Jamaican trivia:

• "Ackee" is both the national fruit and the national dish of Jamaica
• Most Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is exported to Japan
• The pimento plant is native to Jamaica and is one of the island's main agricultural export crops to Russia, Germany and the US. The Spaniards called it "Pimienta de Jamaica." Nowadays, it is known as "Allspice, a combination of many spices." Allspice is made from ripe berries dried and pounded to a fine powder. It is used in meat curing, confectionery and food processing. The oil distilled from the leaves is used in men's fragrances.
• Jamaican "Jerk" is a unique way of preserving and cooking meat such as pork, chicken, fish or beef. The origin of the word "Jerk" is unknown. It may be from the Arawak Indian language or simply the physical reaction to "pull" or "jerk" meat off the fire. Jamaican "Jerk" is a culinary delight of the island.

What about a Jamaican quick linguistic lesson?

• Common greetings: "Yah Mon" (or Man). "Yeah Yeah, Whaapen" (what's happening?). "Y'allright? Whattagwan" (what's going on?).
• Responses to greetings: "Mi deh ya" (I am there). "Look pon you de bettah one" (not as good as you). "Cool, everyting criss, kopustetic" (give thanks, bless and many others).
• Favorite eating phrase: "Goo to eat". A favorite Jamaican meat is chicken, cooked as brown stew, fried or jerked.
• Restaurant phrase: "Havin' it" (means "are you eating here or taking it to go?)
• "Pepper" usually means "the bottled hot pepper sauce." If what you want is black ground pepper, ask for "black pepper" instead.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Timothy_S._Collins

Jamaican Food - Full of Fun, Flavor, and Family

Jamaican Food - Full of Fun

Jamaican Food - Full of Fun

Speaking of food, that's another thing that Jamaica is known for. Well that and gorgeous, life changing Caribbean vacations. Many will think of jerk chicken or pork, a spicy, flavorful dish that can be served with rice or simply by itself. Jerking actually refers to both the spicing and slow cooking of meat. This process preserves the juices and creates a unique spicy flavor. Anyone who has bit into a properly prepared piece of jerk chicken knows there is nothing quite like it. The jerk seasoning usually contains hot pepper, onions, garlic, thyme, allspice, ginger, and cinnamon. These days, you can simply buy a bottle of jerk seasoning sauce at the grocery store and cook up some chicken in the stove or on your gas grill. The traditional method, however, utilizes an outdoor pit lined with wood. Exotic couples vacations to Jamaica are even enhanced by the spicy flavoring of jerk chicken. Sometimes, a couple visiting Jamaica on vacation will return to their home and immediately pull out the phone book to see if they can locate a Jamaican restaurant in their area. The food is intoxicating and very hard to forget. Thankfully there are many Jamaican restaurants in all corners of the world.

Jamaican Food - Full of Fun, Flavor, and Family

In your daily life, meals can be nothing more than a quick shoveling of food into your mouth. Chewing is optional, and for many meals you may not even sit down at the dinner table. In Jamaica, the customs are a little different. The social aspect of the meal is very important, whereas table manners take a bit of a back seat. Food is served family style in large plates. Everyone takes what they want from each plate. Of course, for some in Jamaica life is also very hectic and they may not always get a chance to sit down with their families for a proper dinner. And if you have your honeymoon all inclusive resort all picked out and envision sitting down to eat your food family style, you will probably have to go elsewhere, as the resort you are staying in is likely a buffet or standard sit-down meal establishment. However, if you meet some friends on your trip and ask the waiters to serve you family style, they just might oblige. Just imagining plates full of jerk chicken, fried plantains, and peas and rice is enough to make anyone hungry.

Jamaican Food - Full of Fun

While you don't have to fly to Jamaica just to get some jerk chicken, why not let that be an excuse to take a vacation? SuperClubs can help you decide which caribbean vacations will fit your style and budget. And if you're worried about your exotic couples vacations being ruined by a lack of sun, don't be. Go to our website and check out our SuperClubs Sunshine Guarantee. We think you'll like what you see. And if you're looking for a honeymoon all inclusive resort, we've got special treats in store for you as well at SuperClubs!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alice_Lane

A Taste of Jamaican Food and Recipes

A Taste of Jamaican Food and Recipes

A Taste of Jamaican Food and Recipes

The flavors of Jamaica are the product of the island's history combined with a verdant, lush climate. The Spanish, British, African and East Indian have all had an influence over what is today a unique island cuisine made colorful by the many tropical fruits that thrive here.

The waters off Jamaica have always teemed with fish and seafood is the primary protein source for islanders. Snapper, grouper, sea bass and other reef a deep sea fish are caught daily by the many fishermen whose boats line the beaches. Spiny lobster, shrimp and freshwater crustaceans are readily available and cooked usually in a thick sauce. Chicken and goats are well suited to the small mountainous island and are kept by many families but cattle are rare and beef is not the predominant meat.

Many of Jamaica's fruits, including pineapple, mango, banana and avocado were brought to the region by slave traders and plantation owners experimenting with crops. What were once sugar cane fields are now being used to grow fruits and ackee for export and domestic use.

Few other cuisines mix such a range of spices and tastes - sweet, hot and savory - as Jamaican cooking. Jamaican food wouldn't be the same without the spices, seasonings and colors from: Allspice, the pimento berry.

Among many of the spices grown in Jamaica are nutmeg, ginger, thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, which are integral distinct flavors of Jamaican cooking. The pungent thyme grows rampantly on the island and is found in the majority of Jamaican foods.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/Jen E Carter

Jamaican Food Recipes - Rice and Peas

Jamaican Food Recipes - Rice and Peas

Jamaican Food Recipes - Rice and Peas

Jamaican Food Recipes - Rice and Peas

The most Jamaican of Jamaican food recipes has to be Rice and Peas. The world may know us for jerk chicken, but Rice and Peas is our comfortable old friend that we just cannot do without.

We eat it so often that it has become known as our "Coat of Arms". Ask a Jamaican about Sunday dinner, and the words "Rice and Peas" will almost definitely be in the answer. Some of us will eat it every day, and with every type of meat. Or with just gravy. Or all by itself.

Other countries in the world have variations, but none is exactly like ours, made delicious with coconut milk and the perfect blend of seasonings.

Before powdered and canned coconut milk and canned peas came on the market, the preparation of rice and peas was a lengthy process. A dry coconut would have to be split, the coconut meat taken out and grated, then put through a sieve and the milk squeezed out. Some people still prefer to do it this way, but in addition to being time consuming, grating coconut is not easy on the fingers. So those of us who treasure our hands are grateful that we have easier alternatives to grating!

Ready to cook?

Jamaican Rice and Peas

2 cups parboiled rice1/2 cup red peas, dried or canned4 cups water1 50g sachet of coconut milk powder, or 1/2 of a 400ml can of coconut milk1 tsp salt1 small onion, chopped1 stalk escallion (crushed)1 sprig thyme1/4 tsp pimento (all spice)pinch of black pepper1 whole green scotch bonnet pepper (or other hot pepper)

If using dried peas, soak them for a few hours (or overnight) in water to soften. Boil peas in cold water until tender. Pour off stock from peas and measure. Add enough water and coconut milk/coconut milk powder to make 4 cups of liquid, and add to peas.

If using canned peas, there is no need to cook them beforehand. Just add the four cups of liquid as described above.

To the mixture of peas, water and coconut milk, add all the seasonings and spices. Allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the rice to this mixture, and stir well. Increase flame until liquid boils. Then reduce heat and cover. Simmer until rice grains are tender. Apart from the first stir, try not to stir the mixture again while cooking, as this might make it sticky.

A delicious alternative to red peas is gungo (pigeon) peas. This version is especially popular at Christmas time when gungo is in season. Use canned or green gungo peas. There is no need to soak green gungo. Merely boil until tender, then continue the recipe as described.

Rice and Peas makes a nutritious, filling and tasty accompaniment to a wide array of meat dishes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Allison_Morris