Jamaican Cookbooks

Jamaica is an island nation located in the Caribbean Sea, to the south of Cuba and west of the island of Hispaniola (which contains Haiti and the Dominican Republic). The island nation was a British colony from 1655 (when General Robert Venables seized the island from the Spanish) until 1962, and is today the most populous English-speaking island in the Caribbean. Jamaica is well known for its culture especially popular music and literature, and also has developed a highly distinctive (and tasty!) style of cuisine.

Jamaican cuisine is perhaps known for its use of spices. In particular, pimento (also known as "pimenta", "allspice" or "Jamaica pepper"), and annatto (a spice that tastes like pepper with a hint of nutmeg and comes from pulp surrounding the fruit of achiote trees), play an important part in many dishes.

Another unusual ingredient in Jamaican cuisine is ackee (also sometimes spelled "akee" or "achee") which is a kind of fruit, which is boiled and then sautéed with salted fish (cod), tomatoes, onions and peppers. Great care must be taken to prepare ackee properly, because if this is not done correctly there is actually a risk of poisoning!

There are a great variety of other interesting Jamaican recipes, some of which you may have heard of, including:

- Jerk dishes for example are meats prepared in by rubbing with a spicy marinade and then cooked over a grill or in an oven (traditionally they were smoked by nowadays this is less common that it once was).

- Curried goat is goat meat cooked in a spicy sauce.

- Rice and peas consists of rice cooked with coconut milk, herbs and flavorings and mixed with legumes such as kidney beans.

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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.