Jamaican Jerk Pork Recipe

The island of Jamaica is known for its many interesting dishes such as saltfish and ackee, curried goat, fried plantains, and of course jerk dishes. In particular, jerk dishes are well known by many people in the United States of America, Canada and Great Britain - as such dishes have become quite popular not just among people of Jamaican descent, but also among the wider community. Outside of Jamaica, perhaps the best known of jerk dishes is jerk chicken, however in Jamaica itself the traditional meats for jerk are either pork or goat.

All jerk dishes are however prepared basically the same way:-

1. The meat is cut into chunks. If making jerk pork, you might want to consider using pork shoulder.

2. Jamaican jerk spice or marinade is applied to the meat. You should rub the jerk spice into the meat, including making some shallow cuts into the meat and rubbing the spice into this. I would also suggest leaving the meat in the marinade over night.

3. The meat is then cooked. Ideally the cooking should be done over a charcoal grill, and if possible some pimento wood or berries placed on the hot coals, but if this is not possible, reasonable results can be achieved by simply cooking the meat in a normal kitchen oven.

Preparing meat in this ways result in a spicy and rather fiery dish. Of course, I won't pretend that this is necessarily going to be everyone's taste, but if you do like spicy food, why not give it a go?

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

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

Traditional Jamaican Food Recipes

By: Sunil Tanna, SITE

Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean. Located in the Greater Antilles chain, it is in fact the most populous English-speaking island in the region. The island is particularly known for its contributions to the fields of literature, music (including ska and reggae), as being the birthplace of the Rastafarian movement, and for its interesting and exciting cuisine.

Many Jamaican dishes make use of spices, and can even be quite fiery. Jamaican dishes are not only eaten in Jamaica itself, but also have been taken overseas, particularly to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom by Jamaica emigrants - and as a result become known in those countries too.

The most famous of Jamaican dishes are probably jerk dishes. These are meat (or nowadays also fish or even tofu) that has been prepared by marinading in a mixture of hot spices (principally pimento and Scotch bell peppers) before cooking. Jerk dishes are often cooked over a charcoal barbecue grill, but when this is not possible they can be cooked in a normal kitchen oven. In Jamaica itself, the traditional meats for jerk are goat meat or pork, but overseas you may perhaps more commonly encounter jerk chicken.

There are many other Jamaican dishes that you may also want to try. These include saltfish and ackee (salted cod together with ackee which is a kind of fruit - but note, ackee must be properly prepared, as if not properly prepared it is poisonous), fried plantains, and curried goat. If you are looking for a taste of the exotic or enjoy spicy food, why not try Jamaican cuisine?