List of Jamaican dishes and foods

Last updated

A plate of jerk chicken, with rice, plantains, carrots and green beans Jerk chicken plate.jpg
A plate of jerk chicken, with rice, plantains, carrots and green beans

This is a list of Jamaican dishes and foods. Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavors, spices and influences from the indigenous people on the island of Jamaica, and the Africans and Indians who have inhabited the island. It is also influenced by the crops introduced into the island from tropical West Africa and Southeast Asia, which are now grown locally. Jamaican cuisine includes dishes from the different cultures brought to the island, while other dishes are novel or a fusion of techniques and traditions. A wide variety of seafood, tropical fruits, and meats are available.

Contents

Jamaican dishes and foods

Ackee and saltfish, national dish of Jamaica Ackee and Saltfish.jpg
Ackee and saltfish, national dish of Jamaica
Cassava cakes (Bammies) Bammies.jpg
Cassava cakes (Bammies)
Callaloo originated in West Africa Callaloo.jpg
Callaloo originated in West Africa
Coco bread, sandwiching a Jamaican patty Coco bread wrapped beef patty.jpg
Coco bread, sandwiching a Jamaican patty
Jamaican patties served with Red Stripe beer Jamaican patties and redstripe.jpg
Jamaican patties served with Red Stripe beer
Run down is a stew dish in Jamaican cuisine and Tobago cuisine Run down (stew).jpg
Run down is a stew dish in Jamaican cuisine and Tobago cuisine
Stamp and Go and callaloo fritters Stamp and go and callaloo fritters.jpg
Stamp and Go and callaloo fritters

Fruits

Guinep fruit Melicoccus bijugatus.jpg
Guinep fruit
Guava Psidium guajava fruit.jpg
Guava

Desserts and sweets

Bulla cake Bulla cake.jpg
Bulla cake
Gizzada Gizzarda from Barbados.jpg
Gizzada

Herbs, spices and condiments

Curry powder Curry powder in the spice-bazaar in Istanbul.jpg
Curry powder
Pimento berries AllspiceBowl.JPG
Pimento berries
Scotch bonnet HotPeppersinMarket.jpg
Scotch bonnet

Soups

Soups play an important role in the Jamaican diet, not only as appetizers, but also as main lunch and dinner dishes because they are filling on their own with tubers/staples (such as yam, sweet potato, white potato, breadfruit, Jamaican boiled dumplings, dasheen and coco), vegetables (such as carrot, okra and cho-cho/chayote) and meat. Many Jamaican families enjoy soup for lunch and dinner. Soup is often had alone, but may be served with hard dough bread or Jamaican water crackers. Soups are almost always served piping hot.

Beverages

A mug of Horlicks malted milk Mug of Horlicks.jpg
A mug of Horlicks malted milk
Milo instant chocolate malt powder Milo2016.jpg
Milo instant chocolate malt powder
Red Stripe beer Red Stripe 2012.JPG
Red Stripe beer
Ting (soft drink) A Ting and a Pink Ting.jpg
Ting (soft drink)

Hot beverages

Most Jamaicans begin the morning with a hot drink, either alone, with Jamaican tough water crackers, bread or along with a breakfast dish.

Juices and cold beverages

Juices often include local fruits such as pineapple, Otaheite apple, June plum (Tahitian apple), acerola cherry, mango and guava, or combine them to make medleys such as guava-carrot and fruit punch.


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curry</span> Spicy Asian or Asian-influenced dishes

Curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Indonesia

Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed in the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 17,508 in the world's largest archipelago, with more than 1,300 ethnic groups.

Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavours and spices influenced by Amerindian, African, Irish, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern people who have inhabited the island. It is also influenced by the crops introduced into the island from tropical Southeast Asia, many of which are now grown locally. A wide variety of seafood, tropical fruits and meats are available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad and Tobago cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has a unique history and its food is influenced by Indian-South Asian, West African, Creole, European, American, Chinese, Amerindian, and Latin American culinary styles. Trinidadian and Tobagonian food is dominated by a wide selection of dishes, most notably, doubles, roti, pelau, callaloo and curried crab and dumplings. Trinidad and Tobago is also known for its prepared provisions, such as dasheen, sweet potato, eddoes, cassava, yam, soups and stews, also known as blue food across the country. Corresponding to the Blue Food Day event held annually in Trinidad and Tobago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamil cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of the Tamil people

Tamil cuisine is a culinary style of Tamil people originating in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and neighboring Sri Lanka. Meats, along with rice, legumes, and lentils, are also popular. Dairy products and tamarind are used to provide sour flavors. On special occasions, traditional Tamil dishes are served in a traditional manner, using banana leaves in place of utensils. After eating, the banana leaves are then used as a secondary food for cattle. A typical breakfast meal consists of idli or dosa with chutney. Lunch includes rice, sambar, curd, kuzhambu, and rasam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Czech cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of the Czech Republic

Czech cuisine has both influenced and been influenced by the cuisines of surrounding countries and nations. Many of the cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe originated within the Czech lands. Contemporary Czech cuisine is more meat-based than in previous periods; the current abundance of farmable meat has enriched its presence in regional cuisine. Traditionally, meat has been reserved for once-weekly consumption, typically on weekends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peranakan cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Straits Chinese people

Peranakan cuisine or Nyonya cuisine comes from the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, inter-marrying with local Malays. In Baba Malay, a female Peranakan is known as a nonya, and a male Peranakan is known as a baba. The cuisine combines Chinese, Malay, Javanese, South Indian, and other influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghanaian cuisine</span> Overview of culinary traditions of Ghana

Ghanaian cuisines refer to the meals of the Ghanaian people. The main dishes of Ghana are organized around starchy staple foods, accompanied by either sauce or soup as well as a source of protein. The main ingredients for the vast majority of soups and stews are tomatoes, hot peppers, and onions. Most Ghanaian soups and stews are red or orange in appearance as a result of the main ingredients used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominican Republic cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of the Dominican Republic

Dominican cuisine is made up of Spanish, indigenous Taíno, Middle Eastern, African, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Haitian influences. The most recent influences in Dominican cuisine are from the British West Indies and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antigua and Barbuda cuisine</span>

Antigua and Barbuda cuisine refers to the cuisines of the Caribbean islands Antigua and Barbuda. The national dish is fungie and pepperpot. Fungie is a dish similar to Italian polenta, made mostly with cornmeal. Other local dishes include ducana, seasoned rice, saltfish and lobster. There are also local confectioneries which include sugar cake, fudge, raspberry and tamarind stew, and peanut brittle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigerian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Nigeria

Nigerian cuisine consists of dishes or food items from the hundreds of Native African ethnic groups that comprises Nigeria. Like other West African cuisines, it uses spices and herbs with palm oil or groundnut oil to create deeply flavored sauces and soups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javanese cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Javanese people, Indonesia

Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belizean cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Belize

Belizean cuisine is an amalgamation of all ethnicities in the nation of Belize and their respectively wide variety of foods. Breakfast often consists of sides of bread, flour tortillas, or fry jacks that are often homemade and eaten with various cheeses. All are often accompanied with refried beans, cheeses, and various forms of eggs, etc. Inclusive is also cereal along with milk, coffee, or tea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundanese cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Sundanese people, Indonesia

Sundanese cuisine is the cuisine of the Sundanese people of Western Java, and Banten, Indonesia. It is one of the most popular foods in Indonesia. Sundanese food is characterised by its freshness; the famous lalab eaten with sambal and also karedok demonstrate the Sundanese fondness for fresh raw vegetables. Unlike the rich and spicy taste, infused with coconut milk and curry of Minangkabau cuisine, the Sundanese cuisine displays the simple and clear taste; ranged from savoury salty, fresh sourness, mild sweetness, to hot and spicy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional street food</span>

Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Indian cuisine</span> Cuisine of ethnic Indian communities of Malaysia

Malaysian Indian cuisine, or the cooking of the ethnic Indian communities in Malaysia, consists of adaptations of authentic dishes from India, as well as original creations inspired by the diverse food culture of Malaysia. Because the vast majority of Malaysia's Indian community are of South Indian descent, and are mostly ethnic Tamils who are descendants of immigrants from a historical region which consists of the modern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka's Northern Province, much of Malaysian Indian cuisine is predominantly South Indian inspired in character and taste. A typical Malaysian Indian dish is likely to be redolent with curry leaves, whole and powdered spice, and contains fresh coconut in various forms. Ghee is still widely used for cooking, although vegetable oils and refined palm oils are now commonplace in home kitchens. Before a meal it is customary to wash hands as cutlery is often not used while eating, with the exception of a serving spoon for each respective dish.

The Cayman Islands are a group of islands situated in the Caribbean Sea just between Cuba and Honduras. After being colonized first by Jamaica and then by the British, Cayman Islands remained under British dependency since 1962. Traditional Cayman Islands cuisine is very tied to Jamaican cuisine and they also kept British influences in their cooking, but you can as well find a large variety of international dishes with a local twist. As for traditional dishes the main ingredients are coconut, plantain, cassava, yams, rice and peas. Jamaican cuisine enriched Cayman’s cuisine by offering a large variety of spices such as jerk, curry and other exotic seasonings. The humid soil provides a large variety of exotic fruits and vegetables such as yellow squash, avocados, callaloo, cassava, calabash, spring onions, pineapples, tomatoes, peas, chili, peppers a great range of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, bananas and plantains, sweet potatoes, yams and mangoes.

Barbadian cuisine, also called Bajan cuisine, is a mixture of African, Portuguese, Indian, Irish, Creole, Indigenous and British background. A typical meal consists of a main dish of meat or fish, normally marinated with a mixture of herbs and spices, hot side dishes, and one or more salads. The meal is usually served with one or more sauces.

French Guianan cuisine or Guianan cuisine is a mixture of Creole, Bushinengue, and indigenous cuisines, supplemented by influences from the cuisines of more recent immigrant groups. Common ingredients include cassava, smoked fish, and smoked chicken. Creole restaurants may be found alongside Chinese restaurants in major cities such as Cayenne, Kourou and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.

References