Type | Pastry |
---|---|
Course | Snack |
Place of origin | Jamaica |
Region or state | Caribbean |
Serving temperature | Hot |
A Jamaican patty is a semicircular pastry that contains various fillings and spices baked inside a flaky shell, often tinted golden yellow with an egg yolk mixture or turmeric. [1] It is made like a turnover as it is formed by folding the circular dough cutout over the chosen filling, but is more savoury and filled with ground meat. [1]
As its name suggests, it is commonly found in Jamaica, and is also eaten in other areas of the Caribbean including the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It is traditionally filled with seasoned ground beef, but fillings can include chicken, pork, lamb, vegetables, shrimp, lobster, fish, soy, ackee, mixed vegetables or cheese. It is a very spicy meal, seasoned with onions, garlic, thyme, oregano and chilli peppers, especially the Scotch bonnet. In non-Jamaican-based restaurants, to appeal to certain audiences, the patty's composition may be extended to include low-fat, whole wheat crusts or the absence of chillies. [2]
In Jamaica, the patty is often eaten as a full meal, especially when paired with coco bread. It can also be made as bite-sized portions called cocktail patties. Among the Jamaican diaspora in the United Kingdom, the pastry is more like that of a suet crust, and often made with margarine or butter, which provides the flaky pastry, and curry powder containing turmeric, which provides the yellow colour.
The beef patty is a product of the long history of Jamaica, mixing pasties introduced by Cornish immigrants, cumin, curry were introduced by Indian indentured labourers and cayenne pepper by the African slaves who were brought to the country. [3] "The firecracker taste of the Scotch bonnet, a hot pepper indigenous to Jamaica, sealed the flavour." [3]
Jamaicans brought recipes for the patties northward in the 1960s and 1970s when many immigrated to the United States as hospital orderlies, home health aides and nurses. [3] The patties were then found in restaurants in areas of the New York metropolitan area with high West Indian populations. The patties are equally popular in British cities with large West Indian populations, such as Birmingham, [4] Manchester and London. Their popularity is spreading in the United Kingdom and they are becoming available in many mainstream outlets. [5] They are also popular in Toronto, Montreal, Miami, Washington, D.C., and numerous other areas throughout the American northeast and Canadian Great Lakes regions; in many of those areas, they are available in grocery stores, delis, corner stores, and convenience stores.
In recent years, the Jamaican meat patty has been pre-made and frozen for mass selling in Britain, [5] Canada, and the United States. In many areas in the United States and Canada, Jamaican beef patties are now typically available at pizza and convenience food restaurants, as well as supermarkets.
In February 1985, the Canadian government attempted to ban patty vendors from using the term "beef patty" as it did not comply with the Meat Inspection Act's definition of the federally-regulated term, which was based on hamburger patties. [6] [7] Patty vendors refused to rename the beef patties, and the issue was covered repeatedly by media in both Canada and Jamaica. [6] The government faced pressure to resolve the issue because of an upcoming trip to Jamaica by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. On February 19, 1985, officials from the Consumer and Corporate Affairs and representatives from the patty vendors agreed to a compromise to call the patty a "Jamaican patty", with no need to rename businesses or change signage. [8] Colin Vaughn called it "a victory for the Jamaican community". [8]
In a Toronto Star column on February 22, 2012, columnist Royson James unofficially declared February 23 as the Jamaican Patty Day in Toronto. [9] The "patty wars" controversy was the subject of a 2022 CBC documentary entitled Patty vs. Patty , featuring an interview with Michael Davidson, directed by Chris Strikes. [10] [6]
The popularity of the Jamaican patty has grown significantly with immigration from Jamaica, becoming a mainstream food item in some countries. From being a hand-made pastry in Jamaica's homes and bakeries, it has starting in the 1980s and 1990s become commercialised and commoditized, especially in North America. The patties are now often made in large numbers by industrial machinery and sold under brand names in supermarkets and in chain restaurants. [11] In the United States, patties are offered by some restaurants such as pizzerias [12] and included in public school lunches. The New York school system distributed more than three million patties in one year. [11] [2]
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit, nuts, fruit preserves, brown sugar, sweetened vegetables, or with thicker fillings based on eggs and dairy. Savoury pies may be filled with meat, eggs and cheese or a mixture of meat and vegetables.
A sausage roll is a savoury dish, popular in current and former Commonwealth nations, consisting of sausage meat wrapped in puff pastry. Although variations are known throughout Europe and in other regions, the sausage roll is most closely associated with British cuisine.
Roti is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, and Southeast African countries.
An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spain, other Southern European countries, Latin American countries, and the Philippines. The name comes from the Spanish empanar, and translates as 'breaded', that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat, cheese, tomato, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying.
A samosa is a fried South Asian pastry with a savoury filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, meat, or fish. It is made into different shapes, including triangular, cone, or crescent, depending on the region. Samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier. Sweet versions are also made. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the cuisines of South Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, East Africa and their South Asian diasporas.
Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavours and spices influenced by Amerindian, West 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.
A knish or is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish snack food consisting of a filling covered with dough that is typically baked or sometimes deep fried.
Callaloo is a plant used in popular dishes in many Caribbean countries, while for other Caribbean countries, a stew made with the plant is called callaloo. Cuisines including the plant Callaloo or dishes called callaloo varies throughout the Caribbean. In countries such as Trinidad and Tobago or Grenada, the dish itself is called callaloo, and uses taro leaves or Xanthosoma leaves.
A turnover is a type of pastry made by placing a filling on a piece of dough, folding the dough over, sealing it, and then baking it. Turnovers can be sweet or savoury and are often made as a sort of portable meal or dessert. They are often eaten for breakfast.
A curry puff is a snack of Southeast Asian origin. It is a small pie consisting of curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell. The consistency of the curry is quite thick to prevent it from oozing out of the snack. Pap or puff reflects the Fujian Chinese dialect 泡 ('pop'), which means 'bubble, blister, puffed'. It is a truly Southeast Asian snack as it has Indian, Chinese or Malay elements.
A vol-au-vent is a small hollow case of puff pastry. It was formerly also called a patty case.
The Natchitoches meat pie is a regional meat pie from northern Louisiana, United States. It is one of the official state foods of Louisiana.
A meat pie is a pie with a filling of meat and often with other savory ingredients. They are found in cuisines worldwide.
Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery, Inc. is a Caribbean fast casual restaurant operator and manufacturer of Caribbean cuisine including Jamaican food, Jamaican patty, and other baked goods.
A croquette is a deep-fried roll originating in French cuisine, consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is then breaded. It is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide.
Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.
Spring rolls are rolled appetizers or dim sum commonly found in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines. The kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably depending on the region's culture, though they are generally filled with vegetables.
Patty vs. Patty is a 2022 Canadian short documentary film, directed by Chris Strikes. The film recounts the true story of the "patty wars" of 1985, when restaurants in Toronto which served Jamaican patties had to fight a bureaucratic edict that they could not call their product a "patty", on the grounds that consumers might confuse them with hamburger patties, through a mixture of documentary footage and satirical dramatic reenactments performed by Star Trek: Discovery and Bite of a Mango actor Orville Cummings.
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