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. All of which are now grown locally in Jamaica. A wide variety of seafood, tropical fruits and meats are available.
Some Jamaican dishes are variations on cuisines brought to the island from elsewhere. These are often modified to incorporate local produce and spices. Others are novel or fusion and have developed locally. Popular Jamaican dishes include curry goat, fried dumplings, and ackee and saltfish. Jamaican patties along with various pastries, breads and beverages are also popular.
Jamaican cuisine has spread with emigrants, especially during the 20th century, from the island to other nations as Jamaicans have sought economic opportunities in other countries.
Main courses
- Ackee and saltfish
- Beef Stew
- Brown stew chicken
- Brown stew fish
- Chow mein
- Cook-up rice
- Corned beef and cabbage
- Cow foot with broad beans
- Curry chicken
- Curry goat/mutton
- Escoveitch fish
- Fried fish
- Ital stew
- Jamaican patties
- Jerk chicken/pork
- Oxtail with broad beans
- Pork chops
- Roti
- Run down
- Saltfish with cabbage or callaloo
- Stew beef
- Stew pork
- Sweet and sour meats
Soups
- Beef soup
- Corn soup
- Cow heel soup
- Fish tea
- Mannish water
- Pepperpot
- Red peas soup
- Pumpkin soup
- Gungo peas soup
- Chicken soup
Side dishes
- Callaloo
- Dumplings (boiled or fried)
- Festival
- Fried breadfruit
- Fried plantain
- Fried rice
- Ground provisions
- Macaroni pie
- Potato salad
- Rice and peas – Otherwise known as “Jamaican Coat of Arms”.
- Seasoned rice – pumpkin or Callaloo plus spices
- Stir-fry or steamed vegetables
- Stew peas
- Turned cornmeal
Breads and pastries
- Bammy
- Black cake
- Bulla cake
- Coco bread
- Grotto
- Hard dough bread
- Peg bread
- Rock cake
- Rum cake
- Spiced bun
- Sugar bun
Beverages
- Bush teas
- Carbonated soft drinks (Bigga and D&G sodas)
- Carrot juice with spices such as nutmeg and vanilla
- Ginger beer
- Guinness punch with spices such as nutmeg and vanilla
- Irish moss
- Limeade
- Liqueurs (Sangster’s, Tia Maria, etc)
- Malt (D&G Malta)
- Mauby
- Numerous fruit juices (cucumber, guava, mango, otaheite apple, pawpaw, pineapple, soursop, etc)
- Peanut punch
- Red Stripe
- Rums and rum punches
- Sorrel
- Tamarind Fizz
- Ting
- Various cocktails
Content c/o Wikipedia