Jamaican food is known all over the world as some of the most flavourful dishes. But few visitors are exposed to the unique spin that we put on traditional dishes in our homes to make them even more enjoyable. Take a look at these five dishes.
Curry Gravy on Fried Chicken
Few will dispute that this is Jamaica’s unofficial national dish. We love curry dishes, goat, chicken, whatever. But there is something about putting curried gravy on a piece of fried chicken that just elevate the taste buds to a whole new dimension.
Eat whole fish with bones (fish tea)
It’s bad enough that we are hardly bothered sifting through sharp bones to enjoy a juicy fish. But we have the audacity to put fish in a soup and call it fish tea! Fish is easily cooked so most times it disintegrates, bones and all, by the time the soup is cooked. Then we eat (or drink) it. Some of us eat the eyes too!
Eat bun and cheese at Easter
It’s a weird tradition that some believe comes from an English custom of eating hot cross buns. How the cheese came to become involved in the mix, no one is sure. But what we are sure of is that Easter in Jamaica is not complete without at least one slice of bun and cheese.
Squeeze the meat out of the patty
First of all patty in itself is heaven but some of us want to enjoy the patty without the spicy centers they’re made of. Hence squeezing out the patty meat has become an art by itself for patty crust lovers. And here’s a cool tip: if your patty is too hot (which most times it is) squeezing out the meat allows it to cool quicker, then you can dip the crust in the meat and enjoy!
We brave death to eat ackee
Ackee grows in abundance all over the Caribbean but Jamaicans are the only ones who are brave enough to eat it. This may be because the ackee contains a poison that can be deadly if the vegetable is not allowed to ripen naturally! In fact, a few people die from ackee poisoning every year. But of course for us Jamaicans, that is hardly a reason to not enjoy a delicious plate of the national dish. Ackee is actually quite harmless (and delicious too) as long as it is harvested and cooked the right way. Paired with saltfish and served with generous slices of slightly ripened breadfruit, it is one of the most finger-licking dishes you will eat on this island.