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The History of Jamaican Cuisine
Vacationing in Jamaica will always be fabulous, but it would be a big mistake to leave without experimenting with the cuisine at least a little bit. Your hotel in Jamaica will serve local native dishes, as well as a selection of Western style dishes. Traditional Jamaican cuisine has many influences, some environmental and some cultural. To understand the evolution of the diverse flavors of Jamaican food, one must take a look at the early history of the country.
The indigenous people of Jamaica are thought to have settled on the island sometime between 4000 and 1000 BC. It is easy to determine that they probably sustained themselves by consuming the vast variety of available seafood and tropical fruits in the area. The same traditions in the local foods exist today, but where did the strong flavors come from? When Christopher Columbus first arrived on the island in 1494, he found the tribe of the Arawaks preserving meat by adding peppers, allspice and sea salt. The same concoction is what we now call Jamaican jerk spice. Allspice, the cornerstone of classic Jamaican flavor, is the dried fruit of the Pimenta Dioica plant.
As is well known, Christopher Columbus claimed the island of Jamaica for Spain, thus the influence of Spanish dishes on the island. For example escabeche is a dish of poached or dried fish which has been marinated in a vinegary mixture. In 1655 the Spanish lost Jamaica to the British, and through many years of British colonization, the strong influence of English food and drink made its mark on Jamaica. Tea is consumed in huge quantities on the island, perhaps more than any other Caribbean country. Oxtail, Corned beef and cabbage are classic Jamaican main courses, as well as being distinctly British. Sugar cane plantations were developed over much of the island under British rule, adding a whole new dimension to the palate. Ice cream made with coconut milk became popular at this time.
Resorts like Ocho Rios Hotel offer great examples of Jamaican fusion dishes. Fusion cuisine combines the elements of cooking techniques and flavors from two or three different cultures, as well as incorporating local ingredients. For example, the influx of Chinese and East Indian slaves brought different varieties of curry to the island. Even today curry is a huge part of the regular cuisine in Jamaica. There are many curried meats available, but most commonly you will find curried goat and curried mutton. The Cantonese introduced their stuffed dumplings, which in turn became a pastry filled with spiced meat known as the Jamaican Patty. The British left their stamp with many dishes, one example that was fused with Jamaican ingredients is brown stew chicken or brown stew beef. British tradition used potatoes, carrots and meats in a brown sauce. Jamaican tradition uses no potatoes and lots of jerk spice.
A traditional Jamaican breakfast is a great representation of all the influences on the local cuisine. The components are: ackee with saltfish, green bananas, callaloo, fried dumplings and saltfish. Ackee and saltfish is a combination of a lychee-like fruit and the Spanish influenced salt cod. Boiled green bananas, or plantains, are a traditional crop on the island. Seasoned callaloo's main ingredient is a locally grown leafy vegetable, but also can include okra, chili's, coconut milk, crab, lobster or other meats. Fried dumplings are a cornmeal flat bread whose origin can be derived from East Indian influences, as well as British.
Dark rum is perhaps the most iconic Jamaican product. As a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, it has a high alcoholic content. It is usually aged longer than gold rum, and therefore has a stronger flavor. Hotels in Jamaica will always have a healthy selection of local rums for travelers to sample. Dark rum is not generally used in cocktails as it is considered a flavorful drink on its own. The strong caramel flavor is very pleasant, especially served warm.
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