Jamaican Food

Jamaican food is possibly the most diverse and delicious food type in the Caribbean. There are really about 30 Jamaican food types. These most popular are Barbecue, Jerk, Cereal, Condiments, Culinary Herbs and Spices, Desserts and Sweets, Fruits, Meat and Poultry, Seafood and Vegetables. Understanding Jamaican food requires express knowledge of how the dynamics in the above food types works. Barbeque Jamaican recipes are very popular as they are easily prepared, even more so with the use of great Jamaican seasonings. Jerk food recipes are really the highlight of all Jamaican cooking. There is possibly no other type of food that typifies Jamaican food such as Jamaican jerk chicken recipes.

The use of spices such as the pimento, scotch bonnet peppers, cinnamon, thyme, garlic and other popular seasonings are key in the expression of food through herbs and spices. Some of these herbs and spices are indigenous to Jamaican and make for possibly the best recipes of the market. Desserts and sweets are really condiments of some sorts. Though using some fruits such as the coconut to make grater cake is a popular use one must remember that sweets such as these complement a meal and are truly not an entire meal though they make for tasty treats. Jamaican fruits and vegetables are another important category.  The Ackee, the breadfruit, the apple, star apple and several other fruits are becoming more popular. The rare tasty of the ackee has made it Jamaica’s national dish. Meat and poultry is the base of Jamaican food. Chicken and pork are the most consumed in the island and with good reason. There are well over 300 authentic recipes that exist for this food type alone. Not to mention tasty treats such as jerk pork, jerk chicken and curried goat. Jerk recipes has really branded the product in a healthy way.

Seafood is the most loved in the island. With the most popular Jamaican seafood recipes being fish, lobster and shrimp. These have been prepared in many different ways. Jerk, steamed, barbequed, brown stewed, curry, grill and a host of other great tasting recipes as well. Finally vegetables are a popular choice among Jamaicans. However what makes the uses of vegetables popular is not in the cooking but in the use of it in drink recipes. Carrot drink and beetroot drinks are mixed with Jamaican herbs and spices such as sarsaparilla and other medicinal herbs. Not only does this give the drink a unique tasty but creates a healthy alternative to other food types of this kind.