Sampling Traditional Jamaican Food

The island nation of Jamaica has many good things to offer a first-time visitor. It’s among the largest islands in the Caribbean, meaning there’s plenty of coastline to visit and enjoy. Culturally, the country’s history accounts for different people from around the world coming together, including Europeans, Africans, Indians, and South Americans. Jamaican food is truly local from a culinary perspective, with dishes prepared from readily available ingredients and bearing the Caribbean influence.  

Brandon Glickstein has been to Jamaica more than 20 times, with his first visit to the island in his early teenage years. Like him, visitors love the great outdoor experience and sampling the traditional cuisine, which includes the following dishes: 

Ackee and Codfish 

Ackee served with salted codfish is the country’s national dish. The ackee fruit was introduced in Jamaica in the 18th century, and for it to be eaten, it has to ripen well. The fruit has the shape of a small walnut, and once cooked, it resembles scrambled eggs. Ackee and codfish, or other salted fish such as mackerel, is a common breakfast meal that is typically cooked with spices, so expect some heat.  

The exotic fruit is rare to find in other regions, making the dish quite special to Jamaica. However, it’s best to sample the cuisine in a trusted location, as ackee can be difficult to cook, has inedible portions, and is poisonous when unripe. 

Jerk 

Jerk is the traditional way of preparing meats such as chicken and pork in Jamaica. It involves rubbing or marinating meat in an intense mixture of spices before cooking it in a fire built in the ground that is covered to get the smoke flavor into the flesh. Jerk chicken is more common than pork, and some of the spices used include scotch bonnet pepper, pimento, and scallion. Jerk pork uses similar ingredients, but it tends to be more expensive. For those who want to try jerk for the first time, start with the chicken, which is slightly less spicy than the pork. 

Rice and Peas 

Rice and peas is a ubiquitous meal that will likely be served as an accompaniment to jerk chicken. The dish is readily available and easy to prepare, and the ‘peas’ are not the little green variety but rather the red kidney beans preferred by Jamaicans. The key ingredient that makes this Jamaican dish unique is that the rice is cooked with coconut milk.