From jerk chicken to coco bread, from reggae to rum, Jamaica is a little island with a big, thumping, dancing, multicultural vibe.
It’s given the world Bob Marley and Usain Bolt. It’s blessed with sparkling white beaches, verdant jungles and a melting pot cuisine that makes the most of the super-fresh seafood plucked from the sea.
The third-largest island in the Caribbean, it's also where one of the happiest chefs on the planet, Ainsley Harriott, starts his eating, cooking, laughing and travel adventure in his new show, Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen (Sundays 7.30pm on SBS Food Channel 33 from August 11).
Clearly, the Caribbean is the sort of place where you can’t help but break out into laughter (a lot), dance, (a lot) and eat really good, flavour-packed food (yes, you guessed it, a lot)!
Kingston, Jamaica’s sprawling capital city, is where Harriott’s parents were born, “so it feels a little bit like a homecoming”, he says. And while jerk might be the most well-known Jamaican eat around the world, it’s far from the only must-try dish.
To get you in the mood for Caribbean Kitchen’s kick-off (Harriott devotes the first two episodes to Jamaica’s markets, beaches and bush), here are five ways to get a taste of Jamaica without leaving home.
Jerk
Hugely popular, refers both to the herb and spice mixture used to flavour chicken, pork, other meats or fish, and the style of cooking, with jerk traditionally cooked over a charcoal fire. “When you come to Jamaica, there’s a handful of things you simply have to try that’s right on the top of the list, and I think jerk chicken definitely has to be number one,” Harriott says in the show, as he heads to one of the island’s most popular jerk sellers. Scotchies serves up traditional jerk, with big slabs of meat cooked and smoked over wood fires. “They jerk it with sausage, they jerk it with chicken, they jerk it with pork. All sorts of wonderful things, and boy, that flavour is so, so good. I just wish they’d given me that recipe.” Given the success of Scotchies, it’s understandable they weren’t going to give up all the secrets (he does try!), but luckily for us, Harriott has shared his own take on jerk. Give it a go with .
If you fancy jerk chicken, fire up the barbecue and try (that's the sticky, dark, delicious number pictured up top, also inspired by a visit to Scotchies), if you like things hot (three scotch bonnet chillies!); or try from the Feast archives, which can be cooked on a barbecue or in a grill pan.
Source: Great British Food Revival
Festival (the food)
The Caribbean puts on a festival and we're not only talking party-time here: this particular festival is known as the Caribbean dumpling, a fried cornmeal bread, often served with jerk. “Jamaican festival is sweet, fried comfort food. The dough is formed into an oval shape and deep-fried until beautifully golden brown. Perfect to take the edge off that spicy chicken,” Harriott says. “When I was growing up as a young child, my Mum used to serve this festival on a Sunday morning with ackee and saltfish.”
Festival is simple to make – a quick dough that’s deep-fried until golden and best served warm. Give it a go with .
Ackee and saltfish
If you’re wondering about Harriott’s family Sunday fare, is often described as Jamaica’s national dish. Ackee, a fruit often treated as a vegetable, is cooked with salt cod, onions, tomato, Scotch bonnet chilli and other seasonings.
Jamaican patty
Another delicious member of the folded pastry pie family that includes the Cornish pasty and the South American empanada, patty is a Jamaican staple, sold right across the island. Flaky pastry – often coloured a golden yellow with egg yolk or turmeric – is wrapped around a savoury filling, most often spiced meat.
Rum
Rich, smooth rum is as much a hallmark of the island as the sandy beaches, smoky jerk stands and musical beats. Jamaica produces ; the island is also home to one of the oldest rum producers in the world, Appleton Estate. Put some rum to great use and whip up a batch of , a Jamaican classic used to finish stews and other dishes, and as an ingredient in this . Bananas and rum are also a winning flavour combo – bananas are everywhere on the island, so for a sweet treat, try for Jamaican banana ice-cream with muscovado meringues (brown sugar is one of the island’s most famous exports) and rum sauce.
Escape to the island life with Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen, as Ainsley Harriott visits Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, Dominica and Antigua. Sundays 7.30pm on SBS Food Channel 33 from August 11; episodes will be available on after they air.
Source: Feast Magazine
