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Spice of Life: The Art of Jamaican Cuisine
Quirky ingredients and hot spices will get your taste buds sizzling
By Kasia Kneblewski
The vibrant culture of Jamaica has inspired a gourmet that features a wide variety of home-grown island ingredients but it may best be known for its pepper-based spices, ranging from mild to flame-throwing! In fact, Jamaican cuisine draws its inspiration from a medley of sources. Spain, Britain, India, China and Africa - each of these cultures has lent certain features and flavors to the Jamaican cuisine we know today.
The main ingredients of the island’s diet are fish, chicken, vegetables, exotic fruit and of course, spices. Some interesting Jamaican vegetables include cho-cho (also christophine), and callaloo is a Jamaican spinach and the basis for the island's famous pepperpot soup. Cassava is pounded and prepared to make a national favorite called bammy, a tasty starch cake. Naturally, seafood plays a big role and you’re most likely to see red snapper on every menu. Delicious seafood can often be purchased inexpensively at beach or roadside kiosks; look for pepper shrimp, a tiny and spicy snack, or escoveitch fish, which is pickled and served with "festival," a deep-fried, sweet cornbread.
And, of course, who can talk about Jamaican food without mentioning jerk chicken? Jerking, or the method of marinating meats in spices for hours before cooking them over an open pit, is an island institution. Jerk chicken or pork was traditionally cooked over a fire of pimento wood; today, that special flavor is usually added in the form of allspice, a key ingredient. Also present are pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic, scallions, salt and the cook’s secret ingredients. The super-hot Scotch bonnet pepper adds fire to almost everything.
For dessert, you’ll definitely be tempted to try some of the exotic fruits found in abundance on the island. Featured fruits include bananas, mangoes, pawpaws (papayas), oranges, Ugli fruit, naseberries (which resemble kiwi fruits), otaheite apples, guineps, and star apples.
Although there are many restaurants on the island offering a sample of Jamaican cuisine, travelers agree that the best way to experience the authentic fare is to have home-cooked meals prepared by your very own cook. Villas in Jamaica are staffed with some of the island’s finest culinary professionals and your cook is sure to become your best friend during your stay in Jamaica. Expert in the art of combining fruits, vegetables, meats and spices grown on the island, your villa cook will create meals which are events in themselves and there is no better way to taste food the way the locals love it. When your home base in Jamaica is a villa rental, you can relax in your luxurious comfy surroundings and savor the smells emanating from the kitchen. You don’t have to lift a finger…all you have to do is try not to spoil your appetite before dinner!
Here are some Jamaican villas we have on the menu:
 Windsong
4 Br villa on Montego Bay surrounded by expansive gardens.
 Highland House
6 Br waterfront villa on Montego Bay perfect for entertaining or relaxing.
 Belmont
3 Br villa on northern coast features pool and gazebo with ocean views.
 Star Song
2 Br is perfect cosy escape and close to Negril.
ACK!! BEWARE THE ACKEE, MON!
The national dish of Jamaica, "ackee and saltfish", is definitely unique. Ackee is a fruit which resembles scrambled eggs when cooked. But this is a recipe best left to the experts since, if cooked before it opens naturally, ackee can be toxic! |
For more information on villas in Jamaica, please contact us at:
Call 1-877-953-7400 or E-mail
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