A TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN
Chef Dudley Newbery travels to Jamaica with teacher and presenter Beverley Lennon to cook up a feast of local cuisine on the Caribbean island.
ABOUT JAMIACAN FOOD
KEY INGEDIENTS IN JAMAICAN AND CARIBBEAN FOOD
Below is an extensive list of ingredients and dishes that are integral to the identity of Jamaican and Caribbean cooking. Some items you might recognise but, in the main, the majority will be as unfamiliar to you in the way that they are familiar to the West Indians.
A-B C-D E-J L-P R-S T-Y
Eggplant - A small vegetable, white or lavender in colour. Available all year round.
Escabeche/Escovitch - A Spanish word meaning pickled. This dish is Pan-fried or poached seafood, which is then marinated in citrus juices or white vinegar, spices, peppers, oil and fresh herbs.
Fish - Typical fish includes swordfish, tuna, spearfish, wahoo and mahimahi
Flying Fish - A silver-blue fish with large fins that look like wings. Usually served in a light coating of breadcrumbs and pan-fried.
Folk Art Garnish - This where annatto oil is put into a squeezy bottle. Dishes are then garnished by drizzling the oil over the food in a coulis-like fashion so that the oils colour and flavour complements the dish.
Fungi/Funghi - Referred to as coocoo in Barbados and foofoo elsewhere in the Caribbean. This is a side dish made from cornmeal with okra, onions, peppers, herbs and spicy seasonings. Fungi is served mashed.
Goat - Used for making Curried Goat. It is said that Indian immigrants to Jamaica searched in vain for lamb to eat and settled for goat meat instead thus establishing this dish in Jamaica. Goats meat, milk and cheese remain popular in Jamaican cuisine.
Goat Water - The water that remains after stewing goat. It is then served as a soup.
Guava - Similar in size to a small lemon and bright orange/red in colour. Usually used in pastes and jellies. There are over 100 species of guava, which is also used to make a Caribbean paste called Guava Cheese.
Guinep - A small green tropical fruit.
Gungo peas - Also known as pigeon or congo peas. Used in many Jamaican and Caribbean dishes and are green and brown in colour.
Hot Pepper Sauces - Popular in the Caribbean in the way that tomato ketchup is popular in the UK. The sauces are not used sparingly and generally accompany most dishes.
Irish Moss - Health drink made from the extract of seaweed.
Jack - There are over 200 species of this large fish, which means that they go by a number of different names such as yellowtail, greenback, burnfin, black and amber jack. Theyre colourful and found in waters around the world.
Jackass Corn - A coconut and sugar biscuit.
Jackfruit - A yellowish and fleshy fruit that is usually served roasted or boiled.
Jamaican Hot Chilli - Aka Jamaican Hots
Janga - A crayfish.
Jelly - This is the meat found inside a young coconut.
Jerk - Jerky (English); charqui (Spanish). A marinade made from spices and very hot peppers. Rubbed into meat/fish strips to tenderise and preserve.
Jew Plum - Usually served as a stewed dessert. The Jew Plum is a spindly greenish-yellow seed.
Jicama - A root vegetable that resembles a large brown turnip.
A-B C-D E-J L-P R-S T-Y
Eggplant - A small vegetable, white or lavender in colour. Available all year round.
Escabeche/Escovitch - A Spanish word meaning pickled. This dish is Pan-fried or poached seafood, which is then marinated in citrus juices or white vinegar, spices, peppers, oil and fresh herbs.
Fish - Typical fish includes swordfish, tuna, spearfish, wahoo and mahimahi
Flying Fish - A silver-blue fish with large fins that look like wings. Usually served in a light coating of breadcrumbs and pan-fried.
Folk Art Garnish - This where annatto oil is put into a squeezy bottle. Dishes are then garnished by drizzling the oil over the food in a coulis-like fashion so that the oils colour and flavour complements the dish.
Fungi/Funghi - Referred to as coocoo in Barbados and foofoo elsewhere in the Caribbean. This is a side dish made from cornmeal with okra, onions, peppers, herbs and spicy seasonings. Fungi is served mashed.
Goat - Used for making Curried Goat. It is said that Indian immigrants to Jamaica searched in vain for lamb to eat and settled for goat meat instead thus establishing this dish in Jamaica. Goats meat, milk and cheese remain popular in Jamaican cuisine.
Goat Water - The water that remains after stewing goat. It is then served as a soup.
Guava - Similar in size to a small lemon and bright orange/red in colour. Usually used in pastes and jellies. There are over 100 species of guava, which is also used to make a Caribbean paste called Guava Cheese.
Guinep - A small green tropical fruit.
Gungo peas - Also known as pigeon or congo peas. Used in many Jamaican and Caribbean dishes and are green and brown in colour.
Hot Pepper Sauces - Popular in the Caribbean in the way that tomato ketchup is popular in the UK. The sauces are not used sparingly and generally accompany most dishes.
Irish Moss - Health drink made from the extract of seaweed.
Jack - There are over 200 species of this large fish, which means that they go by a number of different names such as yellowtail, greenback, burnfin, black and amber jack. Theyre colourful and found in waters around the world.
Jackass Corn - A coconut and sugar biscuit.
Jackfruit - A yellowish and fleshy fruit that is usually served roasted or boiled.
Jamaican Hot Chilli - Aka Jamaican Hots
Janga - A crayfish.
Jelly - This is the meat found inside a young coconut.
Jerk - Jerky (English); charqui (Spanish). A marinade made from spices and very hot peppers. Rubbed into meat/fish strips to tenderise and preserve.
Jew Plum - Usually served as a stewed dessert. The Jew Plum is a spindly greenish-yellow seed.
Jicama - A root vegetable that resembles a large brown turnip.