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
Land Crabs - These crabs are fed bread and spices before becoming a dish where the meat is removed, prepared and then stuffed back into the cleaned shell.
Limes - Important ingredient in most Jamaican sauces and marinades. Limes are picked green but are used when they ripen and turn yellow. Great sources of vitamin C, limes were introduced to the region by Christopher Columbus.
Lobster - A big favourite in Jamaica who tend to favour the spiny or Caribbean lobster, which is similar to those found in France, Spain and Italy. It is said that the lobster is actually a large crawfish without the claws but with a tail containing meat that is tender and full of flavour.
Mammey Apple - Usually used for making jam. Native to the Caribbean and with a flavour akin to peach.
Mango - Colour varies from green to bright red. Green mangoes are better for chutneys and stews. Otherwise, mangoes are firm and sweet and used for marinades, sauces and desserts such as ice cream or sorbet. Native to India.
Manish Water - A soup said to put hairs on the chest of men and beards on women! Also said to cure impotence, infertility and the common cold. Ingredients consist of bananas, yams, peppers, white rum and the head and feet of a goat.
Mauby (Mawby) - A drink made from the mauby bark of a tropical tree, which is boiled with spices and reputed to lower cholesterol.
Mojito - A cocktail native to Cuba made with rum, lime and soda water.
Mojito Isleno Sauce - Used mainly with fried fish and fritters. Ingredients are onions, olives and tomato sauce.
Mojo Sauce - Served with root vegetables and consists of garlic, oil and citrus/vinegar.
Naseberries - Seasonally available in Jamaica from March to July. Flavour similar that of pear. It is an oval fruit and is yellow to light brown in colour. Similar in size to kiwi fruit. Very juicy when ripe. Used in desserts, salads and as a snack.
Nutmeg - Fresh nutmeg is paramount in Jamaican cooking. Jamaicans insist that the flavour of cakes, desserts and drinks are greatly improved with freshly grated nutmeg as opposed to the ground variety sold in shops.
Okra - Brought to the Caribbean by Africans and utilised as a vegetable (fried as a side dish) or as thickening agent for soups and stews.
Ortanique - Considered being a cross between an orange and a tangerine.
Otaheite Apple - Another fruit brought to the Caribbean by Captain Bligh of The Bounty. Shaped very much like a pear with a hue that ranges from pink to crimson.
Oxtails - A main ingredient for a Jamaican stew, oxtails are simply the hide of beef cattle a meat generally introduced during British colonisation.
Paella - Another Spanish dish. Paella usually consists of rice, various seafood, chicken, pork and peas (beans) cooked in a chicken stock. There are no set ingredients for paella, which often differ from person to person.
Papaya - Also known as PawPaw. This is a large melon that weighs anything between 8 and 20lbs. Popularly used in chutneys, relishes, salads, desserts and drinks.
Passion Fruit - Exotic, oval-shaped fruit used mainly for juices, desserts, drinks and sauces.
Patty - Derived from the English pasty. A patty is baked crusty pastry dough usually filled with minced beef, breadcrumbs and ground spices. Patties are found everywhere in Jamaica, from cafes to roadside vending stalls.
Peanuts - Eaten as appetisers (fresh or roasted) or ground and used to add flavour to sweet and savoury foods.
Peas - See Beans.
Pepperpot Soup - Made from Callaloo, this spicy dish is believed to have originated from the Arawak Indians. This dish remains popular today. Contains salted pork & beef, okra and callaloo).
Pickapeppa Sauce - A very spicy pepper sauce, which includes mango and tamarind. Its actual ingredients are a closely guarded Jamaican secret.
Pimento - See Allspice.
Pineapple - Once considered very exotic compared to today. Indigenous to the islands and used by the Arawak Indians. Pineapple is versatile enough to be used in both sweet and savoury dishes and beverages.
Plantain - Cooking bananas that are a prominent part of the Caribbean diet. Usually sliced, dipped in batter and deep-fried. Plantains need to be cooked to be edible. Generally regarded as a vegetable.
Pork - The Spaniards introduced pork and it was the meat first used in Jamaican jerk dishes. The Arawaks would hunt pigs and hog roasts remain popular in the Caribbean.
A-B C-D E-J L-P R-S T-Y
Land Crabs - These crabs are fed bread and spices before becoming a dish where the meat is removed, prepared and then stuffed back into the cleaned shell.
Limes - Important ingredient in most Jamaican sauces and marinades. Limes are picked green but are used when they ripen and turn yellow. Great sources of vitamin C, limes were introduced to the region by Christopher Columbus.
Lobster - A big favourite in Jamaica who tend to favour the spiny or Caribbean lobster, which is similar to those found in France, Spain and Italy. It is said that the lobster is actually a large crawfish without the claws but with a tail containing meat that is tender and full of flavour.
Mammey Apple - Usually used for making jam. Native to the Caribbean and with a flavour akin to peach.
Mango - Colour varies from green to bright red. Green mangoes are better for chutneys and stews. Otherwise, mangoes are firm and sweet and used for marinades, sauces and desserts such as ice cream or sorbet. Native to India.
Manish Water - A soup said to put hairs on the chest of men and beards on women! Also said to cure impotence, infertility and the common cold. Ingredients consist of bananas, yams, peppers, white rum and the head and feet of a goat.
Mauby (Mawby) - A drink made from the mauby bark of a tropical tree, which is boiled with spices and reputed to lower cholesterol.
Mojito - A cocktail native to Cuba made with rum, lime and soda water.
Mojito Isleno Sauce - Used mainly with fried fish and fritters. Ingredients are onions, olives and tomato sauce.
Mojo Sauce - Served with root vegetables and consists of garlic, oil and citrus/vinegar.
Naseberries - Seasonally available in Jamaica from March to July. Flavour similar that of pear. It is an oval fruit and is yellow to light brown in colour. Similar in size to kiwi fruit. Very juicy when ripe. Used in desserts, salads and as a snack.
Nutmeg - Fresh nutmeg is paramount in Jamaican cooking. Jamaicans insist that the flavour of cakes, desserts and drinks are greatly improved with freshly grated nutmeg as opposed to the ground variety sold in shops.
Okra - Brought to the Caribbean by Africans and utilised as a vegetable (fried as a side dish) or as thickening agent for soups and stews.
Ortanique - Considered being a cross between an orange and a tangerine.
Otaheite Apple - Another fruit brought to the Caribbean by Captain Bligh of The Bounty. Shaped very much like a pear with a hue that ranges from pink to crimson.
Oxtails - A main ingredient for a Jamaican stew, oxtails are simply the hide of beef cattle a meat generally introduced during British colonisation.
Paella - Another Spanish dish. Paella usually consists of rice, various seafood, chicken, pork and peas (beans) cooked in a chicken stock. There are no set ingredients for paella, which often differ from person to person.
Papaya - Also known as PawPaw. This is a large melon that weighs anything between 8 and 20lbs. Popularly used in chutneys, relishes, salads, desserts and drinks.
Passion Fruit - Exotic, oval-shaped fruit used mainly for juices, desserts, drinks and sauces.
Patty - Derived from the English pasty. A patty is baked crusty pastry dough usually filled with minced beef, breadcrumbs and ground spices. Patties are found everywhere in Jamaica, from cafes to roadside vending stalls.
Peanuts - Eaten as appetisers (fresh or roasted) or ground and used to add flavour to sweet and savoury foods.
Peas - See Beans.
Pepperpot Soup - Made from Callaloo, this spicy dish is believed to have originated from the Arawak Indians. This dish remains popular today. Contains salted pork & beef, okra and callaloo).
Pickapeppa Sauce - A very spicy pepper sauce, which includes mango and tamarind. Its actual ingredients are a closely guarded Jamaican secret.
Pimento - See Allspice.
Pineapple - Once considered very exotic compared to today. Indigenous to the islands and used by the Arawak Indians. Pineapple is versatile enough to be used in both sweet and savoury dishes and beverages.
Plantain - Cooking bananas that are a prominent part of the Caribbean diet. Usually sliced, dipped in batter and deep-fried. Plantains need to be cooked to be edible. Generally regarded as a vegetable.
Pork - The Spaniards introduced pork and it was the meat first used in Jamaican jerk dishes. The Arawaks would hunt pigs and hog roasts remain popular in the Caribbean.