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Jamaican Foodways

National

The most globally visible Caribbean cuisine, and far deeper than its exports. ACKEE AND SALTFISH, the national dish, pairing a West African fruit with North Atlantic cod. JERK, which is Maroon technique before it is a marinade. CURRY GOAT and roti from Indian indenture. RICE AND PEAS on Sunday with coconut milk. The PATTY and the coco bread. Escovitch, rundown, pepperpot soup, mannish water, oxtail, brown stew. ITAL from Rastafari. BLUE MOUNTAIN coffee. And a bakery of bun and cheese, gizzada, toto and grater cake. ⚠ FOURTEEN PARISHES, and the island is not uniform: Portland is jerk country, St Elizabeth is the breadbasket, Kingston is the city.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

  • Jamaicans community documented

Languages: English, Jamaican Patois

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

Recorded as relating to this foodway

  • originates from Limón and Afro-Costa Rican Foodways documented

    ⚠ Limón was settled by Jamaican and West Indian railway and banana workers from the 1870s, who were legally barred from the Central Valley until 1949 — which is why the food stayed distinct.

  • related to Bay Islands and North Coast Creole Foodways documented

    ⚠ Not Garifuna. An English-speaking Afro-Caribbean population with a West Indian kitchen — rice and beans in coconut milk, johnnycake, fish tea.

  • related to Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast Foodways documented

    Rondón is rundown; pati, coconut bread and the creole English all point the same way.

  • related to Toronto Foodways documented

    The Jamaican patty is Toronto food, and survived a 1985 federal attempt to stop it being called a patty.

  • related to West Indian Panama and the Canal documented

Regional cuisines

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.