Jamaican Jerk Chicken
The island of Jamaica is one of the most
popular English speaking Caribbean countries. There are a number of factors
which contributes to the popularity of this beautiful island and this stretches
across a number of areas. This little island is well known for its music,
Rastafarian movement, sports, traditional Jamaican jerk chicken cuisines,
impressive resorts, beautiful beaches and warm friendly people.
But, this article is written for the sole purpose of sharing the many different
flavors and cooking style of the delicious Jamaican meals which are prepared
with hot fiery spices. The Jamaican food is not only consumed locally, but can
be seen in many overseas countries such as Canada, United States or United
Kingdom where you will find a number of Jamaicans.
The jerk has proven to be the most widely recognized meal from the traditional
Jamaican jerk chicken cuisines. This dish is usually well prepared by marinating
in a combination of sizzling spices or herbs, which is mainly the scotch bonnet
pepper and pimento seed prior to cooking. Jerk meals are generally cooked above
a charcoal grill, but if this particular method is not feasible it could be
grilled in the regular kitchen oven. Throughout Jamaica the customary meats used
for the jerk is pork or goat meat, but this has changed somewhat these days and
you can get chicken, fish, tofu or fish if you prefer.
Jerk is actually indigenous to the island of
Jamaica, but every chef that you
meet will have their own unique spices to rub on their meat. Some will use the
scallion, thyme, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg or garlic, while others will
add a little vinegar, sugar or soy sauce to the mixture, but pepper and pimento
is a must for everyone. Regardless of their preference, you will be sure to hear
some big discussion as to which of the secret recipes will be the best.
But, you will definitely get an agreement when you are looking for the spot with
the best jerk and this is Boston in the parish of Portland. You will find this
parish to the east of Jamaica and this is also one of the areas where allspice
is grown in abundance. This is a celebrated spot for any type jerk and people
travel from all over the island to visit the many stalls that would be selling
the jerk pork together with white bread, festival, rice and peas. There is also
an annual festival which is held every year in this location, it is called the
Portland Jerk Festival, so if you are visiting the island in the month of July
ensure that you check out this event and get a taste of the real Jamaican jerk.
The reality is, there are a number of additional Jamaican meals which an
individual might be interested in trying. This means that if the jerk is a bit
spicy for you, there is also the ackee and salt fish, fried fish and bammy,
fried ripe plantains, red pea soup, roast breadfruit, boiled bananas, callaloo,
stew peas, curried goat and more. So, when you want to taste some spicy, exotic
and flavorful island dish, opt for the Jamaican jerk chicken cuisine and ensure
that you get a second serving!
Jamaican jerk dishes
Visit the island for more than the white sand beaches and pulsating beat of the
reggae music and taste some of the mouth watering Jamaican jerk dishes.
The minute most people hear about Jamaica the first thing that comes to mind is
the reggae or the lovely white sand beaches. However, it might be surprising for
most of you to hear that this island also offers a wide array of delicious
Jamaican jerk dishes, fruits and juices.
For you to get a better understanding of the Jamaican food, it is important to
learn a little about the rich history of this island. The history of the
Jamaican food actually started before the Spanish arrived on this island, as the
Tainos which were the early settlers left the legacy of the popular cooking
style which is jerk, plus the bammy.
When the Spanish came they also brought slaves with them and everyone had their
own unique dishes and cooking style with them. The Spanish brought the vinegar
and the hot pepper which is used in the sauce for the escoveitch, which is used
on the fried fish today and served with bammy.
The special island tastes associated with the delicacies of Jamaica will
certainly surprise most traveler or tourist, especially the ones who visits for
other purposes. The richness and the wide assortment of choices which one can
find in the Jamaican food is perhaps one of the things that differentiate
Jamaica from the other Caribbean Islands.
Typically, the combination of national cooking styles, flavors and dining
options together with the refreshing resources of this tropical island helps to
create the trademark for the Jamaican food.
The food which you will find in Jamaica is very healthy and balanced, since most
of the recipes are prepared without the processed ingredients. As a matter of
fact, the meals are usually cooked every day using a wide variety of the fresh
fruits and vegetables which are readily accessible anywhere on the island.
One of the popular spices on the island is the pimento and this is an essential
ingredient in most of the Jamaican jerk chicken cuisine. Whenever you are eating
any of the meals with the famous jerk sauce, this important ingredient would be
present. It looks similar to the black pepper when it is dried and crushed, but
it will have its own distinctive flavor.
An additional ingredient which is frequently utilized in some of the delicious
Jamaican jerk dishes is the coconut. This is extensively accessible in Jamaica
and you will find it being used in a wide variety of ways, especially if you are
a vegetarian who want to sample some of the ital cuisine. The Rastafarians owns
most of the restaurant which will prepare the vegetarian dishes and the coconut
is used in almost any dish that they will prepare. If you are on the western
side of the island, you will find a number of the “Ital Restaurants” in the
Negril area.
This information is just the tip of the iceberg as we have not even begun to
scratch the surface, but hopefully you will have a little understanding of the
Jamaican food. This food undoubtedly features perfectly with the complete heart
and soul of this island and also creates a wonderful atmosphere which most
people refer to as tropical paradise. So, as you can see this island is more
than just the beaches or the Reggae music, but also about the mouth watering
dishes which will linger with anyone for a long time.