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Jamaica is famous for its food, and has a vast number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes. Jamaican recipes are popular all over the world for their uniqueness and taste.
Jamaica has a large amount of home grown fruits and vegetables, many of which are not grown elsewhere. It also has some interesting spices and herbs that are also essentially indigenous to Jamaica. Liberal use of these make for interesting, tasty and spicy food which is a great favorite in other countries. There is surprising variety in the food, ranging from the commonplace and omnipresent rice and peas to the spicy and fiery Jerk chicken.
Rice and peas is the staple recipe for the Jamaican people, cooked with rice, kidney beans and coconut milk. There are a variety of breads available too, including the Bammy, made of cassava flour.
Another important recipe of Jamaica is the Ackee and saltfish. The Ackee is a local fruit not grown elsewhere, whose flesh is mixed with onions, peppers and tomatoes, and allied with boiled and salted codfish. This delicacy is accompanied mostly by the Callaloo, which looks like spinach, along with boiled green bananas and dumplings.
Chicken and fish dishes are abundant in Jamaica. They are usually friend in seasoned butter, curried, grilled over wood or charcoal fire, steamed with spices, or stewed in tasty sauces.
"Jerking" is a technique of cooking unique to Jamaica. Here meat or fish is grilled with a combination of spices called the Jerk, over a fire of Pimento wood. Jerk is made from mixing Allspice, Scotch Bonnet peppers, cinnamon, thyme, garlic and nutmeg. This provides a strong flavor of Jerk to the meat or the fish, and Jerked dishes are a delicacy of Jamaica, and very popular worldwide.
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