Jamaica

• Jamaica

  It may be most iconic for its music and white-sand beaches, but the Caribbean’s third-largest island should be seriously celebrated for its food, mon. Jamaica was the birthplace of reggae back in the 1960s, and just as that musical genre pulled from influences as varied as ska, calypso, and R&B, Jamaican cuisine wouldn’t be what it is today without the African, British, Spanish, Indian, and Chinese who have landed here over the centuries. Sure, you’ll glimpse some similarities to other Caribbean cuisines--they’re all fishing out of the same sea, after all—but there’s something unmistakably Jamaican about what comes out of kitchens here, where native ingredients like allspice berries and star apple might encounter those introduced and absorbed ages ago, from peanuts and coconut to ackee, the national fruit (via Ghana). It’s not only the components that are unique, though—cooking techniques like jerk are 100% Jamaican, and, with dish names like “rundown,” “bammy,” and “stamp and go,” you can bet you won’t confuse an eatery in Jamaica with one in, say, St. John. Jamaican patois, a Creole dialect derived from West Africa, is the real deal…and so is the island nation’s highly seasoned, highly soulful cuisine. 
  
  Note: This section features specific picks from Jamaica’s north coast, from Montego Bay to Port Antonio, but you’ll be able to find the dishes themselves across the island.

  It may be most iconic for its music and white-sand beaches, but the Caribbean’s third-largest island should be seriously celebrated for its food, mon. Jamaica was the birthplace of reggae back in the 1960s, and just as that musical genre pulled from influences as varied as ska, calypso, and R&B, Jamaican cuisine wouldn’t be what it is today without the African, British, Spanish, Indian, and Chinese…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Jamaica.

  Ackee and saltfish

  Curry goat

  Porridge

  Patties

  Mackerel rundown

• User Content

Below is user-submitted content for this region. Have something to contribute? Upload your regional-food photo or food memory.

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  Spicy shrimp

  Montego Bay
  lsr
• 

  Plantain burger

  Port Antonio
  lsr
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  Festival dumplings

  lrosen
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  Red pea soup

  lrosen

• • Starapple

    lyndalee
    Montego Bay, Jamaica, W.I.
    

    Starapple is a large fruit tree, distinguished by its leaves of 2 colors – green above and bronze below, and its large round fruits like apples. The fruits are either purple or green-ski…    Read more

  • Ackee & Saltfish

    lyndalee
    Montego Bay, Jamaica
    Jamaican cuisine could be called heavy, but better described as satisfying. Start with breakfast; the island favorites – ackee and codfish or liver or brown stewed chicken, are served with what i…    Read more

• Blog Posts

• In Remote Jamaica, Jerk Chicken, Mellow Beaches & a Toddler

  Team EYW was recently in Port Antonio, where the Blue Mountains meet the sea in northeast Jamaica, to cover the north coast’s local foods for this site. The birthplace of jerk, this gorgeously green, serene region is one that rewards an…   Read more