Jamaica is such a vibrant country and its food certainly reflects that. From delicious tropical fruits to succulent seafood and spicy meat dishes, there’s a whole array of Jamaican cuisine to enjoy. Blending African, Spanish and Asian influences, it has developed its own unique style over the years. We’ve picked 10 of the top Jamaican food dishes that you should try, that will give you a true flavour of this beautiful island.
Ackee and Saltfish
The national dish of Jamaica is ackee and saltfish. Although it looks a bit like scrambled eggs, ackee is actually a fruit. It wasn’t originally indigenous to Jamaica but now grows there abundantly. The fruit has to ripen on the tree before picking as the unripe fruit contains a toxin. Once ripe, ackee has a number of health benefits due to the high number of nutrients it contains. To make ackee and saltifsh, fry salt cod, scotch bonnet pepper, tomatoes, onion, garlic and scallion with boiled ackee. As Scotch bonnet pepper is over 40 times hotter than a jalapeno, you can always omit it or chop it very finely. We tried ackee and saltfish for breakfast at Kanopi House in Port Antonio, but it can be eaten at any time of day. It’s served here with fried dumplings, another popular Jamaican dish. Ackee is also used to make a sweet wine and as a herbal treatment for many ailments.
Jamaica Jerk
Whilst Jamaican jerk chicken is famous all over the world, you can also try Jamaica jerk pork, sausage and even rabbit. The...