Let's Eat

On the Menu
Protein: Fish, Chicken
Starch: Cassava Root (used to make Tapioca), Potatoes, Yams, Dasheen (usually boiled and cut up to use as a thickening agent in soups)
Fat: Butter, Lard, Nuts, Oily Fish
Veggies: Beans (Peas), Yams, Callaloo (dark leafy green), Calabaza (pumpkin squash), Scotch bonnet peppers, Plantain
Fruits: Starfruit, Breadfruit, Ackee, Coconut, Guava, Sour or Sweet sop
Spices: All spice, Jerk rub, Curry, Nutmeg
Beverages: MangoLada, Rum, Carrot Juice, Sweet sop juice, Sugar and Water (poor man's drink)
Desserts: Banana bread, Rock Cake, Shamshuku (grated boiled coconut made into a paste and serves on a banana leaf), Gizzada

Mealtime
Jamaica is very family-oriented. Mealtime in Jamaica is a fun and social time. They eat three meals a day and also have snacks in between. Breakfast is usually a large meal. Ackee and Saltfish is the main dish and served with fried plantains, cornmeal porridge, and dumplings. Lunch is something easy and on-the-go, maybe from vendors on the street. Dinner, again, is a large meal shared with the family each night of the week when possible. Most meals are served family style, with each dish on the table so everyone can get whatever they want.

Holidays
Because the majority of the Jamaican population are Christian, they celebrate holidays similar to the ones we have in America. Christmas is the major holiday with a big feast. The food is normally jerk chicken, rice and peas, sorrel ( a festive drink mixed with rum and served over ice). They begin preparing for the Christmas feast 2 or more weeks before enjoying the dinner by soaking desserts used in the traditional
Black Jamaican Christmas Cake:
Ingredients
1½ cups flour
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt ½ cup cherries
1 cup prunes, chopped
1 cup wine (or substitute water)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lemon or lime rind, finely grated
2 Tablespoons browning (see below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. and grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
2. To make browning: in a saucepan, add ½ Tablespoon water to brown sugar and heat over medium to high heat until the sugar is burnt. Let cool.
3. With a beater, beat butter, sugar and browning until soft and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, to butter mixture. Add wine or water and mix well. Add fruits.
5. Add dry ingredients, stirring just to comine. Do not over-beat when mixing. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch round cake pan.
6. Bake for 1½ hours, checking after one hour. Cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Independence Day
Like America, Jamaica also celebrates Independence Day. This started in 1962 when the Island separated from Great Britain to become an independent nation. This day is celebrated with many aspects of the island's culture. They sing and dance to Reggae music, eat traditional cuisine, and also enjoy native artwork. Some popular foods eaten are boiled corn, sugar cane, jerk meat, and fish.

They also have rituals that consist of preaching, singing, drumming, dancing, and spirits usually preformed at Thanksgiving and memorials. Funerals are one of the most important rituals in Jamaican tradition.

Ackee - The National Fruit

The Jamaican Ackee Tree is native to Tropical West Africa. It was brought to Jamaica by the slaves and while other islands do grow this tree, Jamaica is the only one that enjoys this delicious fruit. It is exported worldwide to ethnic markets canned, but never fresh, because if eaten before maturity or after it has matured, it can be deadly. People that ingest this fruit before ripened sometimes suffer from Jamaican Vomiting Syndrome (JVS) due to the unusual amino acid components, Hypoglycemia A and B. Although JVS has led to fatalities in the past, this outcome is now rare because of increased awareness.
Ackee is also used as a remedy for several conditions. It is consumed to reduce fever and lessen the effects of dysentery (inflammation of the large intestines). The leaves are sometimes rubbed on the forehead to reduce headaches and the skin to treat ulcers. It also holds a great nutritional value.

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A Taste of Jamaican Culture

Authentic Recipes

Ackee and Saltfish
Ingredients
1/2 lb Saltfish (dried, salted codfish)
12 fresh ackees or 1 (drained) can of tinned ackees
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp of butter
1/2 a hot chilli pepper (ideally Scotch Bonnet)
1 sweet pepper
1 chopped tomato
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

Directions
1. Cover the saltfish in cold water. Let soak overnight (minimum 8 hours) changing the water several times (this removes most of the salt)
2. Bring a pan of cold water to the boil and gently simmer the fish for 20 minutes (until the fish is tender).
3. Chop the onion, sweet pepper, chilli pepper and tomato.
4. Remove the fish from water and allow to cool.
5. Remove all of bones and skin then flake the flesh of the fish.
6. Melt the butter in a frying pan and stir fry the onion, black pepper, sweet pepper, chilli and thyme for about 3 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes and flaked fish and stir-fry for another 10 minutes
8. Add the Ackee and cook until hot throughout. Stir gently to avoid breaking-up the Ackee
9. Serve with yam, green banana, fried dumplings and Irish potato



Fried Plantains
Ingredients
1 ripe plantain
1 tablespoon cinnmon or nutmeg
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil

Directions
1. Peel plantain by making 2 incisions on opposite sides of the plantain skin and then peel.
2. Slice the plantains into 2 in the middle (width not length - like breaking a banana in 2).
3. Cut up both pieces of plantains into 1/4 inch slices longways.
4. Heat skillet filled with just enough oil to cover the 1/4 inch slices.
5. Fry plantain slices until golden brown on each side.
6. Each slice needs about 45 seconds to a minute to cook.
7. Be careful not to burn.
8. Place cooked plantain in a dish layered with napkins so as to drain/soak up the oil.
9. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg to taste.


Mango Lada
Ingredients
4 ounces pureed fresh mango
.5 ounce coconut milk/creme de coconut
.5 ounce pineapple juice
1 table spoon condensed milk (optional)

Directions
1. Blend the pureed fresh mango, coconut milk/creme de coconut & pineapple juice.
2. Add 10 cubes ice & blend again till smooth.
3. Add condensed milk to sweeten if needed


Jamaican Jerk Rub
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups allspice
8 cups salt
5 1/2 cups garlic powder
4 cups white sugar
1 cup chipotle chile powder
1/2 cup ground cloves
2 cups dried thyme leaves
2 cups ground black pepper
4 cups cayenne pepper
1 cup ground cinnamon

Directions
1. Place allspice, salt, garlic powder, sugar, chipotle powder, cloves, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon into a very large bowl.
2. Mix together until well blended. Store in airtight containers.
3. To use, rub spice mix onto the meat of your choice, about 1 1/2 teaspoons per serving. For best results, marinate for at least an hour to allow the flavors of the rub to penetrate the meat.

Culture and World Region

Jamaica is located in the Western part of the Caribbean Islands, about 95 miles south of Cuba



Jamaica's capital is Kingston. It is about the same size as the State of Connecticut. It is about 4,400 square miles with a population of about 2,772,000. Jamaica's topography is mostly made up of mountains covered with green forests. The highest mountain on the island is called Blue Mountain. It is approximately 7,402 feet high. The coast is also covered in beautiful white beaches. The Jamaican dollar is the form of currency used here. In Jamaica, the one US dollar equals about 87 dollars.

The language spoken there is English with an Creole flare. The natives have a rich accent with their own touch of slang. The most prominent religion on the island is Protestant.

Let's not forget the rich culture of Reggae music, authentic foods, and the yummy Blue Mountain Coffee!






Sources
Ackee and saltfish. Jamaica Travel and Culture. 2006. Available at: http://www.jamaicatravelandculture.com/food_and_drink/ackee_and_saltfish.htm. Accessed April 27, 2010.

Fried ripe plantains. Jamaicans.com. 2004. Avaiable at: http://www.jamaicans.com/cooking/appetizers/friedripeplant.shtml. Accessed May 1, 2010.

Jamaica. WorldAtlas.com. Avaialble at: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/jm.htm. Accessed April 29, 2010.

Jamaica. Food in Every Country. 2010. Available at: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Jamaica.html. Accessed April 29, 2010.

Making sense of cross cultural communication. Clearly Cultural. 2009. http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/uncertainty-avoidance-index/. Accessed May 1, 2010.