Jamaican Food
Mouthwatering, Flavourful
Jamaican food is fantastic, and is one of the things Jamaicans miss most when away from home. This page will
introduce you to types of food from Jamaica, from our reknowned jerk chicken to less famous fare like tamarind balls.
Before I launch you into the world of Jamaican cuisine, let me reassure you.
Visitors needn't worry that they'll have to spend their holidays coping with strange dishes. There's plenty of
variety, and you're sure to find lots of familiar favourites.
Chicken and chips (french fries) is widely available, along with pizza and burgers.
Seafood, pork, and beef can be cooked however you like them. Common side dishes are rice, macaroni and cheese,
and potato salad.
North American fast food franchises like KFC, Burger King,
Pizza Hut and Dominoes are scattered here and there,
particularly in the bigger towns. And we have great Chinese restaurants too. Restaurants in Jamaica are many and varied.
Vegetarians may find
their choice of entree a bit limited in rural areas, but certainly there'll be no lack of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Here is an introduction to food from Jamaica.
After careful thought, and feedback from both local and foreign friends, the suggestions for not-to-be missed,
you-got-to try-this Jamaican food are marked with an asterisk *.
Get out there and start eating!
Main Dishes
Jerk Chicken or Jerk Pork *
Ackee and Saltfish *
Seafood - fish, shrimp, lobster, conch *
Other popular main dishes: Fried, Baked, Stewed and Curried Chicken, Stew Peas, Oxtail, Curry Goat, Cow Foot, Tripe and Beans, Pepper Steak, Stewed Beef and Pork.
Side Dishes
Rice and Peas *
Bammy *
Festival *
Johnny Cake/Fry Dumpling *
Fried Plantain *
Other local side dishes: Yam, green bananas, breadfriut, dasheen, coco,
potato, sweet potato, boiled dumplings.
Fruits/Vegetables
Sugar Cane *
Mango *
Otaheite Apple *
Boiled Corn *
Jelly Coconut *
Other Jamaica-grown fruit: June (Jew) plum, guava, naseberry, sweetsop, soursop,
tamarind, tangerine, ortanique, guinep, pineapple, starapple, watermelon, grapefruit, coolie plum, hogplum.
Desserts
Rum and Raisin Ice Cream *, Sweet Potato Pone *
Other Jamaican desserts and baked goodies: Bread pudding, banana bread, Christmas cake, Easter bun, bulla, toto, plantain tart, banana fritters.
Beverages
Appleton Rum *, Sorrel *, Ting *, Ginger Beer *, Coffee *
Other popular Jamaican drinks: Fruit Punch, Red stripe Beer, Cherry Juice, June Plum Juice,
Ginger Wine, Tamarind Drink, Soursop Drink.
Soups
Conch *, Red Peas/Gungo Peas *
Other Jamaican soups: Mannish Water, Fish Tea, Cow Cod, Pepperpot, Pumpkin, Chicken/Chicken Foot, Beef.
Snacks/Sweets
Banana Chips*, Tamarind Balls*
Other Jamaican snacks and sweets: Plantain Chips, Cassava Chips,
Asham, Busta Backbone, Coconut Drops, Grater Cake, Blue Drawers, Icy Mint.
Hot and Spicy
Middle Quarters Pepper Shrimp *, Solomon Gundy *
We found that we couln't fit our irreplaceable Patty* and Coco Bread* into one category - these two won the title of Most Popular Jamaican Food Combo.
Is that enough to get you started? Who knows, if you eat enough of our food, you may find soon find that you catch
the Jamaican accent as well!
If you want a more detailed description of our most highly recommended foods (the ones with the asterisk *), click here.
Here are some Jamaican food recipes:
Christmas Cake (Jamaican Rum Cake)
Bread Pudding and Banana Bread
Rice and Peas
Ackee and Saltfish
Jamaican Rum Punch
Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe
Traditional Desserts - Blue Drawers and Totoe
Return from Jamaican Food to Real Jamaica Vacations
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