The history of Jamaican food documents as far back as 1509 with the arrival of the Spanish. The Spanish landed on Jamaica in search of labourers to transport to Hispaniola and there they found another group of native Indians (Neo-Indians), who called themselves Tainos.
These Europeans brought with them a plethora of crops and spices but it wasn’t until 150 years later that they imported animals including cattle, pigs, goats, horses and lard from animal fat. This time around, the Spaniards brought many African slaves who also introduced their cooking techniques, spices and recipes from Africa to the island.
Spanish Influence on Jamaican cuisine
The Spanish Jews who arrived on the island between 1494 and 1655, brought their unique dishes (one of the most famous is “Escoveitch Fish”. Escoveitch fish is a tangy/semi-pungent concoction of herbs, peppers and of course, fish.) They began combining their recipes with the island’s local fresh produce and seafood choices, creating whole new styles of cuisine. A common dish is Escoveitch fish, which was adopted from the Spanish, and bammy from the Tainos.
After the English won the battle for Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655, they brought with them additions and improvements to the cuisine of choice and as a result, many new dishes were developed on the island (example: the Jamaican beef patty which was adopted from the English dish ). The English also transformed a significant portion of the island into sugar plantations. With the abolition of the slave trade, many immigrants from East India and China moved to Jamaica in search of work and joined the labour system.
Indian influence on Jamaican cuisine
The Indian influence brought many Indian spices into the mix, hence the spiciness 0f Jamaican food today.
Just about everything is made into curry; whether it be chicken, pork, seafood, rice or anything the island has to offer.
African influence on Jamaican cuisine
Jamaica is also famous for what is known as “Jerk”, a sort of dried meat that finds its roots in the Cormantee tribes from the British Gold Coast in Africa, and was imported when slaves arrived in Jamaica. who cooked wild boars without smoke in order to keep their hideout place a secret. Many of these slaves escaped the plantations and ran to the mountains where they built an entirely new society.
The formerly enslaved Tainos and Africans who fled oppression during the Spanish-English conflict for possession of the island in 1655, were the creators of the jerk method. The Maroons developed a blend of herbs, spices, hot peppers and pimento leaves which they used when cooking the wild pigs they captured in the Blue Mountains.oday, their descendants are called “Maroons” and they are said to be the herbalists and most famous for jerk in Jamaica. Escaped African slaves cooked meat such as wild boars without smoke in order to keep the location of their runaway camp a secret.
Jamaican Jerked meat is a delicacy to person all around the world. From its inception by the indigenous people in Jamaica to its modification by Spanish and African influences, jerk remains a true Caribbean treasure.
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