Escallions--Green onions. Ground Pimento--Not to be confused with “pimiento,” pimento is what Jamaicans call allspice.
The Jamaican scallion or escallion is one of the fundamental plants that have help to give the Jamaican cuisine its distinctive flavor. Scallion also known in some circles as spring onions, green shallot and onion sticks though closely related to onions do have a milder flavor.
Whether you call them escallion (pronounced scallion), green onion, spring onion or Welsh onion, they're all virtually the same thing! Jamaicans love their escallion and use it when cooking most savory dishes.
Vegetables Native to Jamaica: Chocho (Chayote)
Chayote and pumpkins, cucumbers, and zucchini belong to the gourd family. ©Sukarman/Shutterstock.com. Chayote, colloquially known as chocho, christophene, susu, and a few other names, is classified as a fruit but is used most commonly as a vegetable.
This combination of many spices (turmeric, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, mace, and others) flavors many dishes in Jamaica. It is a reminder of the Indian heritage of this island.
Pimento. Pimento is a dried, unripe berry from the Pimenta dioica tree. You may also know pimento as allspice or Jamaican pepper. This fragrant spice has notes of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, which makes it perfect for both savory and sweet dishes.
The important tropical spices, that are indigenous to the Western Hemisphere, are pimento (allspice), capsicum peppers and vanilla. Attempts to introduce pimento to other parts of the world gave trees that failed to produce fruit and so were largely abandoned.
Scotch bonnet peppers, squash, cabbage, pineapples and onions are just a few of the foods Rastafarians use in their cooking. Photograph by Michael Melford, Nat Geo Image Collection. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Plate.
Ackee and codfish, or ackee and saltfish as it is more popularly known, is Jamaica's national dish. It is made with the ackee fruit, which was imported to this region from Ghana in Africa by slaves in this territory.
Ackee (Blighia Sapida) is the national fruit of Jamaica as well as a component of the national dish – ackee and codfish. Although the ackee is not indigenous to Jamaica, it has remarkable historic associations. Originally, it was imported to the island from West Africa, probably on a slave ship.
The terms “green onion” and “scallion” are common names used interchangeably to describe a long, thin, tubular allium with a distinctive, but mild, oniony flavor.
Scallions (also known as green onions, and spring onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus Allium. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onions.
Cebollas Cambray (or Chambray onions), are known as the Mexican Spring Onions.
Scallions and green onions are the same type of onion, just sold under different names. Both are part of the genus Allium family (which includes other greens like leeks, garlic, onions, and shallots) and you can use scallions in recipes that call for green onions, and vice versa.
1. Ackee and saltfish. Considered to be the national dish of Jamaica, ackee and saltfish is popular with both locals and tourists alike. Ackee is a fruit grown on the island which pairs perfectly with the salted cod.
Jamaica's national fruit, the ackee is commonly used as the main ingredient in the island's traditional food dish, ackee and saltfish. This pear-shaped produce features a mild, nutty taste, which is why it is commonly curried over rice or cooked with tomatoes, onions, and codfish.
One of the iconic Jamaican drinks is rum. Without a doubt, the liqueur most associated with Jamaica and the surrounding Caribbean region, rum, or more specifically Jamaican rum, is a liqueur that you must try when visiting this part of the world.
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Did you know Bob's favorite dish to eat was Ital Stew? Cooking with C: Belly Full Ital Red Pea Stew with V... In honor of Dad's birthday, I wanted to share with all...
Grapes/Vine Food
View all notes This principle is extended amongst some to all vine grown foods, with one online Rastafari adherent describing them as “destructive plants” that “choke other plants just to get out nutrients and sun light”.
The goal of Ital is to increase what Rastafarians call "Livity" or "Life Energy." Food consumed by Rastas should be natural, pure and from the earth. This means no foods that are chemically modified or that contain artificial additives. Some Rastas avoid sodium and salt, especially salt with artificially added iodine.
Uniq Fruit was discovered as an accidental seedling in Jamaica where it was propagated and exported beginning in the 1930's. It is often marketed by the trademark name, Ugli Fruit, which is consistent with its unusual appearance. Ironically, it has an unbelievable taste and is very juicy.
The black balls in Jamaican food are called pimento berries. Also known as Jamaica pimento, Jamaica pepper, pimenta, or myrtle pepper. This berry is picked from the Pimenta dioica, an evergreen tree in the Myrtle family. The fruit is then dried into small, dark balls that resemble peppercorns.