Popular Jamaican Food

Popular Jamaican food is a delight.

All Jamaican dishes are seasoned and well-prepared. There isn't any bland food in Jamaica. The food is infused with flavor and you will love it.

In most restaurants all dishes on the menu, including sides, are prepared from scratch. The seasoning, considered an art, begins early in the day or even the day before. More about Jamaican restaurants . . .

Jamaica is famous for it's "jerk" (Jamaican Jerk Sauces )-- a barbecued, highly seasoned chicken, pork or fish. You will find it on most any menu! Although this one is served spicy-hot, most traditional Jamaican dishes are not.

Popular Jamaican food and locally prepared meals might include any of the following;
rice and peas (red kidney beans cooked with coconut milk)
yams
dasheen
irish (white) potatoes
sweet potatoes
and/or dumplings (made with flour or cornmeal) on the side.

Salt fish (salted codfish) and ackee, the island's traditional dish, combines the salted cod with ackee fruit (tastes a little like sweetened scrambled eggs). This dish is often served with boiled green bananas, and johnnycakes(fried flour dumplings) and bammy (cassava cakes).

Some other local specialties include; pepperpot soup (hot and spicy), callaloo (a spinach like plant), escovitch fish, grilled lobster and roasted breadfruit.

Be sure to try a Jamaican patty--it's Jamaica's take on fast food, inexpensive and delicious (will be made with beef, vegetables,chicken or seafood).

There are many local "must try" Jamaican fruits;
mangoes
guineps
soursop
naseberries
otaheite apples
bananas
and coconuts.

For more about food in Jamaica and it's history or for a more complete list of foods eaten in Jamaica.

The tasty, fresh dishes are wonderfully prepared with slow cooking methods to allow for the flavors to develop naturally. Very little is prepared ahead of time and nothing is pre-cooked and warmed over. As a result, you might experience a wait now and then. Relax!--start out a little early and enjoy a libation while you wait. Just know it will usually be worth the wait.

For our collection of Free Jamaican recipes.

Most coffee served in Jamaica is not the coveted Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. You can, however, find it in gift shops and supermarkets and it's much less expensive then back at home.

In Negril, like nowhere else that I am aware of, you walk the beach, as well as the road and discover any number of great places to eat. To travel between the beach and the West End (or cliffs), taxis are the way to go (most roads are narrow and winding--not always the best for walking).

There are many restaurants and bars in Negril serving popular Jamaican food. Most hotels and resorts have at least one on premises or right next door. You can sample Jamaican, Caribbean, North American, Continental or Asian foods. Not all establishments will accept credit cards so make sure you always have some cash on hand.

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