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Jamaicans eat foods that are flavored with spices such as ginger, nutmeg, and allspice (pimento). Allspice, the dried
berries of the pimento plant, is native to Jamaica and an important export crop. This is different from pimiento, the red
pepper used to stuff green olives. Many jamaican recipes are accompanied by bammy, which is a toasted bread like wafer made
from cassava or yucca. With the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea surrounding the island, seafood is plentiful in jamaican
food. Lobster, shrimp, and fish such as red snapper, tuna, mackerel, and jackfish are in abundance in Jamaica food. Try
jamaican blue mountain coffee with any Jamaican food recipe for jamaican patties plus jamaican jerk chicken. The jamaican
cuisine often includes jamaican curry chicken.
Jerk Chicken
Ingredients
1 pound skinless chicken breasts
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
3 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons allspice
4 cloves garlic,
minced
1 small onion, chopped
½ teaspoon ginger, ground
½ teaspoon cumin, ground
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Procedure
Combine
all ingredients except the chicken into a blender and blend to a paste.
Pour into a shallow baking dish or sealable plastic
bag.
Add chicken and turn to coat.
Cover and place in refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Remove chicken from marinade and pour marinade into a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Chicken may now be cooked on a grill
or baked in the oven. To grill, preheat the grill. Remove chicken and place chicken on a grill. (Ask an adult to help with
the grilling.) Cook approximately 7 to 10 minutes per side until done, basting with boiled marinade.
To bake: Preheat
oven to 350°F. Place chicken in a baking dish and bake 20 to 25 minutes. After 15 minutes, baste with remaining marinade.
Serves 4 to 8.
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