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I live in a part of Mississippi that isn't far from New Orleans and the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coasts. So I am used to fairly spicy food, and to having lots of seafood, although I never liked either. Well, I'm tellin' ya: Jamaican food is HOT. I'm talking scotch bonnet peppers hot, curry and jerk spice hot. HOT. Delicious, though. I went there expecting to lose a few pounds from all the walking. Boy, was I wrong! The food is SO GOOD. Here are some examples of what you can eat in Jamaica.
Ackee. This is actually a fruit, but it looks and tastes rather like scrambled eggs when it's cooked--and it has to be cooked, it can't be eaten raw. Usually enjoyed for breakfast with saltfish, but I actually never had it that way. I had an ackee-stuffed chicken breast with scotch bonnet pepper sauce, though, and it was yuuummmmmy.
Callaloo. Another plant you have to cook in order to eat; otherwise it will make you hallucinate! Tastes and looks like spinach, pretty yummy.
Fresh fruits and vegetables. Open-air markets everywhere with fresh fruits and veggies that just came out of the ground that morning. Grapes the size of golf balls! The cutest, sweetest, yummiest miniature bananas! Very good citrus fruits. Salads so fresh you can smell them as they come out of the kitchen! Magnificent!
Fried plantains. It seemed like a chunk of fried plantain came with every meal. Not that I'm complaining--those things are really tasty, especially served alongside a big ol' plate of BBQ chicken and rice'n'peas. I miss them so much!
Speaking of rice'n'peas... Really rice and kidney beans, made with coconut milk. So good! And really homey, too--reminded me of mom's cooking.
Patties! They're like the hamburgers of Jamaica--you can find them everywhere. Pastries filled with spicy meat, chicken, or veggies, sometimes with cheese added. They are very spicy and they are very very WARM on the inside! Burned the roof of my mouth so many times on hot patties!
Festivals. Bits of fried dough; rather like savory beignets. I love fried dough in any form, so this really hit the spot.
Escoveitched fish. Spicy grilled fish. I only saw it with the head still on. But yummy!
Curried goat. I didn't want to eat goat at first--they're so cute to me. Then I found out they're tasty as well. So long, goats. ^_^ Curried goat is delicious over rice'n'peas, but then, I haven't found anything that isn't.
Rum punch. Abundant and delicious. And strong. Very strong.
And here are some of my favorite restaurants in Ocho Rios.
Coconuts. A nice little open-air joint with a well-stocked bar and wonderful food. This was where I got the ackee-stuffed chicken with scotch bonnet sauce, as well as a heavenly pina colada cheesecake. Also, some cool older guy bought drinks for my two female friends and I to tease his newly married friend. ^_^ Probably my favorite place to dine in Ochi.
Evita's. Heavenly Italian food in a lovely location on a cliff overlooking Ochi. Soooooo gooooood.....Sir Anthony Hopkins, among other famous people, had dined there once, so even if the food had been bad I still would have loved Evita's!
Mother's. Sort of the McDonald's of Jamaica, but for patties instead of hamburgers. Fast, cheap patties; tasted pretty good.
Juici Patties. If Mother's is the McDonald's, Juici Patties might be the Hardee's--better-tasting but less patronized. Love me some Juici Patties.
Small pastry shops. They seem to be all over the place, and fresh pastry is always good, especially when you can get patties too! The cakes in these places, especially those with fruit fillings, are just YUM.
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Want to learn to make some Jamaican dishes in a cheap and easy manner? Visit my recipe site, Ittadakimasu.