Jamaica Food Glossary

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Glossary of Food

Fruit of a West African Evergreen Tree (Blighia Sapida) named for Captain Bligh who introduced it to Jamaica. Ackee is actually poisonous until it ripen-the yellow flesh surrounding the black seeds is the only edible part, It look like scrambled eggs when cooked. Ackee is most often served with Salted Cod Fish (Saltfish) which forms our National Dish known as well, Ackee and Saltfish. Read More About Ackee

Aloe Vera

Medicinal plant which is know as sinkle bible in Jamaica. Photo

Allspice

(Pimento) is a dark brown berry of an evergreen tree that grows abundantly in Jamaica. When dried, the berries resemble peppercorn. If you can imagine the combined flavor of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove, you have the flavor of pimento. Photo

Avocado

(Pear) Originally from Mexico, Originally called Pear, avocados are now grown in most tropical and semi-tropical climates. Avocado are very healthy- a good source of ten different nutrients, and even higher in potassium than bananas. Photo

Bammy

A flat cake made of cassava which is deep-fried. Photo

Banana Leaves

Common in early island cooking for wrapping certain dishes, we mostly see the same done in foil and parchment paper these days. The leaves impart a very special, delicate flavor to the dishes Read More About Banana

Bizzy (Bissy)

Cola nut is sometimes dried and use as a medicine. Photo

Breadfruit

Originally found in the south Pacific, made famous in the Caribbean by being introduced by Captain Bligh. A Large green fruits, they are only edible after being cooked, it is found in many local soup. It also can be roasted when riped (when it turns to a yellowish color) We rarely think of this as a fruit. Read More About Breadfruit

Bulla

A round flat cake made with flour and dark sugar. Photo

Bush Tea

Basically use as a generic term throughout the islands for any tea made from local herds. Bush tea which is often made from one or several indegiuos herbs are considered to be natural remedies for any form of sickness known to man, from treating the effects of the common cold (cold bush) to releaving the agony of menstrual cramps or even warding off asthma attacks. Photo

Callaloo

A leafy green plant that is Edible when cook that look like spinach. Read More about Callaloo

Cane

Sugar Cane a bamboo like plant which sugar, rum and molasses is its by-product. Read More About Sugar Cane

Cerassee

The Leaves of the plant are used for making Tea, The tea is bitter in taste and believe to cure all manner of illness. Photo

Cherry

(Acerola ) also called West Indian Cherry or Barbados Cherry , soft juicy, thin skinned fruit with orange yellow flesh. Photo

Cho Cho

An edible root which is member of the squash family. eaten boiled it look like a small Pear and can be green or white in colour. Photo

Coconut

Large, round, hard shelled nut with a white pulp and hollow interior. Green coconuts give you Water, young jelly. Dried coconut yield coconut milk - which is grated coconut and mix with water and strained is use in many dishes like rice and peas and all sorts of other dishes. Coconuts are also heavily used in desserts, beverages. Oil is extracted from the nuts and has a wide range of uses. Read More About Coconut

Curry

Transported to the Caribbean from India, this mixture of spices varies from island to island, and even from dish to dish. The prepared curries can be a mixture of up to twenty different ground spices. Photo

Duckunoo

( tie a leaf, Blue Drawer ) A pudding made from cornmeal or green bananas, coconut, sugar and spices. It wrapped in green banana leaf. Photo

Escovitch

Spanish for pickled, it is used to describe a method of cooking in oil and vinegar, or cooked and then pickled in an oil and vinegar marinade.

Festival

a deep-fried, sweet cornbread. Photo

Ganja

The Jamaican name for marijuana

Genips

(Guineps)The fruit of the Genip tree look like enormous grapes, and are eaten the same way. With a flavor that runs from slightly tart to slightly sweet. Photo

Ginger

Probably a native of Asia. Most often used in it raw from, it is used in everything from main course to sides and like nutmeg, its even grated into beverages here in the Caribbean. Photo

Ground Provisions

Used in the Caribbean to describe yam, sweet potato, cassava etc. Provisions from the ground. Photo

Guava

Round or pear shaped fruit similar in size and appearance to the common guava. The rind is yellow, enclosing a white acidic pulp with a guava-strawberry flavor.
It is eaten fresh, but often used instead to make jellies and preserves. Photo

Gungo peas

Green and brown peas which is use in many Jamaican dishes. Also known as pigeon or congo peas. Photo

Jackfruit

The largest tree borne fruit in the world, The Average sized fruits are 1-2 feet long, and 9-12" wide. Skin is green-yellow, with small spiky knobs, flesh is custard yellow with a banana-like flavor. Fruits may sometimes emit a foul smelling odor emanating from the skin. Photo

Janga

Small river crayfish. Photo

Jerk

slow-roasted meat prepared with a mixture of pepper, pimento, garlic, scallions, salt, and the cook's secret ingredients. Photo

Johnny Cake

Nothing more then fried dough (Fried Dumpling). Photo

June Plum

Jew Plum a oval shaped fruit with green skin and prickly seed which turns Yellow when ripe. June plum maybe eaten green or ripe or made into juice. Photo

Mango

From an evergreen tree native to Asia, and now a Caribbean staple. From juice to cocktails, appetizers to desserts, ripe and unripe, mangoes are in everything Caribbean. Read More about Mango

Mannish Water

Soup of goat meat and vegetables. Photo

Medicinal Plant

.Medicinal Plants are those Plants used for curing certain ailments, skin remedies. Photo

Molasses

Molasses is the by-product (the residue) of refining sugar cane and along with rum ( distilled molasses is fermented to make rum). Photo

Naseberry

( Sapodilla) A small kiwi like fruit,It has thin edidle skin with a pale brown sweet pulp with inedible black seed around the center. Photo

Patty

spicy ground meat baked in a pastry shell. Photo

Payaya

(Paw-Paw) Green, orange, or yellow fruit, often quite large and weighing several pounds. Fruits tend to be very fleshy, with an inside cavity containing numerous seeds. Flesh is sweet, sometimes mildly acidic, with a texture much like that of a melon. Photo

Passion Fruit

A thick, yellowish skinned fruit (about the size of an egg) filled with small edible black seeds. Photo

Plantain

The big brother of the banana family, there are different uses for the green, semi-ripe , ripe and over ripe plantains, but they all must be cooked before eating. Another one of those fruits That served as a vegetable. Read More About Plantain

Rice and Peas

A rice dish made from rice cooked with peas (kidney or gungo peas), and coconut milk and various seasoning. Photo

Root Tonic

Roots tonics have long been staples in the Jamaican grassroots culture, It is said that these roots can cure many illness , and significantly, about its ability to enhance sexual performance.The Names of the Roots include Chainy Roots, Sarsaparilla, Blood Wiss, Dandelion, Raw Moon , Tan Pan Rock, Search Mi Heart , Hug-Mi-Tight, Coconut Root, Banana Roots, Strong Back, Medina. Photo

Rum

Rum is the distilled spirit made from sugarcane. Photo

Rundown

Salted Mackeral cooked in coconut milk to a custard. Photo

Saltfish

Saltfish is the colloquial Caribbean name for dried salted fish, encompassing several varieties of fish used in island cooking. It must be soaked overnight and cleaned before cooking. Photo

Seasoning

A term use for spice mix with many variations, but basically made from thyme, garlic, parsley, onion and chile. Like many other local condiments, it is made in advance and kept ready to use. Photo

Seville Orange

This particular orange is large, with rough reddish orange skin, the pulp is far too acidic to be eaten raw, but the juice is used a great deal in juice and also in meat and poultry dishes. Photo

Sorrel

flowering plant from which drinks and wine are made, often served during the Christmas holidays. Photo

Sour sop

Soursop is the spiny, dark green fruit of a tropical American tree with delicately tart and delicious pulp, it is used mainly in drinks, ice cream and sorbets. Photo

Star Apple

Round, baseball sized fruit that when cut has a core that takes on a star shape. Pulp is soft and sweet. The star apple usually comes in two forms, either the dark purple skinned variety with red-purple pulp, or the green skinned variety with clear-white pulp. Photo

Stinking Toe

stinking toe refers to the large seedpod of the West Indian Locust, Hymenaea courbaril, commonly called the stinking toe or old man's toe tree, one of the largest trees in the Caribbean. The seedpods look like big fat toes and the mealy pulp around the seeds, although foul smelling, is edible and good tasting. Photo

Sweet Sop

A Green spiny Fruit, with a white soft pulp which is Sweet taste. Photo

Sweet potato

Sweet potatoes grow on a trailing perennial plant, and usually have a reddish brown skins and flesh that ranges from white to deep orange. What is most often referred to in the U.S as a yam that is so popular at Thanksgiving is not a yam at all , but a sweet potato. Photo

Tamarind

Brown, podded fruit with brittle flaky skin and a deep brown-red, sticky pulp that surrounds several hard seeds. The pulp has a very unique sweet-sour taste. The fruits may be eaten fresh, but are usually prepared as a flavoring for beverages. Read More About Tamarind

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