The largest fast food industry on the island of Jamaica is its famous jerk food. Travelers on a Caribbean vacation come to Jamaica just to enjoy the wide variety of jerks, including chicken, goat, beef, pork, sausage, fish, lobster, shrimp, and even vegetables. You haven’t tried Jamaica until you’ve had real Jamaican jerk, but be prepared – spicy hot jerk can contain intense heat! Jerk, which is originally from Jamaica, is a process of seasoning and then grilling meats that have been dry rubbed with an extremely spicy mixture made primarily from Scotch Bonnet peppers (which belong to the Habanero family and are among the hottest peppers) ; and then have been marinated in the meat for hours before grilling. Except maybe at the top of the Blue Mountains, you can’t go anywhere in Jamaica without running into an idiot. These street side fire pits are generally made from old oil barrels that are cut in half lengthwise; hinged and perforated with vents; and then layered with charcoal and the sweet, aromatic leaves and wood of the allspice trees (which produces the unique flavor of jerk).
Traditional sides to jerk include rice and black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, fried plantains, mango salsa, and roasted pineapple. All of these foods are high in starches and acids, which help ease the burning of spices. Each chef makes their own special version of jerk spice seasoning, adding ingredients like chives, garlic, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or thyme. Some chefs add vinegar or soy sauce to the marinade to make the meat juicier. The meat is then slowly roasted at low temperatures for several hours over a wood fire of allspice, giving it the distinctive sweet and spicy smoky flavor of jerk. Natives and tourists on Jamaica vacations have their own favorites, and the debate continues as to which chef invents the best jerk (as individual and family recipes are closely guarded).
The word “jerk” is derived from “charqui”, a Spanish word for dried meat (from which the English word “jerky” is also derived). Some theorists believe that the jerk port was invented by Maroons, Jamaican slaves from West Africa who escaped from the British in 1655. Others say that the jerk process was invented by the Arawak Indians, who were the first inhabitants of Jamaica. and that they used generous amounts of peppers and spices and then smoked meats on shallow fires that burned allspice wood to preserve the meat. Gourmet travelers to Jamaica take advantage of discounted summer vacation packages to visit Boston Bay in Portland Parish on Jamaica’s east coast, where allspice trees grow wild and where each July is brought to hold the annual Portland Jerk Festival at the Folly Great House on the outskirts of Port Antonio. This is a fun-filled three-day event with local entertainment and some of the best jerks of Jamaica’s best cooks. Just follow the smoke and scent and enjoy the biggest gathering of idiots and idiot lovers in the world!
