Sweet potato pudding is a favorite Sunday dessert throughout Jamaica, consisting of sweet potatoes, flour, coconut milk, dried fruits, and flavorings such as vanilla, nutmeg, sugar, and salt. Although it can be baked in an oven, some Jamaicans still prepare it on a coal pot, where the charcoal is placed under the bottom and on top of the baking pan.
It is recommended to pair sweet potato pudding with a glass of milk.
MOST ICONIC Sweet Potato Pudding
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Tamarind balls are a Jamaican specialty made with tamarind's sticky flesh, water, and brown sugar. The concoction is rolled into round balls that have a unique, sweet and sour flavor. There is also a spicy Guyanese version of tamarind balls with hot peppers and garlic added to the combination, and an alcoholic version with added rum.
The balls are usually rolled in sugar one more time to finish them off, and they are then consumed or stored in airtight containers for later use.
An integral part of Caribbean cuisine in festive times, especially around Christmas, black fruit cake is a unique dessert filled with nuts, dried fruits, warm spices, and burnt sugar syrup - giving it a rich and bitter chocolate flavor and a typical deep black color.
Although the cake has numerous variations regarding the ingredients, rum is always mandatory. Black fruit cake has roots throughout the Caribbean, dating back to the 17th century when English settlers brought over their tradition of the English pudding, which was modified by the slaves and their descendants into a decadent rum cake over the years.
Gizzada is a flavorful Jamaican dessert consisting of a pastry shell filled with a sweet, yet slightly spicy coconut filling. It is characterized by its pinched crust, giving the dessert its other name: pinch-me-round. Although gizzada is very popular throughout Jamaica, it is believed that this sweet treat has Portuguese or Jewish origins.
Steamed cabbage is a flavorful Jamaican side dish that is often consumed for breakfast, paired with black mint tea, fried dumplings, or bread, although it can also be served for dinner, when it is usually accompanied by steamed rice. The cabbage is sliced, seasoned with salt and pepper, and steamed until ready for consumption.
Some cooks like to flavor the dish with garlic, hot peppers, and tomatoes.
Bammy is a traditional cassava flatbread. The dough is often soaked in coconut milk, then fried, steamed, or baked. It originates from the Arawaks, who are the island's original inhabitants. The bread can usually be bought from local vendors, and it is served either for breakfast or on the side as an accompaniment to fish dishes.
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View morePeanut drops are popular Jamaican snacks made by boiling roasted peanuts and minced ginger in water with brown sugar. The peanuts are boiled until the water evaporates and the sugar becomes sticky like caramel. Peanut drops are left to cool and harden before they are ready to be served and consumed.
These traditional treats are enjoyed both by young and old throughout the island.
Bulla cake has a round and flat shape, and it is made with flour, molasses, and baking powder. It can be either light- or dark-colored and is often spiced with ginger or nutmeg. The cake first appeared in the 19th century and from the 1980s it’s being produced mostly by large bakeries in Jamaica.
This popular treat for schoolchildren is usually eaten with butter, avocado, and cheese.
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Stamp and go is a Jamaican road snack consisting of fritters usually made with salt cod, although callaloo, ackee, and conch are also often used in the preparation. It can be consumed for breakfast or as an appetizer. The dish is traditionally accompanied by a sweet dipping sauce on the side.
The name of the dish is named for the way consumers wouls stamp their feet at street food stands in order to hail vendors.
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Coco bread is a popular Jamaican bread made with flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter, and coconut milk. The bread is baked until it is golden-brown and develops a slightly sweet flavor due to the usage of coconut milk. It is usually split and filled with a Jamaican patty (a golden yellow pastry filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables) in order to make a unique Caribbean take on a sandwich.
MOST ICONIC Coco Bread
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