A TASTE OF HOME

Jamaica’s food means many things to me. Joy, excellence, as well as resilience. Many of the island’s dishes emerged from a violent history at the hands of European settlers. They tell a story. The recipes overleaf from my book, Motherland, encapsulate this history, and are my favourites.

Ackee and saltfish is Jamaica’s national dish. Ackee was brought to the island on a slave ship from West Africa, also bearing enslaved people whose lives would be marked by unimaginable cruelty at the hands of their British enslavers. It was paired with saltfish, traded as a vital protein source. Enslaved people’s saltfish rations were often rancid, so things like onions, garlic and thyme were used to mask the unpleasantness. It’s a dish I grew up with; Dad stirring the pot and Mum on dumpling duty.

Jerk is an incredible food founded in Jamaican mountains. Escaped enslaved people, known as Maroons, joined forces with the remaining indigenous Taino. They captured wild pigs, preparing them both to flavour and preserve, and cooked them underground