Jamaica - Jerk Chicken and More

Jamaican cuisine is a fusion of styles, techniques and ingredients reflecting the cultures of the various people who have settled on the island over the years, starting with the Native Americans and including Spanish and British colonists, African slaves and Asian laborers who worked on the sugarcane and coffee plantations after slavery was abolished.

Jamaica's most famous export, jerk chicken, is a prime example.  The term most likely comes from the Spanish word charqui, meaning jerky or dried meat.  Christopher Columbus, who was shipwrecked on Jamaica for months, wrote about the Native American's method of preparing meat with peppers, allspice and sea salt.  Later, escaped African slaves living in the mountains of Jamaica, known as Maroons, adopted the preservation technique and also began cooking the meat over a wood fire.

As it has evolved over the years, jerk cooking uses a paste or marinade made with allspice (or pimento) and scotch bonnet peppers, among other ingredients.  Jerk seasoning is used with a wide variety of meats, including pork, goat, and fish.  Traditionally the meat is cooked over a pimento wood fire or even an old oil drum converted to a smoker.  Here are some pictures showing how jerk chicken is prepared in Jamaica today:

Jerk chicken can be made with either a dry spice rub or a wet marinade.  I decided to go with the wet marinade because it just seemed like more fun.  Here's the recipe I chose: http://www.whats4eats.com/poultry/jerk-chicken-recipe

As you can see, the recipe calls for a staggering number of ingredients including the requisite allspice and scotch bonnet peppers.  The Asian influence is evident in the use of scallions, ginger, garlic and soy sauce.

One helpful hint:  use a blender or food processor to grind up the veggies, including the peppers.  It will save a ton of time and since they are going into a marinade you want to pulverize them as much as possible.

The peppers I used were simply called "Jamaican" on Fresh Direct so I have no idea whether they were scotch bonnet or habaneros or what.  My fingers tingled from the residual heat for hours after handling them:

And here is a picture of that delicious marinade doing its magic:

My friend Linda and I ended up cooking the chicken in the oven because it was easy that way.  The final result was delicious - a little spicy but not excessively so and full of flavor.  Let's just say that not a single piece was let over!

I also made a traditional Jamaican side dish called rice and peas, actually rice and kidney beans cooked with coconut milk.  I added the lime slices as a garnish.
http://eatjamaican.com/recipes/riceandpeas-recipe.html

And finally, what is a Jamaican celebration without rum punch?  Her is a great recipe for planter's punch.  There are many variations on this theme.  One traditional way to serve planter's punch is with shavings of nutmeg on top.  Enjoy!
http://www.whats4eats.com/beverages/planters-punch-recipe