For the past five years or so plantains have been having a moment. It is the talk of the town and “food porn” on all the social media platforms. The latest Tik Tok recipe video I saw used plantains as the crust for a pizza and ackee prepared with bell peppers for toppings! That actually sounds good. It’s not necessarily new and/or unique, but it’s nice to switch things up a little. Ackee is a breakfast dish in Jamaica and is at times accompanied by plant-tin. Thus, this Tik Tok “discovery” is not at all far-fetched. However, with the cultural phenomenon of its newfound fame, plantains are in everything. I’m not complaining, I just want to know why it’s suddenly not categorized as a breakfast dish, as I’ve always known it to be. 

Plantains are mainly from the tropics and Southeast Asia  — where the fruit is largely an accompaniment to a main meal. In Jamaica, it’s also served as a side dish for breakfast and at times as a snack or weekend breakfast choice when it hasn’t yet ripened — because it usually takes more time to prepare. Fried plant-tin doesn’t make its way past the breakfast table as, while it is popularly enjoyed, it is viewed poorly as a meal outside this time of day. Fried plant-tin and bread hits the spot every time, but this is only acceptable at breakfast. It’s not regarded as a complete meal and if you’re eating past the culturally appropriate time, it’s not only considered a poor choice, but it’s also not in keeping with tradition and that is often worse. In Jamaica, we’re serious about complete meals — a protein, starch and the occasional vegetable. A fruit for dinner, that’s nonsense. 

The only time plant-tin is available at dinner is when it’s boiled or roasted as a vegetable with other ground foods. It doesn’t sound too appetizing, but it’s really a sweet vegetable. This generally happens when the season’s harvest is plentiful and to avoid waste we start to prepare it with evening meals. Why all the rules? What can I say, but slavery. Centuries-old traditions manifest themselves in new ways. We choose to pass on a food that we view as “common” and thus, too poor for the family’s main dish, to now happily accept it when others find value, but on their terms. 

I am happy to report that the next day the resort righted their wrong and plant-tin was available specially for me at breakfast. Lets all break all the self-imposed rules; plant-tin morning, noon and night.

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Both can be enjoyed on its own, especially sweetsop, which is my most favorite. It’s a close tie to a St Julian (“Julie”) mango. I wouldn’t say it’s rare, but when you see one, you grab it. The season sneaks up on you sometimes and unless you personally harvest the variety, it might be awhile before you’re able to find this fruit without having to go on a deliberate hunt. It’s also appropriately nicknamed “sugar apple.” It is sweet like no other, at first it’s fragrant, then smoothing to a chasing memory. Don’t be surprised if it’s not to your liking on the first go. Many may find the sometimes gritty texture off-putting. 

Soursop on the other hand is popular and is sometimes prepared as a Sunday dinner beverage, which at times camouflage and counter when it’s indeed sour. 

Traditional Jamaican Soursop Juice Recipe (serves 10 cups)

• 1 large (ripe) soursop
• 4–6 cups water
• 4–6 tbsp condensed milk, sweeten to taste
• 1 tsp nutmeg, grated
• 1 cup milk (optional)
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1–2 tbsp cane sugar, sweeten to taste
• ½ small lime or lemon (optional)
• 1 tsp Jamaican white rum (optional)

No, it’s not a typo. There is in fact more sugar and dairy than rum in this drink recipe. Why?! To be fair, this is traditionally paired with Sunday dinner — a sacred family gathering enjoyed by all ages. Soursop juice is also labor intensive, nurturing and special, which is why it’s regarded as a part of Sunday dinner. It encompasses us all. It reminds us to enjoy the season, whether sweet or sour. If it is sour, it just takes a little work and togetherness to sweeten it up. If that doesn’t work, try the Jamoji remix. 

Jamoji Remix to serve over ice

• 1 large ripe soursop
• 4–6 cups water
• 1–2 tbsp cane sugar, sweeten to taste (optional) 
• ½ small lime or lemon 
• Jamaican white rum to your liking 

Instructions 

1. Peel soursop and remove the core.
2. Place the soursop pulp (fleshy part) w/o seeds into a large bowl.
3. Blend soursop pulp (no more than ¾ full).
4. Add water to the blender to completely cover the pulp.
5. Stir and loosen the mixture.
6. Blend on high until pulp liquefies. If the blender is struggling, add some more water, stir and resume blending. 
7. Strain the soursop juice into a large bowl. 
8. Use a large spoon to stir and press the juice through the strainer adding more water as needed.
9. If any unblended soursop pulp remains, repeat the process.
10. Choose whether you would like soursop juice with lime or milk, then use the relevant ingredients in the recipe above to flavor.

Enjoy responsibly! 

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Ackee is a fruit that must be cooked before consuming. Like almost everything in life and in Jamaica, Ackee is special and it’s a process from farm to plate. Once it opens naturally, it’s pegged, peeled and cleaned before placed in boiling salted water. The fruit contains a poison called hypoglycin, and when the fruit is properly boiled, the poison dissipates. If the preparation isn’t handled with care and patience one risks the chance of developing, what is called Jamaican Vomiting Sickness, which can lead to seizures, a coma and even death. I will tell you, Ackee is wildly popular in Jamaica and I have not known anyone to die from improper consumption, but I’ve known others who became ill. As the saying goes, “what don’t kill, fatten.” In my opinion, it’s a meal worthy of the risk. 

However one chooses to enjoy ackee, don’t forget the saltfish. To forget it is considered blasphemous. No, seriously don’t do it, it will not end well. I’ve cheated a couple of times and each time I had to eat the entire pot by myself as no one else would touch it. Ackee and saltfish, it’s all or nothing. This is befitting of our national fruit because we as a culture are all or nothing. 

National Geographic recently ranked Ackee and Saltfish as the second best National Dish, after the hamburger. However, not without mentioning its “unhappy origins” of being “slave food.” It’s interesting how we can easily identify the legacy and traits of slavery when it suits the narrative. As we celebrate this Independence Day, this 58th year of Independence let us marvel at how far we’ve come, yet not forget how much further we ought to go. In spite of our unhappy origins, we’re top two!  And lets be real, hamburgers belong to almost every nation. 

Note: Ground vegetables are yam, green banana, potato, cassava etc. 

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It was the first week of April 2016 and I was at a rehearsal dinner. With a background in Economics, I naturally found myself chatting with an SVP Investment Bank professional. We discussed the idea of me getting back into banking, but then, I boldly shared this idea that I’d been toying around with for about all of two weeks. I shared with her the concept of Jamoji and how the idea came about (see bio) and then she asked me, “What’s so different about Jamaican fruits?!” I was shocked. Here was a woman who was well traveled, educated and an executive of a top investment firm asking what/how/why would my experiences and tropical being be any different from what the new world had to offer. I honestly didn’t have the words for her so I did what I knew best, I Googled an image of the Jamaican Apple. When her bright eyes lit up with true fascination and awe, it was at that very moment I knew what I had to do and that it was good. I wanted to recreate that wonder and unearth that delight over and over again. 

The Jamaican Apple, like many of the Island’s fruits, is only available in season —  summer. It is crisp, light, refreshing and sweet, but sometimes tart and at times dry. It’s best enjoyed chilled on a hot summer day. Before North American apple varieties were widely available in Jamaican supermarkets, the only chance we had to taste or even see a “red delicious” was when my mom once smuggled the fruit in on an overseas stay. We had no access to apples of that kind, except for rare sightings, in the 90’s, once we had access to cable TV. Sidenote: a smuggled apple was top shelf commodity, low crime and high reward even if you didn’t like it (which I didn’t, I later learned that I’m a fuji apple variety kind). However, no North American apple variety came close to the pleasure and joyous satisfaction that a Jamaican Apple brought, maybe it’s decadence of not having it available year round. Having said all that, I will take note then and make a fuss, as anniversaries only come once a year! 

Happy Birthday Jamoji!

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In our household, jackfruit litters the grounds before it’s consumed, gifted or wasted. This is a danger to us, our planet and others as this fruit, which grows above on trees, can weigh up to 120lbs. Before it’s consumed, it sits on a counter out back until someone is brave enough or until at least four persons desire it enough to cut, prepare, share, and enjoy. I learned that in Thailand, a place where jackfruit is most popular, there are careers dedicated to the art of peeling the fruit. They are onto something because we cut, prune, peg and then soak in mild salted water (which is never measured) to remove the grime of the sticky substance from the fruit. Yeah, it’s no apple! Jamaicans have managed to add to the extra burden in enjoying jackfruit, that’s cleaning it. At this point we’re done with the fruit, but my plant-based pantry has taught me that it’s just the beginning. 

When unripe it can be cooked as a vegetable and/or a curry dish. It’s called the vegetarian meat when cooked in its green or unripe stage because of its texture and taste. I also learned that the fronds which surround the fruit and seeds can be fried and made into chips! I absolutely love this fruit and am so happy to have found so much use in what before, often felt like a burden. Jackfruit’s power should be reclaimed, too often it is wasted and neglected for its imperfections. According to Heathline, “Jackfruit has an impressive nutrition profile.” Jackfruit is the plant-based powerhouse for its fiber, anti-oxidant, vitamin and mineral contents. This messy fruit is indeed the star of its own show. It begs to question all that we might have missed because it presented itself as pungent, sticky, cumbersome and with a mistaken low reward-to-labor ratio. A viable food and nutrition source, a way to economic advancement and lessening the carbon impact to our planet due to location, location, location — Jamaica, we really dropped the 120lb ball on this one.

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According to the University of the West Indies, Jamaica has seventeen (17) mango varieties. The king and queen of the varieties are St Julian (“Julie”) and East Indian. The next 14 varieties range from being great to ok. Last on the scale, is the “hairy” variety. If this is the only fruit tree of your estate, you have no trading power, which means you’ll buy, beg, and hope to be blessed upon by your neighbor’s kindness for the entirety of the season. The name says it all – hairy – gross! I’m a Julie, it’s meaty, sweet, succulent and I can enjoy a whole fruit without the need to floss immediately afterwards. However, if the choice is to have no mango, or heaven forbid, a “Hairy” then I can and will be an East Indian. While it wouldn’t be my first choice, I wouldn’t say “no” either. However, you must know that Julie people and East Indian people are different sets of people, no scientific data required, these are just the rules of the estate. 

Another interesting thing about enjoying mangoes in Jamaica, is that they are mostly enjoyed whole and with nothing added. No salt, lime and cayenne pepper; not in a meal and hardly ever in a fruit salad. It stands alone and forever present in its season. Mango season is a flavorful and favorable mood lifter, giving us something to look forward to, to enjoy while it’s here and provide shared memories until next time. I might not remember the first bite of all the Julies I’ve had, but I remember the scent of air of the first blossom, the vendors who sold the best picks and when a loved one remembered to share their harvest with me. Best joy of all, the season is within one’s reach — and that’s being present — as it’s something we all already possess. Now, go and enjoy wisely.

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Pears are consumed as a side vegetable (interchangeable as a fruit) on any meal. When in season, it accompanies every meal. It’s also often paired with “bulla cakes” or hard dough bread as a pick me up snack. Yes, Jamaicans were serving “avo toast’ before it became the millennial’s demise for lack of proper savings and homeownership.

The one thing you do not do with a pear in Jamaica is prepare guacamole. (I know, “guac” is the ishh*) Jamaicans, true Islanders are suspicious of the process. It’s the act of dressing up a bad fruit as good and you are not to be trusted. Biases aside, the pear and avocado are different families of the same species and thus, the taste is slightly different. My guess is that the pear doesn’t make great guacamole. This I would not know as I haven’t tried to, that will be the crime in my household. I can already hear my Dad screaming with disgust.

P.s. Please don’t ask why it looks like that, it’s the preferred cutting technique and that too, is sacred.

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