Saltfish is a very common ingredient in many Jamaican dishes. I grew in the States thinking it was very common but as an adult now realize it’s not and have to trek to a market about 35 blocks from my apartment just to find it. Even when I have asked grocers more local to my…
Extras
A blizzard and a patty, a love story
Being stuck indoors for a day or two because of a blizzard may sound awful to some, to me it sounds like heaven. After an unseasonably warm winter in New York City, January hit and with it came a blizzard called Jonas. The day before the storm, while everyone else was at the markets stocking up on…
What’s on my bookshelf
My husband surprised me with a new book I had been eying, Hermes Mallea’s Escape: The Heyday of Caribbean Glamour. The coffee table book is amazing and leafing through it gave me the idea to share it along with some other books on my bookshelf. I can’t remember how I came across Escape but when I saw it I…
What is…hard dough bread?
Ahh, Jamaican hard dough bread. It is just SO GOOD. And dangerous. Because it it is so doughy and a tad sweet that you just want more. Lightly toasted with butter? Wow. Though I have wondered if having one slice is like having 4 slices of regular bread since it is so dense. I probably should ignore…
What are…Jamaican water crackers?
Excelsior Jamaican water crackers have been part of my household since as long as I can remember. I used to put a bit of butter and guava jam on a cracker and plow through one after another. The ways to eat them are limitless. You can of course eat them as you would any other cracker…
What is…bulla?
This post is really a shoutout to my dad. He LOVES him some bulla. He grew up eating bulla as a child and has loved it ever since. He could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner in one day and probably has at some point. Bulla is a thick cakey treat made with molasses,…
What is…cornmeal?
Cornmeal is a popular ingredient in Jamaican and used in many Jamaican recipes such as cornmeal porridge and festival. Cornmeal is a coarse flour (aka not as fine as wheat flour) ground from dried corn. Most Jamaican recipes calling for cornmeal are referring to a very fine ground cornmeal. I have tried more coarse versions out of convenience…