Jerk (cooking)
Jerk is a style of cooking in Jamaica. Meat is rubbed or marinated with a hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice.
This came from the indigenous peoples in Jamaica from the Arawak and Taíno tribes. The descendants of 17th century Jamaican Maroons who intermingled with them carried it on.[1][2]
The smoky taste of jerked meat is achieved using various cooking methods, including modern wood-burning ovens. The meat is normally chicken or pork. The spicy jerk marinade sauce is made with allspice[a] and Scotch bonnet peppers.[3] Jerk cooking is popular in Caribbean and West Indian diaspora communities throughout North America, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Techniques[change | change source]
The cooking technique of jerking, as well as the results it produces, has evolved over time from using pit fires to grilling over coals in old oil barrel halves.[4] Around the 1960s, Caribbean entrepreneurs seeking an easier, more portable method of jerking cut oil barrels lengthwise, added holes for ventilation and hinged lids to capture the smoke.[4] These barrels are fired with charcoal; other jerking methods include wood-burning ovens.
Street-side "jerk stands" or "jerk centres" are found in Jamaica and the nearby Cayman Islands, as well as throughout the Caribbean diaspora.[5] Jerked meat can be bought with hard dough bread, deep fried cassava bammy (flatbread, usually with fish), Jamaican fried dumplings (known as "Johnnycake" or "journey cakes"), and festival, a variation of sweet flavored fried dumplings made with sugar and served as a side.[6]
Ingredients[change | change source]
Jerk seasoning principally consists of allspice[a] and Scotch bonnet peppers. Other ingredients may include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic, brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt.[7][8][9]
Uses[change | change source]
Jerk seasoning was originally used on chicken and pork, but in modern recipes it is used with other ingredients including fish, shrimp, shellfish, beef, sausage, lamb, goat, tofu, and vegetables.[10]
Notes[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 A fragrant spice native to the Caribbean, the dried ground berry of a particular species of the flowering shrub Pimenta dioica. The Jamaican name for allspice is "pimento", due to conflation of the words pimenta and pimento. It is also called myrtle pepper.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Siva, Michael (2018). After the Treaties: A Social, Economic and Demographic History of Maroon Society in Jamaica, 1739-1842 (PhD). University of Southampton. p. 235.
- ↑ Carey, Bev (1997). The Maroon Story: The Authentic and Original History of the Maroons in the History of Jamaica 1490-1880. Kingston, Jamaica: Agouti Press. p. 67-75. ISBN 978-9766100285.
- ↑ Oliver, Rochelle (20 July 2018). "Jerk, Authentically Jamaican and Unapologetically Hot". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Jamaican Jerk Chicken". Sunny Tours Jamaica. October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ↑ "READY TO EAT". Skies. Cayman Airways. 1 January 2016. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016.
- ↑ "Jamaican Festival Recipe". Jamaica No Problem. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ↑ "Recipes | Caribbean Jerk Chicken". Food & Wine. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ↑ Smith, Cheryl. "Jerk Chicken". Food Network. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022.
- ↑ "Jamaican-Chinese Chef Craig Wong Spices Up Chicken Chow Mein Caribbean Style". Goldthread. Retrieved 2022-01-13 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Brooke, Viggiano (August 8, 2016). "Dish of the Week: Jamaican Jerk Chicken". Houston Press. Retrieved October 2, 2022.