Gastrofarians

The largest ex-pat community here in the Cayman Islands is definitely that of Jamaica.

Jamaica is our closest culturally-similar neighbor, and we love exploring their culinary influence on Cayman.

(Cuba is about the same distance away geographically, but not as close.. uh.. philisophically... you know, with the whole Communism thing. There is a Cuban community here, but we have not been lucky enough to spend time with any of them.
In talking with those in Cayman that have visited Cuba, we've found most are old men who visited the island while on a ship, and most of their stories discuss what women will do for a candy bar or a US $20. I'm pretty sure that there's more to Cuba than that. Cayman Airways has weekly flights to La Habana, and we're anxious to visit. Although, with our luck, we'll be there on the weekend when Castro dies and it'll be like the chaotic scenes in Godfather II, except without the private plane.)

Anyway, back to the Jamaica stuff... The pumpkin we roasted the other night was of the Jamaican variety. Here's what it looks like:



Gorgoeous, right? Here's what it looks like when it's roasted with sweet yellow onions and fresh, local thyme:



Num Nums.... we eat it with Jamaican rice & peas and baked tofu. Rice & peas is the traditional, staple side dish in Jamaica, consisting of rice made with coconut milk and red kidney beans with spices and herbs and goodness. It's counter-intuitive to eat all of this hot, savory food when it's so hot outside, but it's what everyone else does, soooo.......

Another Jamaican delight is "Festival." Festival are like little Jamaican beignets, and are made with both corn and wheat flour. They can be eaten plain as a side dish for saltfish or jerk chicken, or as a dessert with cinnamon and sugar. That's how we made them last night:



Festival got their name from the fisherman who ate them on the beach in Jamaica, noting that "Festival nice, just like festival."

So awesome, right? Any fried dough just has to be...

Caribbean cuisine is spicy, and heat is usually added with fresh "seasoning peppers" like the ones I pictured from the farmer's market. You add them to the pot whole, and pick them out before serving whatever you cooked. This technique adds a subtle heat to a dish without being too uneven or intense.

If you'd like to add heat that is in no way subtle, you reach for Lasco.



Lasco is the favorite hot sauce of Jamaica, and consists almost entirely of crushed Scotch Bonnet peppers. A Scotch Bonnet is the same pepper that is called Habañero throughout Latin America. It's hot like crazy, and I love it... I even splashed some on Soy Ice Cream the other night. That's actually not something that Jamaicans do....

....and what do you drink when you've gotten a little too liberal with the Lasco?


Ewwwwww Yeah-Yuh, Red Stripe.

Red Stripe is a Lager beer brewed in Jamaica. That alone would make me like Red Stripe even if it weren't so darn tasty.

Lager is pretty heavy for drinking in the heat, but it's worth noting that Red Stripe is second in sales in Jamaica... BEHIND GUINNESS!!!!! I'm pretty sure it's not the Irish Ex-Pat population inflating that number.... anyway, Jamaicans will also mix Red Bull energy drink with Guinness, which makes it less thick but more disgusting.

I think I'll stick with the Pumpkin and Doughnuts for now....