International cuisine Nancy Lam
the country, with dishes including jerk chicken, curry mutton, because the presentation is very eye-catching. Also, I give my
saltfish fritters and rum cake. Chef-patron Patrick Williams
Jewel Isle
dishes a twist so the cooking is much more refined and not
of The Terrace restaurant and author of The Caribbean Chef
If you’re looking for
too sauce based. My jerk chicken for example, isn’t a dish of
echoes Grant’s view and says chefs like him have tried to
a unique, refreshing
chicken drowned in a thick spicy sauce. I take chicken breast,
make Caribbean cooking more “accessible”. ‘I grew up on my cocktail, try pineapple- marinade it in my home-made jerk seasoning and grill it. The
mother’s delicious home cooking, but it isn’t necessarily the ginger Jewel Isle rum little sauce I put with it is punched up with my home-made
kind of food I would serve in my restaurant,’ he says. ‘It would
punch. Kept as a family
tomato paste and sweet chilli paste.’
be very heavy and spicy. Instead, I cook European dishes that
secret for decades, the
Cottons restaurant in London is often spoken of as the UK’s
have a subtle Caribbean influence. I don’t want Caribbean
fruity drinks are a blend
finest Caribbean eatery, it not only achieves a fine balance of
cooking to be a mystery to the British public, so I use many
of authentic
traditional and contemporary cooking, but also offers what is
familiar ingredients in the cooking and make it diverse and
Jamaican rum
said to be the country’s biggest selection of rums in its bar, with
and fresh fruit
interesting at the same time.’ nearly 300 in stock. ‘Rum is the Caribbean’s pride and joy and
juices. Also
it was important for us to offer this,’ says Ian Burrell, manager
Accessible food
available in
tropical and
of Cottons. ‘The British public is becoming very well travelled
Like Williams, owner Pauline Clark of Windies Cove
lemon lime,
now and we often get customers asking for their favourite rum
restaurant believes that while there have been some aspects
so you can
from the Caribbean island they have just come back from.’
which have held back Caribbean cuisine from becoming
get a taste of
Judy Bastyra, cookery writer and passionate lover of
more popular in the UK, only small changes are needed
the Caribbean
Caribbean cuisine, says, ‘The roots of Caribbean food are very
to appeal to the UK market. ‘Yams and sweet potatoes are without leaving your eclectic and couched in fresh produce and flavours. But as it’s
traditionally served boiled and sliced in the Caribbean, back garden. For more evolved and assimilated into European cooking, often via the
which we think is too bland,’ she says, ‘so we serve it mashed information visit hands of the aforementioned chefs, it’s widened its appeal
with lamb. UK consumers eat with their eyes, so what they
www.jewelisle.com.
and shown there is much more to it than just jerk chicken
see has to excite them.’ Chef-patron Collin Brown of The and rice and peas.’ With our food culture ever expanding,
Lane restaurant agrees, ‘Presentation is all important,’ he with more cookery books, TV programmes and the huge
says. ‘When you look at my menu for instance, the dishes variety of ingredients available in supermarkets, there is no
actually come across as being quite traditional. But when reason for you not to experiment and find out about the
it is served at the table my customers are very surprised exquisite flavours which make up Caribbean cuisine.
Exploring the menu
ESCOVITCH Refers to PIMENTO Also known as SOURSOP Rich in vitamins,
a pickled method of “allspice”, this is one of the this dark green fruit can be
ACKEE Reddish-yellow in CASSAVA A staple of the marinating fish in lime and staple spices in Caribbean eaten raw or used for juices
colour and the national fruit Caribbean diet, this root seasoning. cooking and used in jerk and desserts.
of Jamaica, the ackee has vegetable is very versatile seasoning and pickling,
black seeds and is covered and can be used to make FESTIVAL A subtly sweet among other items. YAM Similar to sweet
in a creamy yellow flesh. breads and cakes. deep-fried dumpling eaten potato though not as sweet
Traditionally it’s sautéed with savoury dishes. PLANTAIN A large banana in flavour, this starchy
with salt cod, onions and CHRISTOPHENE Also variety used as a savoury vegetable works best as a
spices to form the famed referred to as “chocho” or JERK The famed spicy side, cooked like a potato. side like chips. }
Caribbean dish of ackee “chayote” this pear-shaped marinade, which originates
and saltfish. tropical squash is related from Jamaica and is used for SCOTCH BONNET
to the cucumber and is preparing mainly chicken PEPPER One of the hottest
BREADFRUIT A large cooked as a courgette-like and pork. peppers in the world, the
oval green fruit used as vegetable. chilli pepper is used in
a vegetable. The cream PATTIE A fast food pastry the preparation
coloured flesh is the edible DASHEEN A starchy root snack, similar to a pasty and of many
part and can be roasted, vegetable, similar to yam in filled with meat, vegetables Caribbean dishes.
boiled or fried. texture. or seafood.
THALIE DULEX
SORREL
CALLALOO A dark green ESCALLION Similar to spring PEAS Whether kidney A sour sweet, red stemmed
.COM/ NA spinach-like leaf vegetable, onion though with a more beans, black-eyed beans or shrub brewed to make sorrel
T
O
which can be used as a base pungent flavour. even green peas, the same juice. Its spinach-like leaf
for Caribbean soups. name is used in the staple can be used to flavour soups
OCKPHO
© IST
of “rice and peas”. and meat dishes.
winter 2008 KITCHENANGELS 129
KA24 caribb.jf.vp.indd 129 20/8/08 1:39:36 am
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