Jamaican Jerk History

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Jerk basically refers to a type of meat, whether it is chicken, pork, beef, fish, goat, fruit or vegetable, and in Negril, Jamaica, a Jamaican jerk is referring to how the food is cooked. This delicious style of cooking refers to using a paste or marinade that will at least include pimento. Many times, pimento is reffered to as allspice. The cooking also makes use of scotch bonnet peppers, which are also known as habaneros. After that, you marinate the meat and smoke it slowly over the pimento wood.

The Spanish Word for Pepper

Pimentia o pimento was the early Spanish word for pepper, and when the early European explorers first came, they mistakenly thought that it was black pepper. As a result, they called it pimento. Where did Jamaica first use the word jerk? According to experts like John Mariani and Alan Davidson, jerk is actually a Spanish word that came from the Peruvian word of Charqui. It …show more content…
The vast majority of historians agree that the Arawak Indians settled in Jamaica more than 2500 years ago. They used a technique for smoking and drying meat in the sun, and they would sometimes cook it over a slow fire. These were practices that were common in Peru, and they could take the dried beef on longer journeys. That is what makes up modern jerk cooking today. In fact, you have only to go on vacation to find that all across Jamaica, there are jerk huts. You can identify the these huts based on the lovely aroma coming from them. A lot of the time, these are shacks and the dining will take place outside. If you vacation in Negril, you will find this is very common. If you do decide to have it in Jamaica, check out the jerk food in Negril.

Experiencing It Firsthand

Whether you choose to experience an authentic Jamaican Jerk on vacation in Negril or at home, here are the ingredients to help you with making your own Jerk without taking a vacation.

The Ingredients

Juice from 2 Limes
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp.
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