Jamaican Delightful Dishes
Poor Black Creation Now Expropriated By The Rich and Ethnic Minorities





Winston Donald


   
© Copyright 2026 by Winston Donald

 Photo by Tim Samuelat Pexels.
Photo by Tim  Samuelat Pexels.

As Black History Month reaches its climax, there is one notable achievement by a black majority country such as Jamaica that has not been mentioned or rarely recognized – the food it currently shared with the world. Jamaican dishes and food are delicious tasting food and dishes, now expropriated and exploited by the ethnic minority, especially big capital bearing white Jamaica. People may be indifferent to this or just do not care, but what is factual cannot be thrown under the carpet.

Over the years Jamaican food has had the distinction of being one of the best tasting food in the entire globe. The food is tasty and enjoyable to all palate in the world. It is not bland and neither is it too hot or too extremely spicy as are many so called dishes and food of Non- Caucasian countries. What makes Jamaica dishes appealing is that they draw their ingredients, flavours and preparation from those who comprised the population. Like the National Motto- Out of Many One People- the dishes and foods draw their inputs and flavor from Africa, the United Kingdom ( Britain and Northern Ireland), India, China and even from Eastern Cuba and Mexico ( in the form of the red kidney beans). But the finish dish is undeniable and undoubtedly the creation of the black poor majority.

From internationally known jerk meats ( chicken , pork, beef and today venison) to rice and curried goat, internationally known ackee and codfish, internationally known patties , rice and peas and chicken, curried chicken, fried dumplings, fried fritters, roast beef, stew peas, beef stew, festival , fried cassava bammies, steam cassava bammies, fried plantains, roasted yams and roasted sweet potatoes, carrot juice and milk, soursop juice and milk, Jamaica can and have satisfied with “full belly” dishes and food that leave one asking for extra servings. No other nation with under 3.5 million people has so much tasty food to offer its citizens and foreigners like this reggae creating island.

Jamaican tasty and comfort food and dishes had their origins in the kitchens of the poor and marginalized. The nation’s food is a testament to the creativity and resourcefulness of the masses, in particular, the rural poor. Take for example “Mannish Water” – it is a soup cooked from the intestines and sometimes head and intestines of the goat. Flavoured with spices and fortified with ground provisions or green bananas it is a flavourful, hearty soup enjoyed at parties, funeral repast, even weddings and socials. Then there is pepper pot soup which like a New Orleans gumbo draw it contents from various food sources such as pumpkin, pepper, taro leaves and a host of vegetables all cooked together to make a nutritious and tasty soup.

While tourists and foreigners delight by savouring the flavourful Jamaican food and dishes, at home big capital having the money to finance restaurants and low paying working class cooks have had the biggest laugh to the bank. Across the island are well organized eating spots serving these culinary creations by Jamaican working class and peasants. The poor created these dishes for their own comfort and enjoyment , but their forefathers would never have imagined that millions of Jamaican dollars would be earned by those who for years despised the food of the poor.

For many years the rich and ethnic minority turned a blind eye to the dishes prepared by the masses. In their world view , nothing so low eaten by “peasants” should grace their tables. The only exception were the meal snack called Jamaican beef patty, a type of meat pie and of course the English inspired roast beef and beef stew. Anything else was snubbed. Since the 1990’s , there has been a change in wind. With so many black athletes from Jamaica, so many reggae and dancehall musicians creating worldwide acknowledgement of things and people Jamaica, the local bourgeoisie and ethnic minority found that with their big capital they could supply the facilities such as restaurants, café, and other eateries where food prepared by working class hands could entice , excite and delight the palate of foreigners, the working class and all Jamaicans with disposable income to buy rather than cook their meal.

Currently , the food industry is significantly controlled by those with wealth and they capitalized on the culinary skills of the masses serving at above average prices native food that brings enjoyment to people. Places like Scotches have been making millions from selling roast potatoes, roasted yams, roasted codfish and other “formerly slave foods.” The international chains of hotels such as Bahia Principe, Sandals Group and RIU have devoted every evening and lunch time for Jerk Chicken. Ackee and saltfish (codfish) is a fixture at breakfast as are fried dumplings and cassava bammies. No longer is grassroots food for the grassroots- it is available to every race and visitor who is on the Jamaican shore. Nothing is wrong with the world exposed to the food of former slaves, of those resisting slavery and colonization and of the peasantry at large but it is alarming as to who profit from the creation of the masses. Sadly this is the way of the world, its capitalism and free market as any man can deploy his resources and provide a good and service, making a profit or even sustaining a loss. We do not live in a nation of despots or communism , so big capital is free to expropriate and even exploit because free enterprise allows for that and the Jamaican culture always invite competition.

Personally I only ask for respect and credit to the poor blacks for their creation or for the legacy of culinary delights passed down as regular meals and not to project the image as if the dishes and foods readily available at established eateries were created by the rich and powerful. That is hypocrisy, hogwash and a downright lie.



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