Bermuda has a large expat community working in all kinds of industry. On of the largest communities is that of Jamaicans. Like any Zimbabwean, I used to think I knew Jamaicans. In my head I only thought of them as people who loved to make their music. I grew up on Reggae music, Eric Donaldson, Culture, Bob Marley, the Wailers and so on. Then in high school was introduced to Ragga music. To be honest those were the only lenses I saw Jamaicans in.
Now I live and interact with a lot of Jamaicans and I love everything about their culture. There is nothing subtle about Jamaicans, there is so much passion in everything they do from their Patois, their food, music and just who they are. Jamaica is a small island but filled with so much talent, it is just amazing.
When I was pregnant I used to crave Jamaican food especially peas and rice or is it rice and peas. As well as jerk chicken. Now I can not blame it on the pregnancy. It is just so good especially if you get a Jamaican to make it for you.
The first time I saw jerk chicken, I thought it was burnt. It is the way it is made that makes it look that way. The chicken skin gets a nice caramelisation.
Most Jamaican dishes use allspice(Jamaican pepper), thyme and scallions. The jerk marinade is also spicy since it uses habanero peppers that are spicier compared to piri piri peppers. For the best taste you need to marinade overnight and grill over wood. The local Jamaican restaurant chops up the meat.
Here is the recipe I use:
