Audrey BrazelMarcki JohnsonMataya PottschmidtRachel Dobrzykowski

THE CARIBBEAN

Fried Plantain Chips

Starchy fruitConsidered a

vegetable

Mango Avocado Salsa

Tropical fruitsFatty Oils

TODAY’S DISH

Tropical climateRain – dependent on location and

elevation Jamaica: 558 cmBarbados: 127 cm

Hurricanes (June-November)

WEATHER AND GEOGRAPHY

Origins date back to 650 ADArawak, Taino, and Carib Indians

Used slow roasting/grilling techinques Taino Indians cooked meat and fish in large clay pots

Spanish arrive 16 th century Brought fruit, trees, and vegetables Spanish Jews brought Escoveitch fish

Slave trade Lost most of native work forces to overwork and violence Spanish imported African slaves (brought staple foods and

“Jerk”)“Jerk” seasoning

Spicy marinade = lemon juice, onion, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, thyme, soy sauce, & cayenne pepper

Used for pork, chicken, and seafood

HISTORY OF CARIBBEAN FOOD

17 th century Spanish lost part of Caribbean to the British Jamaican patty

1834 Slave trade outlawed Chinese and Indian immigrants as indentured laborers Brought rice, mustard, and chili Curry from east India Local, homegrown spices were utilized Diverse peoples from Spain, West Africa, England, Portugal,

France and China – “Out of many, we are one.”

HISTORY OF CARIBBEAN FOOD

RELIGION

ChristianityRastafari

HOLIDAYS AND FEASTS

Holidays pertaining to food:

Easter Sunday: Between March 21 – April 25

Christmas: December 25

Lent: 40-day period (without Sundays) that begins Ash Wednesday and ends Holy Saturday

VOODOO FOR YOU?

Orthodox Christians Lent

Refrain from eating meat, dairy and eggs Fish is allowed No meat Fridays

On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, ages 18 – 59 eat one large meal and two smaller meals without snacking in between

Rastafari No Pork Vegetarian lifestyle Callaloo, Cauliflower, cucumber

SPICING THINGS UP

Nutmeg

Cloves

Cinnamon

Allspice

Ginger

Food staples: fresh fish, vegetables, tropical fruits, and chicken

Use of lime in cooking fishMeats rubbed with spices

Jerk, spicy peppers, tamarind, nutmeg (dessert)MarinadesSauces – mix of sweet fruits and spicy peppersSlow roasting meatsPan frying/boiling for vegetables

COOKING METHODS

CARICOM– Caribbean Community and Common Market

15 small developing island countries experiencing food insecurity

Reliance on food importsDecrease in fruit and vegetable production

Seasonality Ineffi cient use of land & agricultural technologies Scarcity in water supply

Leads to inadequate nutrition and obesityUse of greenhouses in Jamaica to reduce food importsMeats – chicken, goat, pork, seafood (NOT BEEF)

FOOD AVAILABILITY

Jamaica Sugar, rum, coffee, yams, chemicals, mineral fuels

Bahamas Salt, fruits, vegetables, animal products, chemicals

Dominican Republic Cocoa, coffee, gold, silver, sugar, textile goods

Puerto Rico Chemicals, electronics, canned tuna, rum, medical

equipment

EXPORTS

Food products

Chemicals

Manufactured goods

Machinery and equipment

Fuel

IMPORTS

1. Staples – starchy fruits, cereal, roots, and tubers

Cereals are whole grain and/or enriched flours

2. Fruits – tropical Mango, guava, citrus fruits, pineapple, papaya, plum

3. Vegetables – dark, green leafy or yellow4. Animal products

meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, yogurt, egg, liver

5. Legumes Kidney beans, gungo/pigeon peas, peanuts, cashews

6. Fats and Oils Cooking oils, butter, margarine, coconut cream, meat

fat, avocado pear, Jamaican ackee, nuts

SIX MAIN FOOD GROUPS

Pros:- No junk

food- Majority is

whole produce

Cons:- Unspecifi c

portions- Diffi cult to

read and understand

CARIBBEAN FOOD WHEEL:

Livestock varies across sub regions Jamaica biggest livestock sector

Well-developed poultry industry Most are smallholder farmers Few large commercial operations

Chicken makes up more than 80% of total meat production

PoultryBeefVealGoatPig

ANIMAL PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION

Daily carb intakeSpecialties such as cassava and white fleshed sweet

potatoPast 20 years – several roots/tubers appearing in US

marketsLimited to warmer regionsCassava – root

Peeled, boiled, and baked Can leave unharvested for more than one season Young tender roots used as herbs

ROOT AND TUBER CROPS

Yautia and tonnin Labor intensive Young leaves used as herbs Peeled and boiled – deep fried chips Cuba – babies and people with ulcers are placed on

diets of cocoyam

ROOT AND TUBER CROPS

White-fleshed sweet potatoes 25-40% starch and sugar content Less sweet, larger Red and white skin Research done on selecting types with little to no sugar

content Used as potato substitutes

Yams Greater Yellow and white

Trinidad figs

ROOT AND TUBER CROPS

http://www.mcgill.ca/globalfoodsecurity/research-initiatives/caricom-project

http://shawnjsingh.blogspot.com/ http://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1250e/annexes/Subregional

%20Reports/LAC/Caribbean.pdf https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/v1-

424.html http://www.geography-site.co.uk/pages/countries/climate/

caribbean_climate.html http://www.uvi.edu/research/agricultural-experiment-station/

agronomy/sustainable-tropical-leguminous-cover-crop-and-green-manure-mulch-systems.aspx

http://www.treesofjoy.com/content/tropical-fruit-paradise-trinidad http://mypimento.com/history-of-caribbean-food/

SOURCES:

ANY QUESTIONS??