From Yard to World: How Jamaica Taught Me to Taste the Globe
Posted on: 10/20/2025 Category: Food Stories, Jamaican Cuisine
I come from where the road hot, the air sweet with jerk smoke and sea salt, and the rhythm of the pot is a steady, familiar beat. I grew up in Jamaica, where food is never just food. It’s a vibration. It’s the sound of the mortar and pestle pounding scotch bonnet and pimento for jerk marinade. It’s the sight of a coconut jelly bottle, cool and clear. It’s the feeling of family, all gathered around a Sunday table laden with curry goat, oxtail, and rice and peas.
For a long time, I thought our flavor was the world’s flavor. What else could possibly compete with the fiery kick of a scotch bonnet or the complex, earthy warmth of allspice?
Then, I started to travel, first through books and TV, and later with a suitcase and a passport. And the most beautiful thing happened: I didn’t leave Jamaica behind. I started to find it everywhere.
Finding “Home” in a Bowl of Thai Curry
The first time I tasted a proper Thai Green Curry, I stopped dead. My mouth was on fire, but it was a familiar fire. It was the same chaotic, vibrant dance of heat I knew from my grandfather’s jerk pit. The lemongrass and galangal were different, yes, but the soul of the dish—the way it used heat not just to burn, but to build flavor—was a language I was born speaking. It was then I realized: we in the tropics share a grammar of spice.
The Call of the Tagine: A Familiar Slow Dance
In Jamaica, we know a thing or two about patience. You can’t rush a pot of oxtail. It needs time—low, slow fire—to become fall-apart tender, to let the butter beans soak up all that rich, savory goodness.
When I encountered a Moroccan tagine for the first time, I saw a kindred spirit. Here was another culture that understood the magic of slow cooking. The prunes and apricots melting into the sauce reminded me of the sweet touch we sometimes add to our stews, a hint of sweetness to balance the profound savoriness. It was a different melody, but the rhythm was the same slow, patient beat.
A World Connected by the Spice Trade
Learning about the history of food was like finding the missing pieces of a puzzle. That allspice we call “pimento” and can’t live without? It’s native to our island, but it traveled the world, influencing kitchens far and wide.
The curry goat that is the star of every major celebration? It’s a direct descendant of Indian laborers who came to Jamaica, bringing their magnificent spice blends with them. We made it our own, of course—more thyme, more scotch bonnet—but its origins are a testament to how cuisine is a living, evolving conversation between cultures. Our food is a history book, written in scotch bonnet, turmeric, and pimento.
My Kitchen Now: A Jamaican Heart with a Global Passport
My kitchen today is a reflection of this journey. You’ll always find a bottle of Pickapeppa Sauce next to the Sriracha. My jerk chicken might be marinated with traditional spices, but I’ve learned to finish it with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro I learned to love from Mexican salsas. I might make ackee and saltfish for breakfast, but I’ll sauté the saltfish with a bit of garlic and olive oil, a technique I picked up from Italy.
This isn’t about fusion for the sake of it. It’s about connection. It’s about recognizing the familiar soul of a dish, even when it wears different clothes.
A Plate Can Hold a Whole World
Growing up in Jamaica didn’t limit my palate; it gave me the key to understanding the world’s. It taught me to look for the soul in the sauce, the story in the spice blend, and the history in every bite.
So, when you taste my food now, you taste the fiery heart of a Jamaican yard, a heart that has learned to beat in rhythm with a Thai wok, a Moroccan tagine, and an Italian nonna’s kitchen. Because true flavor knows no borders; it only knows connection.
Walk good, and eat even better.
What about you? Has a flavor from your childhood ever shown up in a surprising place in another cuisine? Share your story in the comments below!
P.S. Want a taste of the journey? Next week, I’m sharing my recipe for Jerk-Spiced Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa—a little taste of Jamaica meets Southeast Asia, right in your kitchen. Don’t miss it!