Browse A–Z to learn key Jamaican ingredients, snacks, drinks, and dishes. Each entry links to related recipes.
Jamaica’s national fruit. Soft yellow flesh cooked with salted codfish in Ackee and Saltfish.
Called pimento in Jamaica. Core spice in jerk and stews.
Used in traditional remedies and as a bitter tonic drink.
See Medicinal Plants · Photo
Cassava flatbread often served with fried fish.
See Bammy · See Roast Fish
Starchy fruit eaten roasted, fried, or boiled.
See Roasted Breadfruit
Round spiced cake made with molasses.
See recipe
Leafy green used in soups or sautéed with saltfish.
See Callaloo · See Callaloo and Saltfish
Mild vegetable added to soups and stews.
Photo
Used for milk, oil, and sweets.
Coconut Drops · Gizzadas · Grater Cake · Toto
Base for porridge and festivals.
Cornmeal Porridge · Festival
Flour dough boiled or fried. Served with most meals.
Fried Dumplings · Spinners
Spiced loaf enjoyed with cheese during Easter.
Fried cornmeal dough served with fish or jerk.
See recipe
Plantain fried ripe or green.
Ripe Plantains · Green Plantains
Used in drinks, cakes, and porridges.
Ginger Beer · Ginger Bread
Pigeon peas for rice and peas and soups.
Tropical fruit used for jams and drinks.
Guava Jam
Dense loaf common on the Jamaican table.
See recipe
Drink made from sea moss, milk, and spices.
Spiced marinade and grill method over pimento wood.
Traditional stimulant used in tonics and drinks.
Means “small”. Often used in cooking talk like “a likkle salt”.
Seasonal fruit used fresh, in juices, and desserts.
Mango Juice
Goat head soup served at gatherings.
Sweet brown fruit with soft flesh.
Photo
Stewed with beans until tender.
Pastries filled with seasoned meats or vegetables.
Used in drinks and sweets.
Peanut Punch · Peanut Cake
Cooked ripe or green, often fried as a side.
Ripe Plantains · Green Plantains
Breakfast made from cornmeal, oats, banana, or green plantain.
Cornmeal Porridge · Green Banana Porridge
Colloquial term for yam and other root provisions.
Sunday staple cooked with coconut milk and thyme.
Small rough-textured cake with dried fruit.
See recipe
Dried salted cod used with ackee or callaloo.
Ackee and Saltfish · Callaloo and Saltfish
Hibiscus used to make a traditional Christmas drink.
Sorrel Drink · Photo Gallery
Creamy fruit used in juices and desserts.
Soursop Juice · Photo Gallery
Small rolled dumplings for soups and stews.
See recipe
Boiled, roasted, or baked into pudding.
Sweet Potato Pudding · About Sweet Potato
Tangy fruit used for sweets and a classic drink.
Tamarind Drink · Tamarind Balls
Coconut cake flavored with spices.
See recipe
Jamaica-grown tangelo hybrid used fresh and in juices.
Common flavoring in cakes, puddings, and drinks.
Crunchy biscuit often paired with cheese or fish.
Another name for Jamaican Christmas Cake.
Christmas Cake · Photo Gallery
Root provision boiled, roasted, or fried.
Boiled Yam
Eaten sliced with bread or as a side. Locally called pear.
Photo