If you believe Jamaica is just about beaches and blue mountains, you are in for a surprise. Jamaican cuisine is the pride of the Caribbean. From the iconic Ackee and Saltfish to the savory Curried Goat and the mouth-watering Bammy flatbread, every dish is bold, flavorful, and of course, steeped deeply in Jamaican culture. Today, we are going to go through the 15 authentic Jamaican cuisine you must try to truly experience the delectable Jamaican food culture. Once you are done reading, you will know exactly how you can eat like a true local during your next trip!
This video explores 15 must-try authentic Jamaican dishes that every visitor should experience. From the national dish Ackee and Saltfish to iconic favorites like Jerk Chicken, Curried Goat, Escovitch Fish, Oxtail, and Brown Stew Chicken, each meal showcases Jamaica’s bold flavors and rich cultural heritage. You’ll also discover beloved sides and treats like Rice and Peas, Festival, Bammy, Johnny Cakes, Sweet Potato Pudding, and more—offering a delicious journey through the island’s vibrant culinary traditions.
1. Ackee and Saltfish
Hands down, the first dish that you must try as soon as you arrive in Jamaica is none other than Ackee and Saltfish, which is also the region’s national dish. This is absolutely one of the most delicious meals you can ever try in your life.
The buttery ackee fruit, along with salted cod cooked with fresh onions, tomatoes, and several other spices, causes the flavors to explode in your mouth when you take your first bite. Ackee and Saltfish is traditionally served as a breakfast, giving you a chance to start your day with a creamy and flavorful dish.
2. Jerk Chicken
Jerk Chicken is truly the highlight of Jamaican cuisine. This chicken is incomparable to the ones you’re used to eating at your local restaurants. It’s smoky, soft, tender, and absolutely delicious, making you crave more and order another plate right after finishing your first.
The dish is prepared by marinating the chicken with the iconic Scotch bonnet peppers, a chili known for its intense heat and fruity flavour. Then allspice, thyme, and a list of several other flavourful spices are added to it, which makes the chicken all ready to be grilled up and served on a plate.
Each bite you take will be juicy, spicy, and truly memorable, so make sure not to miss it when in Jamaica.
3. Curried Goat
The Jamaican Curried Goat is a beloved delicacy in the entire Caribbean region. It’s a slow-cooked stew featuring tender goat meat covered in an aromatic curry sauce packed with flavors.
Although influenced by an Indian recipe, the Jamaican curried goat is better in many ways. The meat goes perfectly with the potatoes, making it a dish that would touch your soul.
4. Rice and Peas
Jamaican Rice and Peas is yet another famous dish that combines the long-grain rice with creamy coconut milk and red kidney beans, adorned with aromatic spices that add a magical flavor to the dish, making it a perfect side for jerk chicken or pretty much any other Caribbean stew or curry.
5. Festival
The Festival is truly a festival serve on a plate. This tantalizing item from Jamaican cuisine is arguably the most popular street food of the region. It’s basically a sweet fried dumpling known for its appetizing golden and crispy exterior, but soft and fluffy from the inside.
The use of vanilla, sugar, and milk, along with spices, creates a magical blend of sweetness with a hint of spiciness, making it a one-of-a-kind dish that people just can’t stop themselves from buying. The best part of the Festival is its long oval shape, which makes it a great snack to enjoy as you explore the rich culture of Jamaica.
6. Escovitch Fish
The Jamaican Escovitch Fish is a vibrant and flavorful dish featuring a nice and crispy fried fish, or to be precise, a red snapper covered in a spicy pickled sauce.
It’s a very colorful dish, especially due to the sauce that is prepared alongside onions, carrots, and bell peppers, an amazing combination while keeping the dish simple at the same time.
You can enjoy the Escovitch Fish with bammy or rice, a traditional and most perfect way that you must try if you want to experience Jamaican flavors at their finest.
7. Bammy
Bammy, which is a flatbread make from grated cassava, soaked in coconut milk, is a Jamaican staple.
It’s fried till it gets all crispy and ready to consume alongside the main course, but the best part is that it is gluten-free, making it a healthy option for most people.
Locals enjoy bammy straight off the pan, as it’s very crispy at that moment, making it a perfect side for a dish like Escovitch Fish.
8. Jamaican Beef Patty
Jamaican Beef Patty is a perfect snack in Caribbean cuisine. It’s a shell-shaped pastry pack with spicy ground beef, making it a flavorful delicacy that you can consume while handling it like a snack.
These baked and crispy beef patties can found everywhere in Jamaica, from street vendors to restaurants. You can find them easily and enjoy a quick and delicious meal.
9. Oxtail and Beans
Jamaicans really enjoy oxtail, and when it’s combine with beans, now that is one rich and healthy stew you can’t resist trying. The stew contains tender oxtail pieces that are slow-cooke until they fall off the bone.
The meat is marinate, adding deep flavors into it, and then finally serve with butter beans and carrots, creating a Jamaican meal you will never forget.
10. Brown Stew Chicken
The Brown Stew Chicken is another Jamaican must-have, and it’s just as good as the last one. But this time, instead of oxtails, you get soft and tender chicken pieces adorned with all sorts of spices and flavors that make your taste buds go crazy.
The chicken is slow-cooke in a savory sauce along with a touch of browning sauce, which gives it its signature look. Eating this dish is like doing your mouth a favor, as it will be bursting with the traditional Caribbean flavors and an experience that is worth remembering forever.
11. Run Down
If you’re a fan of stews, then not trying the Jamaican Run Down would be a crime. It’s a truly fantastic dish featuring mackerel or red snapper cooked in rich coconut milk, along with numerous other ingredients.
It’s a very tender and flavorful dish that is often serve with boile green bananas, dumplings, or rice. The options are vast, and no matter what you pair it with, it will always turn out to be delicious.
12. Johnny Cakes
The name of this unique dish originated with Native American “journey cakes,” but it became so popular that it became a highlight of Caribbean cuisine.
This cake is an absolute luxury, from being golden and crispy on the outside, to being soft inside, this is the kind of sweet dish you would like to eat after filling your belly to the top with Jamaican cuisine.
Made from simple ingredients, Johnny cake is unique in its own way. What sets them apart is how they’re shape into perfect circles and then either fried or baked till they’re golden.
13. Sweet Potato Pudding
This dessert is one of the most popular ones in the region and is make with only a few simple ingredients, including grate sweet potatoes and yams, blend with coconut milk, brown sugar, and a few spices.
The locals bake the pudding till it becomes all soft and creamy in texture, and unlike the traditional pudding, this one is often enjoy when it’s still warm, making it a truly unique experience for the one who tries it for the first time.
14. Stamp And Go
Stamp and Go might sound like a term from a post office, but it has nothing to do with that; rather, it’s a famous Jamaican fish fritter delicacy. The dish features salted cod, which is soak and then mixe into a seasoned batter, giving it a nice crispy touch when fried in oil.
They’re very easy and quick to make, which is why they got their name that originated from an 18th-century British naval command meaning “hurry up,” reflecting how quickly you can make them and enjoy them as breakfast or even as a snack.
15. Solomon Gundy
“Solomon-a-Grundy, born on a Monday,
Christened on a Tuesday,
Married on a Wednesday…”
That’s catchy, isn’t it? Well, maybe that’s why Jamaicans named this beloved delicacy: Solomon Gundy.
It’s a spicy fish pâté make from a ton of ingredients, including shredded smoked red herring blended with vinegar, onions, scallions, and several other local spices.
If you‘ve spent enough time in Jamaica, then you must’ve already encountered Solomon Gundy as an appetizer alongside crackers or bread, and we already know you enjoyed it very much.
Conclusion
Jamaican cuisine is not just a bunch of delicious meals; in fact, these are actually the culture itself, which tells you the tale of its rich history through the bold flavors. With each bite you take, whether it’s of a jerk chicken or potato pudding, you can experience the love and effort of the person who prepared your meal.
So why wait any further? Pack your bags and come to Jamaica.
