Foods and Drinks of Jamaica Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ackee

Ackee is in the soapberry family and is the national fruit of Jamaica. It is related to the fruits, lychee and longan. The ackee tree is an evergreen that can grow up to 40 feet tall. The fruit is about 4 inches wide and weighs up to roughly 4 ounces.

It ripens and then splits open while on the tree and 3 large, glassy looking black seeds become visible. The fruit itself is yellow in color and is similar in appearance to scrambled eggs when cooked. If the fruit is taken from the tree and eaten before it has blossomed, it is poisonous and can be deadly.

The seeds and the membrane at the base of the seed mantle are poisonous as well. It was once illegal to purchase ackee in the United States but was legalized in the late 1990s if memory serves. One can only buy it canned in the US so it is safe to eat as a canned product.

The problems come in if ackee is plucked from the tree prior to it blossoming. In no way does it taste or appear like fruit. It seems more like vegetable when you see it cooked and taste it. I'm sure some people eat it plain but the common way is with fish mixed in, a few vegetables and a bit of fresh hot peppers. You would think it a lunch or dinner meal but it is commonly eaten at breakfast.

Answer: Saltcod

When the Jamaican national dish is cooked, ackee is the main ingredient. Added to it is saltfish and in particular, saltcod. A salfish is cured in salt because it will preserve it for a long time and no refrigeration is necessary. You must begin prepring this dish the night before because it has to be soaked in water for 24 hours.

This softens the flesh somewhat and gets rid of the salt. The water should be changed every 4 hours if possible. The fish is then boiled and added to the ackee. You can also pour boiling water over the fish and let it soak for 15 minutes. Aside from the fish and ackee other things are in the recipe such as tomato, onion, bacon, hot peppers and spices.

The word ackee is almost frightening. It is simply not an appealing word.

In my opinion it is one of the best dishes to come out of Jamaica.

Answer: Hardough Bread

A slice of "Hardough Bread" is generally served with meals in Jamaica. It's rectangular like most breads but it is a bit sweet, coarse in texture and is very heavy. It won't have all of the air pockets that are visible in white bread in the United States.

The inner part of the bread is white and soft but also a little tough, hence, hard dough. The outer layer of the bread is light brown and called the crust as is with most breads.

Answer: Hot Scotch Bonnet

The Hot Scotch Bonnet Pepper is one of the hottest peppers in the world. It belongs to the same species as the habanero. It is named for its resemblance to a tam o'shanter which is a Scottish bonnet worn by men. Assuming that your tongue can get past the blistering heat, the pepper has a unique earthy and apricot like flavor.

In color they go from light green to yellow to pumpkin orange to scarlet red. They are very similar to the habanero pepper and appear rather wrinkly and roundish. When I was in Jamaica the friend I was with took a scotch bonnet right from the bush and put it to his mouth.

He was told by two Rastafarians not to do it. They yelled out his name and said, no! He chewed it up and wound up with a blister on his tongue. Anyone want to try some just come and see me. I have some pickled ones here that I brought back from my last trip. For me the earthy flavor is very evident but the apricot, not so much.

Answer: Chunks

While eating at this wonderful Jamaican restaurant and drinking their white rum I had to ask what the pieces of food were on my plate that tasted like they were a meat product. They were covered with a sauce so I couldn't tell what they really looked like. Red says to me that "they are chunks."I said "I know they are chunks but chunks of what."He says "chunks." That was all there was to it.

They were and are called chunks. I can't wait to go back there to have some more chunks!

Answer: Bammy

Bammy is made from the cassava shrub roots. The cassava is a woody shrub that is grown as an annual crop. Part of the preparation is that the the roots are shredded and the juices are then squeezed out as they contain some toxic compounds. The bammy is a cake which is about 5 inches around.

It is traditionally served with a peppery fried fish. The cakes are prepared by soaking the "dough" in coconut milk with a pinch of salt. They are then fried or deep fried. Afterwards they are cut into triangular slices and can be served dripping in butter.

Answer: Escoveitch

Escoveitch is a variation on ceviche. In ceviche the seafood is raw but becomes opaque in color due to the addition of lime juice. It appears to be cooked. Escoveitch is a fried fish. There are several variations on the spelling so anything that is spelled closely is probably the same thing.

The fish is cleaned but is left whole when it's fried. It's covered with all the escoveitch ingredients which make it a tart, spicy piece of goodness. It's among my favorite dishes and is not overly spicy. If you ever get the chance, make sure and try it.

Answer: Jerk

Jerk has to be the most commonly known way of preparing food that the Jamaican's use. I believe that it's the most well known way that tourists are aware of anyway. The main ingredients are Hot Scotch Bonnet peppers, allspice berries (pimiento), thyme and garlic. Jerk was first created by the original natives of Jamaica called the Arawak Indians.

The liberal amount of spices and peppers helped preserve meats in the island heat as did drying them over a fire. The word "jerk" is believed to have been derived from the Spanish word charqui which means dried meat. Charqi eventually became jerky in English. Jerk can be a dry rub but all that I've encountered have been wet rubs.

The resulting food has a spicy/sweet flavor and a tender texture. the peppers can be eliminated from the rub if you can't stand spicy hot foods. I've had mild jerk once in Jamaica and the flavor was mind blowing!

Answer: Ting

Ting for me is a wonderful tasting carbonated beverage and is very popular in Jamaica. It is flavored with St. Kitt's or Jamaican grapefruit juice from concentrate. The flavor is both tart and sweet. The beverage does contain a small amount of sediment which is merely grapefruit juice pulp. Ting is readily available in the United States in Jamaican grocery stores as is Irish Moss, Kola Champagne, Ginger Beer (which is soda) and other Jamaican beverages.

Answer: Manish Water

Manish Water, also spelled Mannish Water, can be called Power Water and Goat's Head Soup as well. It is considered an aphrodisiac and a treatment for infertility. Manish Water is always made from the head of a male "Billy" goat. Make sure you get rid of its beard and ear hair before preparing this dish.

Many of those who have tried this often describe it as mouth watering. The recipe also includes dumplings, potatoes, bananas, one Scotch Bonnet pepper and spices. If you happen to find an eyeball in your bowl it's considered to be very lucky. I had fresh caught fish soup down in Negril, Jamaica one time and found an eyeball in my bowl.

The heck with the luck. I flipped it over the wall into the ocean. The food was always so fresh that the menu wasn't posted until they brought in the nets. Whatever was in them, was what was being served and it was always fantastic in my book.

Answer: coconut

Rice and beans is also called "Jamaican Coat Of Arms." Coconut is a fruit although I've seen it classified as a seed as well. Its milk is essential for making good, authentic Jamaican rice and beans. There's nothing like the sweetness of coconut milk to offset what may be the spiciness of the main dish that you are enjoying. To outsiders it gives it that tropical flair too. You can add hot peppers right to the rice and beans which will complement the sweetness of the milk and you can also add garlic to give it a little more punch. For me, it's a wonderful dish, any way you prepare it.

Answer: Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain Coffee is the finest coffee that Jamaica has to offer and as far as flavor goes, it's up at the top of the heap. It's extremely expensive and as of the year 2009 it runs as much as as $54.00 a pound in New York City and $10.00 a cup in Tokyo. Buyer has to beware because Blue Mountain Coffee has been counterfeited in the United States.

The real thing has a clean, mild flavor. It also has a lack of bitterness and a somewhat naturally sweet taste. The beans are the base of the flavor in Tia Maria liqueur.

While it is expensive it's not the most expensive coffee. That position belongs to Kopi Luwak. I've read that it's Jack Nicholson's beverage of choice. It has been sold in the United States, as of the year 2009, for up to $600.00 per pound and can fetch as much as $30.00 for a single brewed cup in some parts of the world. many people who have sampled Kopi Luwak claim that the taste is not that good.

This coffee is from Indonesia and is a bean that is eaten by an animal called Common Palm Civet which is similar to a weasel.

The animal "poops" out the inner bean but digests the soft outer part of the coffee cherry. The inner bean is then collected. I wonder what the job title is for the bean collector...

Answer: canned corned beef

Bully Beef is pretty much just canned corned beef that may be pickled as well. It is commonly cooked at breakfast as a partner to Johnny Cakes. It is also considered a "poor man's" food of sorts. It can be mixed with a few spices and a bit of hot pepper and then eaten as a sandwich between two slices of hardough bread. It's actually quite good.

Answer: saltfish fritters

Stamp N' Go is more commonly known as saltfish fritters. It can be eaten at breakfast with dumplings. The preparation involves soaking the saltfish for a good 24 hours so it is an overnight process. The name may have been derived from customers who would stamp their feet in shops to get attention and go if they did not get it.

Answer: green bananas

Blue Draws' main ingredient is green bananas. They are grated along with sweet potatoes. Then coconut milk, sugars and spices are added. The pudding like concoction is then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled in water. In the United States banana leaves are not readily available so aluminum foil may be substituted.

This can be eaten with ice cream, honey or cinnamon. Many prefer it just plain.