Going to Jamaica in January.....I've never been there. Any food tips?

gayle-mo

gayle-mo

Well-known member
My daughter and son-in-law go there fairly often and always bring back loads of coffee and rum among other things. I know there are great spice mixes there and special jerk blends..but I have no idea what to look for as far as the best brands.

Anyone have any suggestions? Hopefully Sam and I will find wonderful things to stuff our bags with.

Thank you for any help you can offer!

Blue Mountain Coffee..here I come......!

 
You have "one" of the best recommendations on earth for the Blue Mountain Coffee. May I offer the

White Witch perfume? Not a food, but it smells great! I passed the haunted "homestead" from Mobay (Montego Bay) to Ocho Rios and was quite fascinated by the folklore of the "White Witch." A good read - google and check it out.

Other than that, if you can cop, and get it without being caught (six years in jail as I last remember many eons ago....), that fine Jamaican "herb" is still available... but that wouldn't be a nice recommendation from me, now would it?? I haven't dabbled in almost 5 years!!

Be wary of purchasing fish from beach-side places for home cooking and consumption - it can be very dangerous!! Eat in bonafide restaurants or purchase your seafood from a locally recommended fishmonger.

By the way Gayle, where will you stay in Jamaica?

Enjoy it all Gayle! I envy you. I've been to a lot of Caribbean islands and that place (country!) stole my heart! As the Jamaican Tourist Board used to say "You'll come back"...

http://www.caribcon.com/whitewitch.html

 
we lived there in the early 70's

I'd recommend going into a liquor store and buying rum that you don't recognize (they have several kinds of golden rum that isn't exported to the US, at least). If you can find pimento liqueur, I'd get some of that (I've been trying to find a source for years). As far as street food, we ate a lot of patties back in the day (jamaican version of empanadas).

 
Pat...thanks

My son-in-law has a direct connection for the coffee. He's pretty on top of that area. I forgot to check on your URL but will do that now. Thanks!

I was going to pack my summer stuff away but I'm excited about getting to wear sandals in January! We'll most likely have snow here in Mo while we're gone. Two yrs ago we were in the middle of an ice storm that left our area w/o electricity for 2 weeks. Sure hope that doesn't happen again!

 
We've had both the Wallenford and Jablum coffee....

We always buy whole bean, too. Thanks for the interesting read!

 
Oh, you are funny, Sandy!

If you are speaking of the herb I am thinking of, I don't think I'd be interested in that! lol It's been 35 years since I partook of that particular plant! Yikes

I'll see about the perfume. Never heard of it but will look it up and at least smell it to see if it's something I'd want.

We're staying in Negril right on the water at a resort called Catch A Falling Star. Can't wait!

Thanks for your input and suggestions, Sandy!

www.catchajamaica.com

 
Great idea on the rum, Pam!

I'll do that! Michael, my son-in-law brings back cases of a coconut rum that you can't get in the US. It is TDF!! And, I really don't drink but it's awesome so I'll have some once in awhile.

I've never heard of pimento liqueur! I'll look for it and if I can, bring some back. Will let you know.

Doubt we'll eat 'street food' I think I'll be too nervous to do that, but we'll see. My daughter has her favorite restaurants there and they get special treatment because they go so much.

Can't wait to take it all in! smileys/smile.gif Thanks!

 
I still have quite a bit of nutmeg that my missionary friends brought me back....

I shared some with some of y'all a couple of years ago. Wonder how long it keeps? I dried it well and put some in a jar in the freezer and some is in my cabinet in a jar. Still looks fine!

If I get the chance, though, I will bring back more and a lot of spices, etc. Bobbie and Hank, our friends who were missionaries there for years make great jerk chicken. I need to contact her and find out what spices to get.

IF I have room and can bring enough stuff home I'll share with y'all.

Blessings!

 
We used to stay here in the late 70's

I thought the house had been washed away by hurricane David, but I found it looking around on the web!!! The Michael Manley house was there too -- there were three villas there at the time. We used to share it with another family we knew in Kingston. It cost each family a whopping $45 for the weekend, and came complete with a cook! We'd drive up from Kingston (all the kids throwing up from the twisty mountain roads), where we lived locked up in burgler bars and armed guards to forgetting to lock the doors and close the windows at the Blue Hole. Paradise!! Thanks for posting this and causing me to dredge up wonderful memories and find a long lost treasure!

We could snorkle off the front porch and scuba at the Blue Hole. There was a manta ray that would swim by every evening about 6 pm.

http://villasinjamaica.com/PortAntonio/crystal_cove/default.shtml

 
I give you a mental hug each time I use my nutmeg. It is lasting beautifully. I'm down

to my last one and have kept them only in a little ziplock, in the pantry. Thinking of asking for a little grinder for Christmas.

Thank you Gayle. It just doesn't compare with the store-stocked nutmegs.

 
Aw,,,how sweet! I'll send you some more! PM me your address!

Won't promise to get it mailed before next weekend as I'm candy making myself silly but I will do it ASAP.

I felt sure it was ok. Not sure how many I have but would love to give you some more. Hopefully, I can get some more when we go in Jan.

I bought my Zyliss grater off of eBay and absolutely adore it! Has a holder in it and it's just really nice. I think it was around $9. or so. No sore knuckles with it, either! smileys/smile.gif

 
Wasn't that..."Way up north where the cold winds blow.......

Don't you eat that yellow snow?!" Or something like that?

I saw Frank Zappa at UTA, Arlingon in about 1974. haha I even remember a little of the concert. !

I'd forgotten all about it until now. Thx for the reminder, Steve!

 
hi Gayle, I'm still using your nutmegs too, sealed in a jar, they taste so much better than

any commercial ones, plus the mace is lovely. Took me a while to figure out they have a little shell over the actual nutmeg though! I was grating and grating and grating, then in dawned on me - one good whack with the meat hammer and ta da!!! smileys/bigsmile.gif. I felt so silly! Thanks again though, I always think of them drying on the porch and feel a pull to an exotic land...

 
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