Is Jamaica the Peru of the Caribbean, food-wise, and if so, why?
May 16, 2022 8:43 AM Subscribe
Jamaica seems to me the one country in the Caribbean with a widely recognized cuisine, just like how Peru is a standout among those in South America. Why?
Sure, there’s Argentina with its steaks and Venezuela with its arepas, but those are singular dishes, and most cuisines in South America outside of reproducing foods from Europe for the elites, seem pretty undifferentiated: simple, spice-less, corn-reliant and bean-heavy or deep-fried.
This seems to be true for food in the Caribbean as well, when it’s not served to tourists.
I’m guessing it’s because of the history of South America and the Caribbean — most the immigrants were slaves, who were fed cheaply and spent most of their time working, denied the simpler pleasures of making an interesting meal.
Of all the cuisines in South America, Peru strikes me as the most distinctive, possibly due in part to migration, leading to dishes like lomo saltado from the Chinese, aji de gallina inspired by Spanish Moors, Japanese seafood -- as well as the presence of a pre-colonial civilization in the form of the Incas, which introduced such distinctive local foods as cuy, anticuchos, and potatoes as a staple instead of the beans so ubiquitous elsewhere on the continent. Even the rotisserie chicken in Peru has a reputation.
From what I know about the Caribbean, the dynamics are similar. The food there is largely undistinguished, with the exception of the cuisine in Jamaica.
There are well-regarded Jamaican restaurants, but I have never heard of, say, Barbudan or Aruban restaurants in the same way. I have been to Dominican and Puerto Rican and Cuban restaurants, but couldn’t really tell them apart.
The Haitian restaurants are a little more distinctive, but they still seemed mostly designed to service their expats, and may have been more distinctive simply due to the language barrier.
But Jamaica seems to stand on its own in terms of food, from jerk to roti to callaloo and I was just wondering why that is. Are there Indian immigrants that played a similar role in Peru, and did the British empire serve as a similar backdrop to the Incan empire?
Sure, there’s Argentina with its steaks and Venezuela with its arepas, but those are singular dishes, and most cuisines in South America outside of reproducing foods from Europe for the elites, seem pretty undifferentiated: simple, spice-less, corn-reliant and bean-heavy or deep-fried.
This seems to be true for food in the Caribbean as well, when it’s not served to tourists.
I’m guessing it’s because of the history of South America and the Caribbean — most the immigrants were slaves, who were fed cheaply and spent most of their time working, denied the simpler pleasures of making an interesting meal.
Of all the cuisines in South America, Peru strikes me as the most distinctive, possibly due in part to migration, leading to dishes like lomo saltado from the Chinese, aji de gallina inspired by Spanish Moors, Japanese seafood -- as well as the presence of a pre-colonial civilization in the form of the Incas, which introduced such distinctive local foods as cuy, anticuchos, and potatoes as a staple instead of the beans so ubiquitous elsewhere on the continent. Even the rotisserie chicken in Peru has a reputation.
From what I know about the Caribbean, the dynamics are similar. The food there is largely undistinguished, with the exception of the cuisine in Jamaica.
There are well-regarded Jamaican restaurants, but I have never heard of, say, Barbudan or Aruban restaurants in the same way. I have been to Dominican and Puerto Rican and Cuban restaurants, but couldn’t really tell them apart.
The Haitian restaurants are a little more distinctive, but they still seemed mostly designed to service their expats, and may have been more distinctive simply due to the language barrier.
But Jamaica seems to stand on its own in terms of food, from jerk to roti to callaloo and I was just wondering why that is. Are there Indian immigrants that played a similar role in Peru, and did the British empire serve as a similar backdrop to the Incan empire?
I'm having a hard time accepting your basic posit to attempt to address the larger questions. Many countries in South America have complete cuisines as do the Caribbean. The Bahamas for example has a fully fledge cuisine that feels unique when compared to Jamaica.
posted by chasles at 9:16 AM on May 16, 2022 [21 favorites]
posted by chasles at 9:16 AM on May 16, 2022 [21 favorites]
Maybe the real question is why you know Peruvian and Jamaican food as distinct from their neighbors? Do you live in an area with a lot of Peruvian and Jamaican immigrants? etc.
posted by timdiggerm at 9:18 AM on May 16, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by timdiggerm at 9:18 AM on May 16, 2022 [12 favorites]
Like others I . . . don't buy the premise? This very much depends on where you live in the world and/or within the US. If you can't tell Cuban food from Puerto Rican I'm really not sure what to tell you - they diverge pretty significantly. Trinidadian roti etc. too. Brazilian, Chilean, and Argentine cuisine are all pretty prevalent here in the Mid-Atlantic.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:19 AM on May 16, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 9:19 AM on May 16, 2022 [7 favorites]
You're talking from your own narrow perspective. The cuisines are very rich in South America and the Caribbean, and your perception is not fact, just a perception. Where I live, Haitian food is more popular than Jamaican, for example. Brazilian cuisine is crazy and super varied: Amazonian food is insane, so rich and complex, Black cuisine is absolutely fantastic, so joyful and distinct, every state has its uniqueness. On the other hand, I've never been to a Brazilian restaurant outside of Brazil that was not mediocre.
"I’m guessing it’s because of the history of South America and the Caribbean — most the immigrants were slaves, who were fed cheaply and spent most of their time working, denied the simpler pleasures of making an interesting meal." - there's no way to say that nicely: this is racist.
posted by plant or animal at 9:20 AM on May 16, 2022 [19 favorites]
"I’m guessing it’s because of the history of South America and the Caribbean — most the immigrants were slaves, who were fed cheaply and spent most of their time working, denied the simpler pleasures of making an interesting meal." - there's no way to say that nicely: this is racist.
posted by plant or animal at 9:20 AM on May 16, 2022 [19 favorites]
I think you'll get some pushback on Cuban restaurants, especially. That's a matter of opinion, I guess, but there are some obvious flaws to point out as well:
"most the immigrants were slaves"
You might want to look into the history of Jamaica a bit more.
"from jerk to roti to callaloo"
Roti is pretty common around the Caribbean, and indeed the world. Callaloo is also found elsewhere in the Caribbean. These are not uniquely Jamaican dishes.
"I have never heard of, say, Barbudan or Aruban restaurants"
There are a lot more Jamaicans. 20x more Jamaicans in the US than Barbudans. This like wondering why there are more German restaurants than Liechtensteiner restaurants.
"did the British empire serve as a similar backdrop"
Yes, as it did for the rest of the British Caribbean. There's a lot of Indian influence in Trinidad, for example.
"I have been to Dominican and Puerto Rican and Cuban restaurants, but couldn’t really tell them apart"
Those three have a pretty interrelated history, especially the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:21 AM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
"most the immigrants were slaves"
You might want to look into the history of Jamaica a bit more.
"from jerk to roti to callaloo"
Roti is pretty common around the Caribbean, and indeed the world. Callaloo is also found elsewhere in the Caribbean. These are not uniquely Jamaican dishes.
"I have never heard of, say, Barbudan or Aruban restaurants"
There are a lot more Jamaicans. 20x more Jamaicans in the US than Barbudans. This like wondering why there are more German restaurants than Liechtensteiner restaurants.
"did the British empire serve as a similar backdrop"
Yes, as it did for the rest of the British Caribbean. There's a lot of Indian influence in Trinidad, for example.
"I have been to Dominican and Puerto Rican and Cuban restaurants, but couldn’t really tell them apart"
Those three have a pretty interrelated history, especially the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:21 AM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
Jamaica has a huge diaspora population that is relatively scattered (vs almost entirely concentrated in Miami or wherever) and has brought those foods with them, so in a lot of places you are going to see more Jamaican restaurants and dishes than you will Haitian or Trinidadian.
But like everyone is saying, your overall premise seems dubious (particularly the relative awareness of Peruvian vs Brazilian cuisine in many places), as well as statements like this ("The food there is largely undistinguished, with the exception of the cuisine in Jamaica.") and this ("I have been to Dominican and Puerto Rican and Cuban restaurants, but couldn’t really tell them apart.") which don't match with my own experiences.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:29 AM on May 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
But like everyone is saying, your overall premise seems dubious (particularly the relative awareness of Peruvian vs Brazilian cuisine in many places), as well as statements like this ("The food there is largely undistinguished, with the exception of the cuisine in Jamaica.") and this ("I have been to Dominican and Puerto Rican and Cuban restaurants, but couldn’t really tell them apart.") which don't match with my own experiences.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:29 AM on May 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
I just learned yesterday via a SortedFood video that Sri Lanka influenced spices in the Caribbean. [link to the section of the video where they try the spice blend]
posted by Hey, Zeus! at 9:30 AM on May 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Hey, Zeus! at 9:30 AM on May 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
Unless you've actually been to every Caribbean island, and every South American country, you don't actually know what their cuisines are like. A big challenge to any restaurant in a diaspora is ingredients - some things, especially fresh ingredients, just don't import well. Also, like with any cuisine, a lot of variety that exists in any given country gets lost, as restaurants in the diaspora focus (for economic reasons) on producing a limited number of dishes, and then ends up becoming something of a canon. (This is why almost every Thai restaurant in the US offers Pad Thai, for example) The fact that you can get, on average, better and more varied Jamaican food than other cuisines is likely based on living somewhere with a larger Jamaican diaspora.
Also:
I’m guessing it’s because of the history of South America and the Caribbean — most the immigrants were slaves, who were fed cheaply and spent most of their time working, denied the simpler pleasures of making an interesting meal.
This just isn't historically accurate. West/Central African cuisines didn't survive unchanged, but historians broadly agree that enslaved peoples continued to produce the recipes of their home cultures the best they could with what ingredients were available in the 'New World'
posted by coffeecat at 9:37 AM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
Also:
I’m guessing it’s because of the history of South America and the Caribbean — most the immigrants were slaves, who were fed cheaply and spent most of their time working, denied the simpler pleasures of making an interesting meal.
This just isn't historically accurate. West/Central African cuisines didn't survive unchanged, but historians broadly agree that enslaved peoples continued to produce the recipes of their home cultures the best they could with what ingredients were available in the 'New World'
posted by coffeecat at 9:37 AM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
I have been to Dominican and Puerto Rican and Cuban restaurants, but couldn’t really tell them apart.
On the other hand, it's safe to assume that a Dominican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban could! :D
There is certainly going to be some overlap (beans, rice, and chicken, for example); other things like gandules, mofongo, picadillo, moros, and so on are going to be country-unique. Then again, in some restaurants, they might serve food from PR and Cuba, for example, in the same way that some of the Thai places around here have the go-to Chinese takeout dishes on their menu too. This might similarly have Caribbean dishes appearing to converge a bit.
posted by jquinby at 11:12 AM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
On the other hand, it's safe to assume that a Dominican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban could! :D
There is certainly going to be some overlap (beans, rice, and chicken, for example); other things like gandules, mofongo, picadillo, moros, and so on are going to be country-unique. Then again, in some restaurants, they might serve food from PR and Cuba, for example, in the same way that some of the Thai places around here have the go-to Chinese takeout dishes on their menu too. This might similarly have Caribbean dishes appearing to converge a bit.
posted by jquinby at 11:12 AM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
I think if you wanted to tackle this in a systematic way, you'd have to answer two questions:
1) Where are the cuisines that are "surprisingly" distinctive given the size of the population (i.e. Jamaica is much, much bigger than Aruba. On the other hand it is much, much smaller than Cuba)? This will be hard to rigorously score, you'll have to come up with something.
2) Are there cuisines that you and the people around you are surprisingly more or less familiar with given distinctiveness? So for instance I eat a lot of Indonesian food but that's because I'm Dutch, mystery solved.
You could then map out cultural barriers of language and former imperial control to see where the expected dividing lines might be. That Dominican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican food form a "cuisine continuum" should hardly be surprising.
Are there distinctive flavour combinations or ingredients not widely used elsewhere? What might be the reason? Peru has quite strong surviving pre-Columbian food traditions and combines quinoa and other Andean grains, unusual-to-us potatoes, and other ingredients.
Finally, yes there is an element of where centres of elite culture existed. Peru was the capital of the Spanish viceroyalty and that kind of thing does affect food culture.
posted by atrazine at 1:55 PM on May 16, 2022
1) Where are the cuisines that are "surprisingly" distinctive given the size of the population (i.e. Jamaica is much, much bigger than Aruba. On the other hand it is much, much smaller than Cuba)? This will be hard to rigorously score, you'll have to come up with something.
2) Are there cuisines that you and the people around you are surprisingly more or less familiar with given distinctiveness? So for instance I eat a lot of Indonesian food but that's because I'm Dutch, mystery solved.
You could then map out cultural barriers of language and former imperial control to see where the expected dividing lines might be. That Dominican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican food form a "cuisine continuum" should hardly be surprising.
Are there distinctive flavour combinations or ingredients not widely used elsewhere? What might be the reason? Peru has quite strong surviving pre-Columbian food traditions and combines quinoa and other Andean grains, unusual-to-us potatoes, and other ingredients.
Finally, yes there is an element of where centres of elite culture existed. Peru was the capital of the Spanish viceroyalty and that kind of thing does affect food culture.
posted by atrazine at 1:55 PM on May 16, 2022
Pretty much what everyone above has said. It's contextual. I grew up around way more Cuban/Dominican/Puerto Rican than Jamaican restaurants, ditto Brazil/Argentinian restaurants instead of Peru, but that's how it was where I was from (considerably less so now).
posted by thivaia at 3:24 PM on May 16, 2022
posted by thivaia at 3:24 PM on May 16, 2022
Jamaica is the largest country by far in the English speaking Caribbean. Which is all the explanation that's needed for why Jamaican food culture is better known than other Caribbean countries. The population is more than twice the size of Trinidad (which also has a famous cuisine) and many times the size of other places.
posted by plonkee at 3:25 PM on May 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by plonkee at 3:25 PM on May 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
Roti is Trinidadian, not originally Jamaican
Not least because the flatbread wrap for Trinidadian roti came with Indian (in the sense of, from India) indentured immigrants, and Trinidad has a much bigger proportion of people of South Asian descent than Jamaica. It's about 35% south Asian, 35% Afro-Caribbean and 30% other/mixed.
posted by plonkee at 6:14 AM on May 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
Not least because the flatbread wrap for Trinidadian roti came with Indian (in the sense of, from India) indentured immigrants, and Trinidad has a much bigger proportion of people of South Asian descent than Jamaica. It's about 35% south Asian, 35% Afro-Caribbean and 30% other/mixed.
posted by plonkee at 6:14 AM on May 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by _DB_ at 9:16 AM on May 16, 2022 [13 favorites]