Product Description
PURPOSE
WHAT IS IT?
Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. The term jerk is said to come from the word charqui, a Spanish term of Quechua origin for jerked or dried meat, which eventually became the word jerky in English. Jerk is also derived from the action of jerking, which referred to poking meat with holes so that flavor can be more easily absorbed.
EXPERIENCE
Traditionally used for Caribbean Cuisine, especially in Jamaica, this seasoning is popular for making Jerk Chicken but can also be applied to other meats such as pork, fish or beef. The mix is comprised of a lot of spicy heat (cayenne), onions, salt, paprika, sugar, crushed red pepper, thyme, and savory herbs.
CULINARY GEOGRAPHY
Though Jamaican jerk sauce certainly was derived from African ancestry, it is something that was adapted and modified over hundreds of years as various cultures added their influence.[3] From the start, changes had to be made since the Coromantee slaves found themselves in new surroundings on the island of Jamaica and were forced to use what was available to them.
TRADITIONAL USES
- Typically used to cure chicken, beef, pork and fish
IMPROVISATIONAL ‘RIFFS’
- Mix into melted butter → baste shrimp or split lobster
- Toss with grilled pineapple + a squeeze of lime
- Blend into mayo → jerk spread for sandwiches or burgers
THE BACKSTORY
The origins of Jerk have been traced back to the pre-slavery days of the Coromantee hunters of West Africa. When the British invaded Jamaica in 1655 the Spanish colonists fled, leaving behind a large number of African slaves. Rather than be re-enslaved by the British, they escaped into Jamaica’s mountainous regions where they mixed in with the local Taínos.
Jamaican jerk sauce certainly was derived from African ancestry; it is something that was adapted and modified over hundreds of years as various cultures added their influence. From the start, changes had to be made since the Coromantee slaves found themselves in unfamiliar surroundings on the island of Jamaica and were forced to use what was available to them.
As a result, there was naturally a departure from some of the original spices used in jerk and new ingredients were added or substituted as necessary. One new and important addition to the recipe was the Scotch bonnet pepper, which is largely responsible for the heat found in Caribbean jerk.
AKA
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