Jamaican cuisine is flavourful and enticing.  Our sweet treats are rich with spices, and our savoury dishes are mouth-watering. 

Jamaican food is popular in the Caribbean, as well as other countries around the world. 

We are sharing a few local favourites that we believe you will enjoy.

Get ready for some of our savoury treats that are  highly satisfying and filled with flavour! 

Patties 

The Jamaican beef patty is hugely popular among Jamaicans at home and abroad. However, there are other varieties of patties that are equally enticing.  

If you love patties, other types include  vegetable, soy, chicken, beef with cheese, fish, lobster, and goat. 

Patties are sold at several fast-food restaurants and in some bakeries and cafés across the island. They are often accompanied by a coco bread loaf. 

If you want to make a Jamaican patty, you can try this recipe from Jamaicans.com. For a list of places that sell Jamaican patties, search Find Yello. 

Hot Dogs 

Hot dogs are quite popular and are often enjoyed as a quick snack. The traditional hotdog is sold at some fast-food restaurants, at tuck shops and by some street food vendors. 

CB Foods Ltd has put a Jamaican spin on this popular savoury food with their Bad Dawg sausages. 

These sausages are big, packed with spices and herbs and made mainly from pork.  

They are sold in original and spicy (jerk) and can be garnished with onions, relish and all the other toppings that are added to hot dogs. 

Ready to eat Bad Dawgs are sold from mobile branded vending carts and designated food booths. The sausages are also sold in supermarkets. 

Saltfish Fritters 

Saltfish fritters are a delectable savoury treat that is also known as “stamp and go”. They can be eaten as appetisers; however, some persons have them for breakfast. 

The main ingredients include dried salted cod, flour and salt and pepper. Other ingredients may be added to enhance the taste. 

Saltfish fritters are mainly made at home or sold in local cookshops and at some restaurants and canteens. Grace Foods has an easy recipe that you can try. 

Soups 

Soup was once a Saturday meal tradition for many Jamaicans. Today, it is enjoyed throughout the week, for lunch and at events that take place in the evening and late in the night. 

Jamaican soups are very flavourful and are often eaten as an appetiser. 

Popular soups include chicken, beef, fish tea, pigtail, cow cod, chicken foot, mannish water (goat soup), conch or janga (crayfish), pumpkin, peas and vegetable. 

Soup is sold at several fast-food restaurants, in local cookshops and by street vendors. To make your version of the Jamaican chicken soup, check out this recipe from Grace Foods. 

If you have friends who are visiting the island and are in the mood for savoury Jamaican treats, check Find Yello for eateries or direct them to a local cookshop near you. 

If you plan to sample these delicious treats while out, remember to wear your mask, practice social distancing and wash your hands before eating!

Sources: Jamaicans, Grace Foods and CB Foods Ltd.