What makes Jamaican food so popular?

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The Jamaican National Flag 

The National Motto of Jamaican is “Out of Many, One People”, and this applies to all aspects of our culture. Our local dialect, Patois, is a mixture of words from all the people who have inhabited the island from it was first discovered to this day. This is also true of our cuisine which sees influence for the first people to inhabit the island, the Tainos, this is evident in our tradition of jerking meats. The various groups that have heavily influenced our cuisine include the Tainos, Africans, Indians, Chinese, and to a lesser extent the English and Spanish. This has resulted in a fusion of cooking methods and the consumption of foods that are seen as bizarre to visitors to the island. However, no matter how bizarre, it will be tasty. 

Our foods are well seasoned, full of aromatic spices and fresh seasonings in addition to the regular powdered seasonings. Our meal preparation is usually meticulous because as a people we do not eat from persons who we see as using unhygienic food preparation practices. Our expectations for food are high and so cooks have to be above average to attract a loyal following. 

As with most other cultures, social gatherings are usually used to come together and share good food and we take any and every opportunity to do so.  At gatherings for whatever reason, family reunions, funerals, weddings, nine nights, house warming, set-ups, the tradition is that we "kill a goat" much akin to the bible tradition of killing the fatted calf. The mutton is then used to make curry goat (curried mutton), and mannish water (goat head soup).

Our tradition of using foods and cuts of meat traditionally thought to be useless and making delicacies came out of the necessity of our enslaved ancestors making the best out of the awful reality of the better and more expensive cuts of meat being used by the slave owners and with the unwanted cuts being given to the enslaved people. Due to this, we use cuts of meat, such as Oxtail, Cow Tripe, Cow Cod, Cow Skin, Cow foot, Chicken feet, Chicken Liver, Gizzard (stomach), and Heart. The methods of preservation for these meats such as smoking and salting were used to ensure longevity. Meals containing these foods are now a mainstay in Jamaica. The consumption of Ackee came from this as well. The ingenuity that was born out of the cruelty of that period has had lasting effects on our culture that we can now look on as being uniquely ours.

Indentured laborers who came to Jamaica to work after the abolition of slavery from Asia, introduced new cooking methods and herbs and spices to our cuisine, so curries are very popular here.  

Jamaicans want to eat well-seasoned foods with spices and will complain if these expectations are not met. If the food has too few spices or not enough salt, it will be called "too fresh". If the food is undercooked, or the meat is not handled properly it will be referred to as " too raw". We eat by taste, sight, and smell. We will therefore rinse our meats with vinegar or lime juice before seasoning and cooking. We also add garlic, onions, and scallions to cut the raw meaty smell. 

It is this level of dedication to perfection and pride that Jamaicans have in preparing their food that makes it so good. If we won’t eat the food, then we wouldn't dare give it to you.

Jamaicans take pride in giving the best of themselves and as of such our food is always 100% tasty. So in short, Jamaican Food is popular because it is well prepared, delicious, and made with pride and love.