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Archive for March, 2011

Curry Creativity in Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica! Westmoreland Curry Festival

The Westmoreland Curry Festival is the premier annual curry food show in the Caribbean and this will be Southwestern Jamaica's 11th annual event! The festival is one of the major fundraisers for the Manning's School Development Fund as well as a variety of other worthy charities in Westmoreland Parish. More than 10,000 local and international visitors patronize the festival each year!

The festival is a family fun-fest with face painting, a children's play area, and craft and vendor booths. It appeals to adults as well with several bars and wonderful evening music entertainment by popular local reggae and gospel artistes.

Curry in Jamaica??

So how did Jamaicans come to love so much curry anyway? When Spain lost Jamaica to the British in 1655, the British transformed much of the island into sugar plantations. About a century later the slave trade diminished and many laborers came to the island from places like China and East India. Apparently the parish of Westmoreland had a particularly high concentration of Indian immigrants - and with them came their cuisine! Jamaica is well-known today for its spicy food, and Indian spices (such as curry) compliment the distinct flavors of Jamaica's own wonderful spices. Today, of course, the festival features the curried culinary influences from the Amerindians, West Africans, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, English, and Lebanese as well. As the Jamaican motto says - "Out of many, one people"!

Curried octopus?? Curried rabbit??

Just about everything is curried! Chefs from around the island offer their specialty dishes at the Westmoreland Curry Festival – whether it be seafood, pork, rice or any other island food. Curry goat (my all-time favorite!) is KING, of course, but there are always plenty of other traditional dishes like curry chicken and curry shrimp. Seafood dishes are growing in popularity so be sure to try some curried crab, curried octopus, curried conch and curried fish. If you're feeling adventurous, look for curried rabbit, curried jerk yam, curried mango pudding, curried breadfruit, and even curried ice cream!!

Where and when?

The Westmoreland Curry Festival will take place on Sunday, April 24, 2011 at the Manning's School (founded in 1738) on Beckford Street in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland (a pleasant 30 minute drive from Negril). There is adequate paid parking. The festivities begin at 9:00am and continue until the party ends! Keep up to date with the festival and the scheduled performers on Facebook.

If you can't be there this year but my article made you hungry, have your own Jamaican food festival at home! Try this recipe for Curry Goat or Curry Shrimp. They are both DELICIOUS!

Go while you can - it's a beautiful drive!

Fern Gully closure delayed

Jamaica Observer
Saturday, March 26, 2011

The plan by the National Works Agency (NWA) to close the Fern Gully main road in St Ann has been delayed.

The corridor will now be closed on Monday, April 4 for nine months. The delay was necessary to undertake additional improvement works along the alternative routes and install the relevant detour signs.

Closure is to facilitate a $500 million dollar repair project, which is part of the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP).

Operators of large buses wishing to travel to or from the town of Ocho Rios from the direction of Moneague are being advised to use the alternative route through Chalky Hill. Drivers of small vehicles, such as cars and SUVs can use the Breadnut Hill parochial road, at Colegate just outside the entrance to Fern Gully.

The works in the Fern Gully are a continuation of the NWA's effort at mitigating flooding in the town of Ocho Rios and reduce the impact of floodwaters on the road surface.

Manager for Communication and Customer Services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw says that the work to be undertaken will be done in two phases. Phase one will involve the construction of a rigid pavement (concrete road) along a 1.6 kilometers section of the roadway, between the entrance to the gully and Hinds Gully.

Phase two of the project, will see major drainage improvement works being done.

From JamaicaObserver.com.

ATI Weekend and Smirnoff Dream Weekend - Negril, Jamaica - 2011 Dates

THE LATEST:

The ATI (Appleton Temptation Island) Weekend and Smirnoff Dream Weekend (formerly Red Stripe) events held in beautiful Negril, Jamaica, are always HIGHLY anticipated each year. This is Jamaica's #1 blockbuster party weekend!! The confirmed dates are:

** ATI Weekend - July 29 to August 2, 2011.
** Smirnoff Dream Weekend - July 29 to August 1, 2011.

Promoters say artwork for this year's flyers is still out for approval but they expect tickets & arm/wristbands to go on sale near the end of May. As soon as there's a party schedule (usually announced at the beginning of June), I will post it along with the other important details. So be sure to check back often or follow us on Facebook or Twitter for updates. But, as usual, it's important to get your hotel reservations set up EARLY!

The Story of the Jamaica Easter Tradition From The Hot Cross Buns

Yum, let’s all have a hot cross bun. Jamaicans probably remember the universal ditty associated with the delicious treats—

"Hot cross buns, hot cross buns
One a penny, two a penny
Hot cross buns;
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons.
One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns."

Sung quite a bit at Easter time, the song reminds many of childhood delights, but most people probably don’t realize that hot cross buns pre-date the Jamaican Easter-season bun and cheese and led to their popularity. Sometimes called Easter buns, they are a BIG part of Jamaican culture, just like several other representative foods such as saltfish or ackee. The concept dates back to ancient Babylon, when cross buns were offered to Ishtar, the pagan queen of heaven. Ancient Greeks made similar cakes to honor the moon.

The tradition found its way to England, where cross buns were eaten on Good Friday, with the cross symbolizing the crucifixion of Jesus. When the British captured Jamaica, of course they brought the custom to the island. Over time though, the English version of the cross bun transitioned to the Jamaican version, with some key differences.

Jamaica’s version is made with molasses, while the buns from England were made with honey. During Easter season in Jamaica, you eat the bun with cheese, a combination that has become ingrained in island culture. British custom has waned when it comes to eating hot cross buns as fasting food on Good Friday, but in Jamaica the practice is as prevalent as ever. Today the custom is seen as more Jamaican than British. And eating cheese is now a year-round practice, while the bun and cheese dish is prevalent primarily during the Easter holiday. (Source: Jamaicans.com)

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Bun is a baked product made with lots of spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon along with large amounts of mixed fruits (raisins, cherries, pineapple). The second part of the combo, is the cheese, any type will do, i.e. cheddar, mozzarella, white, but to have that true Jamaican Easter bun experience you need to use Tastee processed cheddar cheese (the one that comes in the tin)!

Cut two slices of bun and pop a slice of cheese in the middle and start munching! Great with milk.

From Enter Jamaica: A Jamaican Easter.

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Jamaican Easter Bun Recipe

½ bottle stout (optional)
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
½ tablespoon browning
1 tablespoon molasses
½ pint milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup raisins – soaked in water or liquor
½ cup mixed peel
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon allspice or mixed spice
1 tablespoon cherries
½ tablespoon allspice

GLAZE:

1 cup sugar
½ cup water

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm the stout on low flame. Add browning, sugar, molasses and butter. Stir until dissolved. Sift together flour, baking powder and spices. Add chopped fruits - ensure raisins are drained - to the mixture. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture. Bake in a greased loaf pan for 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Remove from oven when ready, and allow to cool. Glaze with sugar water. Honey and melted butter can also be used.

Recipe courtesy of: Nyam Jamaica & Trevor Ferguson, Owner, Golden Bakeries

Even if you can't enjoy a Jamaican Easter, you can still try bun and cheese and pretend you're there!!

Source: South Florida Caribbean News.