Ackee in Jamaica

Jamaican Ackee, a great tasting food that is part of the national dish (Ackee and Saltfish).   Ackee is very cheap to eat in Jamaica, but fill up while you are there or be prepared to pay $12-$16 a can in the US!

In this first picture you can see what Ackee looks like before it naturally splits open and once it is ready to harvest.  Eating it before it splits open can make you sick and in some cases it can kill you!

Pictures of Ackee

In this second picture you can see what you actually eat (the off white stuff) and the seeds (the black stuff <don’t eat them>).

This is what Ackee looks like when you buy it ready to cook at a local market.

This is how Ackee looks when it’s served in a meal.  In the middle of this plate is a serving of Ackee and Saltfish along with some of the other ingredients that you will find in a “Jamaican breakfast”.

Popular Jamaican Food

One of the most exciting things about visiting Jamaica is the opportunity to indulge in some of the most delicious foods that you will ever eat.  Jamaicans love to cook and they are very good at it too!

So what kind of Jamaican Food should you try?  Well, apart from trying absolutely everything, you may want to start with the famous Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

It is cooked on a grill and can be found pretty much anywhere on the island.  You will find it in your resort, in Jamaican fast food restaurants such as Island Spice, at outside Jerk Centres as well as independent street vendors.  If you are a pork eater, you can buy  jerk pork also.

Another food you must try is Ackee.

Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and is usually served at breakfast, but can be eaten at anytime.  Many people think that it looks similar to scrambled eggs, but I don’t think it does and it does not taste like scrambled eggs either!

Ackee is combined with saltfish and served as a a main dish.  Jamaicans tend to eat it with anything from boiled green bananas (very yummy!) roasted or boiled  breadfruit, fried dumplings, festival or Jamaican  hard-dough bread.

A very popular fast food snack is the Jamaican Patty.  They can be described as thin pastry crusted pasties with either a meat or vegetarian filling.  There are dedicated chains in Jamaica that sell patties, such as Juici Beed, Tastee and Mothers.  In my opinion, Juici Beef do the BEST patties on the island.

If you are a fan of seafood, then you will not be disappointed in Jamaica.  You will find an abundance of street vendors selling Fried Fish and Bammy (a cassava based flatbread).

Other popular ways of serving fish are jerked, steamed and Escovitch.  Jamaicans, tend to serve fish with the head still attached, so if you squeamish about seeing the head of a fish on your plate, then ask for it to be removed.  They will happily do this for you.