"jamaica" news and stories

When Melissa at The Traveler's Lunchbox said that eating hot soup during summer can cool you down, I had to think about the idea for a bit. I came around because (1) I realized that eating hot/spicy foods do seem to cool me down and (2) she offered some proof in a recipe from the hot-soup loving hot country of Jamaica. Her Pumpkin, Coconut and Rum Soup is intended to be served during the summer even though it is as hot as the weather. It features sweet and creamy pumpkin (butternut squash), rich coconut milk and a kick from both scotch bonnet peppers and a generous measure of rum - both of which serve to remind the diner that this recipe is completely Caribbean.

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I've always described Pickapeppa Sauce as "Jamaican A-1." I was surprised when I went to Pickapeppa.com and found that they refer to it as "Jamaican ketchup." Really, that's probably more appropriate, since it's way more than a steak sauce. It does work great on meats, and I'll usually put it on grilled pork or, my favorite, cold, leftover fried chicken. I recently heard of blending it with cream cheese, however. Some people suggest making a dip, but I just put a few drops on a bagel with cream cheese and tomato slices. (I also do this with Marmite.)

I suspect I use the "A-1" comparison because it's the closest thing I can think to compare Pickapeppa to. The flavor is slightly spicy and acidic, but tempered with sweet fruit like mangoes, raisins and tamarinds. It's made many a dry, leftover piece of meat into great sandwich fodder.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]