THE CARIBBEAN Audrey Brazel Marcki Johnson Mataya Pottschmidt

THE CARIBBEAN Audrey Brazel Marcki Johnson Mataya Pottschmidt Rachel Dobrzykowski

TODAY’S DISH Fried Plantain Chips Starchy fruit Considered a vegetable Mango Avocado Salsa Tropical fruits Fatty Oils

WEATHER AND GEOGRAPHY Tropical climate Rain – dependent on location and elevation § Jamaica: 558 cm § Barbados: 127 cm Hurricanes (June-November)

HISTORY OF CARIBBEAN FOOD Origins date back to 650 AD Arawak, Taino, and Carib Indians § Used slow roasting/grilling techinques § Taino Indians cooked meat and fish in large clay pots Spanish arrive 16 t h century § Brought fruit, trees, and vegetables § Spanish Jews brought Escoveitch fish Slave trade § Lost most of native work forces to overwork and violence § Spanish imported African slaves (brought staple foods and “Jerk”) “Jerk” seasoning § Spicy marinade = lemon juice, onion, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, thyme, soy sauce, & cayenne pepper § Used for pork, chicken, and seafood

HISTORY OF CARIBBEAN FOOD 17 t h century § Spanish lost part of Caribbean to the British § Jamaican patty 1834 § § § Slave trade outlawed Chinese and Indian immigrants as indentured laborers Brought rice, mustard, and chili Curry from east India Local, homegrown spices were utilized Diverse peoples from Spain, West Africa, England, Portugal, France and China – “Out of many, we are one. ”

RELIGION Christianity Rastafari

HOLIDAYS AND FEASTS Holidays pertaining to food: § Easter Sunday: Between March 21 – April 25 § Christmas: December 25 § Lent: 40 -day period (without Sundays) that begins Ash Wednesday and ends Holy Saturday

VOODOO FOR YOU? Orthodox Christians § Lent § Refrain from eating meat, dairy and eggs § Fish is allowed § No meat Fridays § On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, ages 18 – 59 eat one large meal and two smaller meals without snacking in between Rastafari § No Pork § Vegetarian lifestyle § Callaloo, Cauliflower, cucumber

SPICING THINGS UP Nutmeg Cloves Cinnamon Allspice Ginger

COOKING METHODS Food staples: § fresh fish, vegetables, tropical fruits, and chicken Use of lime in cooking fish Meats rubbed with spices § Jerk, spicy peppers, tamarind, nutmeg (dessert) Marinades Sauces – mix of sweet fruits and spicy peppers Slow roasting meats Pan frying/boiling for vegetables

FOOD AVAILABILITY CARICOM– Caribbean Community and Common Market § 15 small developing island countries experiencing food insecurity Reliance on food imports Decrease in fruit and vegetable production § Seasonality § Inefficient use of land & agricultural technologies § Scarcity in water supply Leads to inadequate nutrition and obesity Use of greenhouses in Jamaica to reduce food imports Meats – chicken, goat, pork, seafood (NOT BEEF)

EXPORTS Jamaica § Sugar, rum, coffee, yams, chemicals, mineral fuels Bahamas § Salt, fruits, vegetables, animal products, chemicals Dominican Republic § Cocoa, coffee, gold, silver, sugar, textile goods Puerto Rico § Chemicals, electronics, canned tuna, rum, medical equipment

IMPORTS Food products Chemicals Manufactured goods Machinery and equipment Fuel

SIX MAIN FOOD GROUPS 1. Staples – starchy fruits, cereal, roots, and tubers § Cereals are whole grain and/or enriched flours 2. Fruits – tropical § Mango, guava, citrus fruits, pineapple, papaya, plum 3. Vegetables – dark, green leafy or yellow 4. Animal products § meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, yogurt, egg, liver 5. Legumes § Kidney beans, gungo/pigeon peas, peanuts, cashews 6. Fats and Oils § Cooking oils, butter, margarine, coconut cream, meat fat, avocado pear, Jamaican ackee, nuts

CARIBBEAN FOOD WHEEL: Pros: - No junk food - Majority is whole produce Cons: - Unspecific portions - Difficult to read and understand

ANIMAL PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION Livestock varies across sub regions Jamaica biggest livestock sector § Well-developed poultry industry § Most are smallholder farmers § Few large commercial operations Chicken makes up more than 80% of total meat production Poultry Beef Veal Goat Pig

ROOT AND TUBER CROPS Daily carb intake Specialties such as cassava and white fleshed sweet potato Past 20 years – several roots/tubers appearing in US markets Limited to warmer regions Cassava – root § Peeled, boiled, and baked § Can leave unharvested for more than one season § Young tender roots used as herbs

ROOT AND TUBER CROPS Yautia and tonnin § Labor intensive § Young leaves used as herbs § Peeled and boiled – deep fried chips § Cuba – babies and people with ulcers are placed on diets of cocoyam

ROOT AND TUBER CROPS White-fleshed sweet potatoes § § § 25 -40% starch and sugar content Less sweet, larger Red and white skin Research done on selecting types with little to no sugar content Used as potato substitutes Yams § Greater § Yellow and white Trinidad figs

SOURCES: http: //www. mcgill. ca/globalfoodsecurity/research-initiatives/caricomproject http: //shawnjsingh. blogspot. com/ http: //ftp. fao. org/docrep/fao/010/a 1250 e/annexes/Subregional%20 Repo rts/LAC/Caribbean. pdf https: //www. hort. purdue. edu/newcrop/proceedings 1990/v 1 -424. html http: //www. geographysite. co. uk/pages/countries/climate/caribbean_climate. html http: //www. uvi. edu/research/agricultural-experimentstation/agronomy/sustainable-tropical-leguminous-cover-crop-and-greenmanure-mulch-systems. aspx http: //www. treesofjoy. com/content/tropical-fruit-paradise-trinidad http: //mypimento. com/history-of-caribbean-food/

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