| In demand globally, Jamaican patties are scrumptious! | | | | And, when baked, pasties could stay warm for long |
| A genuine Jamaican patty is made of ground beef, | | | | periods of time. If kept close to the body, they could |
| usually spiced with onions, pimento (allspice), thyme and | | | | help the miner stay warm. Apparently pasties were |
| the heat of Scotch Bonnet peppers, and then | | | | also quite popular with miners elsewhere, particularly in |
| wrapped in a flaky pastry crust with a distinctive | | | | Montana. |
| yellow-orange color, which comes from various | | | | Whatever its origins, the Jamaican patty has |
| sources like annatto seed, turmeric or food coloring. | | | | worldwide relatives! It is quite similar to the Spanish, |
| They are about 8" long rectangles with a half-moon | | | | South American and Latin American empanada, the |
| shape, and there is a distinct horizontal grain running | | | | Italian calzone, the Arabic, North African and Turkish |
| through the crust. Appetizer-sized (or "cocktail") patties | | | | sambousa, the Eastern European and Yiddish knish, |
| can also be found - they make great party food! | | | | and even the well-known American microwavable Hot |
| Patties are some of the most popular snack foods in | | | | Pocket, produced by Nestlé. The patty is truly |
| Jamaica, equivalent to the popularity of hot dogs and | | | | an international food design! |
| tacos for Americans. And while beef patties are | | | | Jamaicans eat patties from early morning to late at |
| consistently the most popular, you will also find chicken, | | | | night. Many prefer a patty wrapped in coco bread, |
| fish, lobster, shrimp, cheese, vegetable, ackee and | | | | named because it's a large, soft, sweet bun that you |
| even tofu patties. Patties can be baked (prevalent in | | | | need to break open like a coconut (it contains no |
| the English-speaking Caribbean islands) or fried | | | | coconut). They claim the coco bread helps soak up |
| (prevalent in the Spanish-speaking islands and Latin | | | | the juice and spiciness of the patty. |
| America). And, even though the idea of vegetarian | | | | The two largest patty competitors in Jamaica are |
| patties seems like just a health food craze, these too | | | | Tastee Patties (born in the 1960s) and Juici Patties |
| are authentically Jamaican because of the Rastafarian | | | | (born in the 1980s), both with outlets all over Jamaica, |
| dietary laws. | | | | and great debates ensue over whose product is |
| Based on the historical British influences in Jamaica, | | | | better. Information about both can be found on the |
| some think patties could have derived from the British | | | | Internet along with menus. Today, patties made by |
| meat pasty (with the 'a' pronounced as in "cat"). | | | | various companies are widely distributed, including |
| Cornish miners carried pasties with them for lunch | | | | internationally. Many U.S. markets carry frozen patties |
| deep in the tin mines of Cornwall, U.K. The traditional | | | | (primarily Florida and New York), and they are widely |
| pasty was made of diced steak, onion and potato, all | | | | available in the U.K., Canada and the Philippines. If |
| wrapped in a dense, folded crust. Covered in dirt and | | | | you're lucky enough to find yourself in Brooklyn, New |
| mine debris, the pasty was something easy for miners | | | | York, look for them in restaurants too. |
| to hold and eat - the perfect "to-go" food. They could | | | | Don't ever let a delightful, authentic Jamaican patty |
| eat some for breakfast and save the rest for lunch. | | | | cross your path without sampling one! |