Jerk seasoning is used as a style of cooking and tropical experience from Jamaica. When jerk seasoning is used in cooking ingredients it is not just a recipe flavor but an entire lifestyle that takes you out of the cold frigid winters and into warmth, laughter, beautiful beaches, reggae music and sunshine. The tropical seasoning experience will transcend your cooking and state of mind. Jamaican jerk is as ingrained into Jamaican culture as reggae music. Jerk seasoning is the flavor of Jamaica combined with the smell and aroma wafting through the air and this will ignite the appetite. This unique spice should not be restricted only to Jamaica, but to any island tropical paradise. When using jerk spice the possibilities are endless as long as the imagination is creative for its endless uses.
The main ingredients that give jerk seasoning its distinctive flavor is Thyme, Scotch Bonnet Peppers and Jamaican Pimento. Jamaican Pimento commonly known as all spice has a flavor which triggers the mind to think of three spices in one: nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves all ground together. The reason this Jamaican Allspice has this special flavor is due to the Jamaican volcanic soil. Did you know that during World War two soldiers boots were lined with newspaper and Jamaican Pimento to keep their feet warm and keep them going because the volcanic oil content is far higher than in other spices. The secret to jerk seasoning is Jamaican Pimento grown in the volcanic soil which produces a very high volatile oil content.
Jamaican spices can either be rubbed directly onto the meat, chicken, pork and blended with a liquid to form a marinade. In Jamaica one usually has jerk chicken, jerk pork or jerk fish. It can also be used with vegetables, pasta, mushrooms and many more dishes. It can even be used for snacks by sprinkling over popcorn, nuts, or potato chips. The most famous dish is jerk chicken. Jerk cooking can be used by many different techniques including barbecue, grill, bake, put over charcoal barrels, pit fires, and hardwood charcoal in a steel drum jerk pan. To enhance the true flavor first soak the chicken in jerk marinade, then use a jerk rub during cooking, and finish it off with the seasoning. The flavor will be sensational.
Jerk seasoning and cooking derived from Jamaica, moved throughout the Caribbean, then spread throughout the world. It can be found at many different restaurants. This flavor profile enhances and expands the menu for all different types of restaurants. The most popular staple is usually jerk chicken. This seasoning can also be found in grocery stores spanning across the world. Jerk seasoning has become a global phenomena which takes people away from the cold of the mainland and brings them back to a tropical paradise with steel drum music and rum drinks. Jerk can be hot and spicy just like the Jamaican weather, culture, and people. It comes in different degrees of heat. Jerk is an ingredient that will make your recipes more adventurous and tropical.
