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So we finally made it to the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial & Food Show after many years of promising ourselves to attend. Dubbed by some as ‘the Caribbean's premier agricultural event, this year was it’s 65th staging.  4H Clubs Dispaly The three day event featured parish farmers markets with displays of Jamaican agricultural produce - both organic & non organic, areas in which one could find livestock & pets on show, exhibits focused on greenhouse farming, farm products & equipment and a food court stretch. Here's some of what we captured!
Brands On DisplayJamaica Producers St.Mary's Chips, Mount Pleasant Chocolates & Buzz Honey were among the many Jamaican made products being promoted at Denbigh 65. Eats At DenbighJust some of the eats that were on sale at Denbigh 2017.
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| Ingredients 8 oz wet sugar 1 pint stout 2 oz honey 2 oz pancake syrup 1 oz molassses 3 oz melted butter 1 tbsp vanilla 1 tsp cinnamon powder 1 tsp grated nutmeg 1 tsp salt | Dry ingredients 12 oz cassava flour 4 oz whole wheat flour 1tsp baking soda 1tsp baking powder 4 oz raisins Procedure
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Enjoy!
Happy Easter!
The Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica Team
The Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica Team
 | We are a little late in posting this, but thought we would anyway as our holidays festivities extend through New Years Day. Nothing beats the sweet aroma of ham baking for the holidays! Ham, like Sorrel is a traditional part of our of our our Christmas/New Year holiday fare for those who can afford it. Below is Chef Damion Stewart's recipe for preparing a Guava Glazed Baked Ham topped with pineapple slices & cherries. |
It's that time of year again when we're all busy making last minute preparations for Christmas! For those of you baking your own Christmas Cakes here's a delicious gold medal winning recipe from the Diva Chef Simone Walker Barrett for you to try!
 | 8oz Butter 8oz Brown Sugar 8 Eggs 16oz Whole wheat Flour 6oz Bread Crumbs 1tsp Salt 2tsp Baking Powder 1tsp Baking Soda 1 Cup Raisin 1 Cup Prunes 1 Cup Currants 1 Cup Shredded Coconut 1 Cup mashes ripe Banana 2 Cups Red Label Wine | 1/2 Cup Rum 1tsp Grated Ginger 1tsp Cinnamon Powder 1tsp Nutmeg Powder 1tsp Mixed Spice 1tbsp Vanilla 1tsp Almond Extract 1tsp Rosewater 1tbsp Orange Rind 1tsp Lime Rind 1tbsp Lime Juice 4tbsp Browning ½ Cup Cashew Nuts |
Soup is the perfect appetizer and is traditionally enjoyed as a main meal, for either lunch or dinner, in most Jamaican households on a Saturday. A few Jamaican favourites are Pumpkin Beef Soup, Pepperpot,Red Peas, Manish Water (goat soup), and my personal favourite, Chicken Foot Soup. Oh yes, I love those little ‘scratchers’.
 Mount James for Tamarind Glazed Pigs Tail and more from Streetfood Saurdays. Bold & Spicy Flavours!  |  Pepper Shrimps in Middle Quarters. Hot & Very Spicy! |
At every turn from Kingston to Negril, one can enjoy delicious Jamaican bites from any of the many delicious food spots or stalls along the way.
If you’re like us, then your trip to or from Kingston to the ‘country’ (mid-island, north or southcoast) just doesn’t seem complete without a stop for a ‘cuppa’ soup, some roast yam + saltfish, boiled corn, coconut water (eating the jelly with the makeshift spoon a must) , pepper shrimps & the likes.
Here are some of our favourites!
| BOSTON in Portland - home of Jerk - Fish, Chicken, Lamb, Lobster | PORUS - for the sweetest fruits |
| MOUNT ROSSER - for finger-licking good Roast Yam or Roast Sweet Potato served with + Saltfish. | SCOTTS COVE (border of Westmoreland & St. Elizabeth) for some of the tastiest Fried Fish + Bammy & Conch Soup |
| HOLLAND BAMBOO for the succulent & delicious Curry Goat @ Musso's
| MIDDLE QUARTERS - for spicy nice Pepper Shrimps & Janga Soup
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Feel free to share your favourites stop(s) here! Email pictures to popupgourmet@hotmail.com & we'll post!
Christmas is that time of year where social media is alight with posts from yahdies near and far confirming that their tickets have been booked...one stop Jamaica...next stop the buffet. For the most part Christmas in Jamaica revolves around good food, good friends, good times & family! We enjoy going from house to house visiting old friends, making new ones... eating, drinking and relishing in the festivities - toasting old memories & creating new ones.
Christmas Mawnin' (morning) is generally reserved for a delicious spread of the usual suspects of ackee and saltfish, calalloo, liver, escovetich fish, corn pork, fried breadfruit, bammy, ground provisions and of course fried dumplings. Oh & let's not forget Grandma’s chocolate tea with a ‘likkle’ oil on the top!
Jamaican Corn Pork
Preparations for Christmas dinner begin from the night before with the ham being baked & the sorrel being 'drawn'; the roast beef is put in early Christmas morning to slow cook on low. Next into the oven is the whole roast chicken with yummy stuffing.
As family & friends roll in and the Christmas wrapping is being cleaned up, the stove top comes to life - the simmering down some , macaroni boils to make macaroni and cheese casserole, oxtail simmering, curried goat and pork stewing down. For us the Jamaican Christmas table is not complete without candied sweet potato, potato salad, fried plantain and vegetables.
As family & friends roll in and the Christmas wrapping is being cleaned up, the stove top comes to life - the simmering down some , macaroni boils to make macaroni and cheese casserole, oxtail simmering, curried goat and pork stewing down. For us the Jamaican Christmas table is not complete without candied sweet potato, potato salad, fried plantain and vegetables.
With all that food you might think that Christmas is complete but no Jamaican Christmas is complete without traditional Christmas fruit cake. I don’t know what it is about that dark spongy rich labour of love that elicits such joy from us but serve me up a slice of that rum soaked goodness with a tall glass of that rich maroon ginger filled sorrel and its Christmas on a tray. The only thing that can make that moment more perfect is topping the cake with a scoop of Devon House ice cream.
There is an amazingly delicious explosion of local gourmet food products being created and introduced into the Jamaican marketplace. Products bursting with exciting flavours guaranteed to please even the most discerning of palates! More importantly, these products are made with local ingredients and are of a standard that can go toe to toe and head to head with anything being offered in the international marketplace. Below are just a few of the newest ones we have come across recently!
LiqyLiqy - Jamaica's First All Natural Gourmet Ice Pop Provider!
Established in 2014 by Sasha Palmer, LiqyLiqy's mission is to make frozen treats in creative and original flavours like coconut, mixed berries & mango passion that you will feel great about eating. Their range of products include Sorbets, Gelato, Italian Ice, Fruit bars and more!
They are committed to supporting our local farmers & available for private parties & events.
Mountain Blue Farms has recently introduced theirSpice Blends & Salad Dressings
 Cilantro & Yogurt + Honey & Papaya Seed |  Africa, Jamaica & Coffee Rubs |
Unique Preserves from the Home Chefs
Cho Cho Relish & Jackfruit Butter
Breadfruit Chocolate Truffles
If it’s one thing I enjoyed eating when I was young was the popular breadfruit. I would always get the tree mixed up with the chataigne tree (Breadnut Tree ) and ask my cousins in the country to use their monkey skills to climb and pick it for me. Luckily for me, I soon learned the difference in the trees. Breadfruit is one food item that tends to take a back seat to many of the other well know ingredients we use today. It is referred to as a False Fruit and termed to be a flowering plant. However possessing a similar texture to a starchy provision it is classified world wide as a staple. It contains 25 Percent Carbohydrates and over 70 percent water content with small percentages of vitamin C (potassium and zinc) and thiamin. Hard to believe that such a husky fruit actually has a small percentage of carbohydrates as compared to rice which is such a minute grain.
 Breadfruit Tree   'Macca' Breadfruit | The Breadfruit Tree comes from the Mulberry Family which is all related to the Chataigne Tree and Jackfruit Tree. It can grow to heights well beyond 85Ft. It is Native to the Malay Peninsula and grows torrentially along the South East Asian Countries, Polynesian states straight down to the Tropical countries in the Caribbean. It thrives on a sunny and warm climate and therefore shuns frost inhibited zones. Breadfruit is one of the highest-yielding food plants, with a single tree producing up to 200 or more fruits per season. As mentioned before, it is a staple food in many tropical regions. Before eating breadfruit, it is mainly roasted, baked, fried or boiled. When cooked the taste is described as potato-like, or similar to fresh-baked bread (hence the name). The fruit is available mainly from June to November, but some trees may mature at other times during the year. The fruit itself may look a little daunting at first view but never the less it should not intimidate or ward off one’s intention to get familiarized with it. In the green stage, the fruit is hard and the interior is white, starchy and somewhat fibrous. When fully ripe, the fruit is somewhat soft; the interior is cream colored or yellow and pasty, also sweetly fragrant. The seeds are irregularly oval, rounded at one end, pointed at the other, about ¾’’ long, dull-brown with darker stripes. In the center of the fruit fruits there is a cylindrical or oblong core, in some types covered with hairs bearing flat, brown, abortive seeds about (3 mm) long. The fruit is borne singly or in clusters of 2 or 3 at the branch tips. |
One vivid memory I will always remember was the day I was introduced to breadfruit, my father had taken the mammoth green cylinder that he termed to be “ top ah de line ” and peeled, cleaned and cut it up into medium sized chunks to make the famous Trinidadian preparation “ Oil Down with Pig Tail”. To see how it was made and cooked as he vehemently believed that it must be prepared on a fire side to deliver that smoky flavor, he mentioned that the Breadfruit will yield the most creamiest and satisfying taste in your mouth when it absorbs all of the coconut milk liquid in which it was slowly cooked in. From that day forth, I realized that this “less famous” staple possessed so much potential in the kitchen as it related to preparing a vast amount of delicious creations, whether savory, sweet, appetizer –wise or even entrées.
With these ideas, parameters don’t exist with the usage of breadfruit. My Research has stated that Malayans peel firm-ripe fruits, slice the pulp and fry it in syrup or palm sugar until it is crisp and brown. Filipinos enjoy the cooked fruit with coconut and sugar. In Hawaii the fruit is peeled and halved and fermented in deep covered holes in the earth for 3 years then reclaimed and smashed to into a paste that produces a cheese like consistency relished by the natives. In some countries breadfruit flower has been very prominent as is dried and grounded to produce breads and other starch based products and proves to be scientifically healthier that wheat flour. But as a Chef I enjoy mostly slicing the breadfruit thinly and frying them at a moderate oil temperature and making chips, a favorite of mine & others I’m quite sure.
What is another important fact is that the breadfruit does have medicinal use here in Trinidad. A concoction of the breadfruit leaf is believed to lower blood pressure, and is also said to relieve asthma. Crushed leaves are applied on the tongue as a treatment for thrush. The leaf juice is employed as ear-drops. Ashes of burned leaves are used on skin infections. A powder of roasted leaves is employed as a remedy for enlarged spleen. In addition the tree trunk produces a flowing latex liquid that when cut it produces a sticky liquid. The latex is used on skin diseases and is bandaged on the spine to relieve sciatica. Diluted latex is taken internally to overcome diarrhea and of course because of its sticky character, it can be used to catch birds when they land on a (Laglee) trap.
With all this said, Breadfruit should be distinguished as a food item that should be diversified more into our local cooking, rather than the common culinary practices we exhaust everyday in Trinidad. It is because of this mind set and generic thinking I decided to show more a coveted side of breadfruit today where I created a dessert entitled Breadfruit Chocolate Truffles.
With an open mind and curious intuition, I ask that you try this unorthodox but delicious spin on a local staple.
Jason Peru
Chef/Contributor
Trinidad
What is another important fact is that the breadfruit does have medicinal use here in Trinidad. A concoction of the breadfruit leaf is believed to lower blood pressure, and is also said to relieve asthma. Crushed leaves are applied on the tongue as a treatment for thrush. The leaf juice is employed as ear-drops. Ashes of burned leaves are used on skin infections. A powder of roasted leaves is employed as a remedy for enlarged spleen. In addition the tree trunk produces a flowing latex liquid that when cut it produces a sticky liquid. The latex is used on skin diseases and is bandaged on the spine to relieve sciatica. Diluted latex is taken internally to overcome diarrhea and of course because of its sticky character, it can be used to catch birds when they land on a (Laglee) trap.
With all this said, Breadfruit should be distinguished as a food item that should be diversified more into our local cooking, rather than the common culinary practices we exhaust everyday in Trinidad. It is because of this mind set and generic thinking I decided to show more a coveted side of breadfruit today where I created a dessert entitled Breadfruit Chocolate Truffles.
With an open mind and curious intuition, I ask that you try this unorthodox but delicious spin on a local staple.
Jason Peru
Chef/Contributor
Trinidad
It was quite by accident that we discovered the UJIMA 'pop-up' farmers market where twice per month, farmers & producers of gourmet food products set up shop at the Chinese Cultural Association of Jamaica on Barbican Road. Have you been there? No? It's definitely worth a visit and is a great way of getting to know your farmers.
Fresh Produce & Flowers
The produce (both organic & non-organic) doesn't get any fresher than this! It's direct from farm to your table.
 Arugula  Diakon Radish |   |  Lovely Avocados  Chocolate Nibs |
Gourmet Products
Discover & Taste Delicious 100% Jamaican Gourmet Products like nut butters, honey, chocolate nibs, preserves, sauces, dressings & freshly baked gluten-free breads.
 Condiments - Stush In The Bush |   Nut Butters from Cherbutters - Cashew, Almond & Pumpkin Seed |  Organic Honey - Wilmington Farms |
A Couple Of The Farming Personalities
 Chris & Lisa Binns - Stush In the Bush & Zionites Farm |  Allison - Wilmington Farms |
See you there on August 30th! Until then...eat good!
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