Jamaican patty

A Jamaican patty is a pastry that contains various fillings and spices baked inside a flaky shell, often tinted golden yellow with an egg yolk mixture or turmeric. It is made like a turnover, but is more savoury and filled with meat. As its name suggests, it is commonly found in Jamaica, and is also eaten in other areas of the Caribbean, such as the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. It is traditionally filled with seasoned ground beef, but fillings can include chicken, pork, lamb, vegetables, shrimp, lobster, fish, soy, ackee, mixed vegetables or cheese. In Jamaica, the patty is often eaten as a full meal, especially when paired with coco bread. It can also be made as bite-sized portions called cocktail patties. Among the Jamaican diaspora in the United Kingdom, the pastry is more like that of a suet crust, and often made with margarine or butter, which provides the flaky pastry, and curry powder containing turmeric, which provides the yellow colour.

Jamaican patty
A plate of Jamaican patties
TypePastry
CourseSnack
Place of originJamaica
Region or stateAmericas
Serving temperatureHot

History

The beef patty is a product of the long history of Jamaica, mixing pasties introduced by Cornish immigrants and cumin, curry and cayenne pepper introduced by Indian indentured labourers and African slaves who arrived to the country.[1] "The firecracker taste of the Scotch bonnet, a hot pepper indigenous to Jamaica, sealed the flavour."[1]

Jamaicans brought recipes for the patties northward in the 1960s and 1970s when many immigrated to the United States & Canada as hospital orderlies, home health aides and nurses.[1] The patties were then found in restaurants in areas of the New York metropolitan area with high West Indian populations. The patties are equally popular in British cities with large West Indian populations, such as Birmingham,[2] Manchester and London. Their popularity is spreading in the United Kingdom and they are becoming available in many mainstream outlets.[3] They are also popular in Toronto, Montreal, Washington, D.C., and numerous other areas throughout the American northeast and Canadian Great Lakes regions; in many of those areas, they are available in grocery stores, delis, corner stores, and convenience stores. In recent years, the Jamaican meat patty has been pre-made and frozen for mass selling in Britain, Canada, and the United States. In many areas in Canada and in the United States, Jamaican beef patties are now typically available at pizza and convenience food restaurants, as well as supermarkets.

See also

References
  1. Michelle Garcia For N.Y. Caribbean Beef Patty Co., Business Is Cooking February 14, 2005; Page A03 Washington Post
  2. "Island Delight - Delicious Caribbean Style Patties and Savoury Slices by Cleone Foods Ltd". Cleone.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  3. "Port Royal Mixed Vegetable Jamaican Patty 140G - Groceries - Tesco Groceries". Tesco.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
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