Knowing by Blogging: A Tour of Jamaica: A Quick Overview of The Nation of Jamaica, Plus a Recipe for Jamaican Jerk Chicken as Lagniappe

Introduction

Jamaica is a country full of culture, drinks, good food, beautiful beaches, and plenty to do. Jamaica is a great place to go on vacation with friends and family or just you and your significant other. They have something to offer for all people of all ages, from hiking to the top of a mountain to scuba diving to see a deep coral reef. Before you head to Jamaica you can get online and learn the local Jamaican Patois and impress the locals with your knowledge of their culture. If you ever get the opportunity I recommend taking a trip down to Jamaica and enjoying their culture and their beautiful country.

Country Information

Geographic Facts

Here are some geographic facts about Jamaica:

1. Jamaica in the West Indies about 90 miles south of Cuba and 100 miles west of Haiti. The island is smaller than the state of Connecticut. The island is made up of coastal lowland, limestone plateau, and a group of volcanic hills called, the Blue Mountains.

2. Population of Jamaica is around 2,847,300 which has a growth rate of .7%. The total land area of Jamaica is 4,244 sq miles. The birth rate on the island is about 1.97%, the infant mortality rate is about 1.49%, and the life expectancy of the Jamaicans is about 73 to 74 years old.

3. The capital city of Jamaica is Kingston which is also the largest city in Jamaica. Kingston is known for its local night clubs, reggae, and its crime rate.

“Serious” Facts

Here are some serious facts about Jamaica:

1. Jamaicans speak English, but the Jamaicans also speak a language called Jamaican Patois or Jamaican Creole. Patois became a language of the slaves that were brought to the island. Patois is a mixture of the slave owner’s languages which consisted of Spanish, the British, and the French.

2. The main transnational issue with Jamaica is the drug transshipment. Jamaica is a major stop for drugs runs from South America and Europe into North America. There is a very high level of Jamaicans who harvest and cultivate weed. A substantial amount of money-laundering activities occurs in Jamaica. Columbian drug cartels favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions.

3. The first people to be in Jamaica were the Arawak Indians. They were on the island when Columbus explored it in 1494 and named it St. Iago. The Spanish ruled Jamaica until 1655 when the British took control of the island.

“Fun” Facts

Here are three fun facts about Jamaica:

1. Besides the United States, Jamaica has won the most Olympic and world medals. Jamaica is a sprint power house and is home of the world’s fastest man and other great athletes. Although Jamaica is always warm, they are also competitors in the Winter Olympic Games.

2. The currency used in Jamaica is called the Jamaican dollar (JMD). The exchange rate for the JMD to the USD is $86-$1. The JMD is printed in $50, $100, $500, and $1000 bills. There are also 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent, 50 cent, and $1, $10, and $20 coins. The heads of famous people in Jamaica or printed on the face of the currency.

3. The Jamaican flag has 3 colors in it which are black, green, and gold. Black stands for hardships overcome and to be faced. Gold stands for natural wealth and beauty of sunlight. Green stands for hope and agricultural resources.

Four Cascades, YS Falls, Jamaica pictures

“Potpourri”

Here are some unusual facts about Jamaica:

You are not allowed to legally sell weed or other drugs in Jamaica. You are allowed to legally smoke or consume drugs in Jamaica. The Jamaicans say that if a drug is a natural thing they will consume it.
The national fruit of Jamaica is Ackee which was imported from Africa in the 1700’s. If this fruit is eaten before it is ripe it is poisonous and can make you sick or kill you. Ackee is ripe when it turns yellow-orange and opens to reveal three shiny black seeds and only the inside is consumed.

Travel Information

Here are essential pieces of info that travelers to Jamaica will want to know about where to go, what to see, and/or how to stay safe while there:

1. The safest thing to do in Jamaica is to make reservations on a private resort. There is no need to leave the resorts because they have everything you need and they have security that keeps the local and everyone else off of the premises.

2. If traveling to Jamaica try to go to a tourist destination that is away from Kingston. Kingston has a reputation of being a gang run city and the gangs are always having turf wars.

3. If you are going to leave your resort, bring Jamaican money with you so the locals do not try to take advantage or you and your US dollar. Do not carry large amounts of money or expensive items such as jewelry. Do not let anyone know that you have a good amount of money on you.

Food Information

Image via Wikipedia

Recipe

First, here are the ingredients you will need for preparing Jamaican Jerk:

Ingredient Quantity
3.5 pounds of chicken
Sliced scotch bonnet peppers 6
thyme 2 tbsp
Ground allspice 2 tbsp
Cloves garlic, finely chopped 8
Medium onions, finely chopped 3
Sugar 2 tbsp
Salt 2 tbsp
Ground black pepper 2 Tbsp
Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger 1-2 Tbsp
Olive oil ½ cup
Soy sauce ½ cup
Lime juice one lime
Orange juice one cup
White vinegar one cup

Next, here is a step-by-step guide to preparing Jamaican Jerk:

Step	Action
1	Take all of the ingredients from the list, except the chicken, and put them in a blender for mixing and fine blending. This will make the jerk sauce.
2	Cut the 3 ½ pound chicken into four pieces. Rub the jerk sauce into the meat for marinade, save some of the sauce for dipping later. Put the chicken in the fridge overnight.
3	You can cook the chicken in the oven or on the pit (recommended). Turn a BBQ pit onto medium heat and take the chicken out of the fridge. Throw the chicken on the pit for about 45 minutes flipping the chicken periodically for browning. Take chicken off the pit after the 45 minutes.
4	Take the four sections of the chicken and put them on a cutting board. Get a heavy meat cleaver and cut the individual sections into 5 or 6 separate pieces. Take out the jerk sauce from the night before for dipping.

My Kitchen Story

I went on my honeymoon to Jamaica and ate the jerk the whole time I was there this is the reason I decided to do Jamaican Jerk. I work at Voodoo BBQ and we sell Caribbean style jerk and jerk sauce there. The jerk at Voodoo doesn’t taste exactly like the jerk in Jamaica but it is still good. I have a lot going on in school right now so didn’t really get the time to cook jerk so I went to work and bought some. No exciting kitchen story really but good food.

References

1) Television Food Network (2011). Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-thirsty-traveler/jamaican-jerk-chicken-recipe/index.html

2) Trip Advisor LLC (2011). Trip Advisor.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travelg147309s206/Jamaica:Caribbean:Health.And.Safety.html

3) Software programming and computing experts blog (2011). Blog.
http://blog.spaceja.com/fun-facts-about-jamaica/
4) Ras Denis Jabari Reynolds (2006). Voyages Jules Verne.
http://www.jamaicans.com/speakja/patoisarticle/notpatoisbutjamic.shtml

5) Family Education Network (2011). Pearson Education.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107662.html

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Contact Information

To contact the author of “A Tour of Jamaica: A Quick Overview of the Nation of Jamaica, Plus a Recipe for Jamaican Jerk Chicken as Lagniappe,” please email William.Huggins@selu.edu.

Biography

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of works he has helped his students to turn into editorially-reviewed publications at the following sites: