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Jamaican Stew
The Island's Favourite Stewed Dishes
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by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer
Stews are a very big deal in Jamaica, some of our most loved dishes are stews. What’s great is you can have a Jamaican stew no matter your dietary preferences.
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In general or international terms, a stew is a dish made up of solid food ingredients cooked in liquid and served with the resulting gravy. Raw ingredients must be added to the gravy of a stew.
A stew can contain any combination of vegetables and meat, notably tougher meats suitable for slow cooking, such as beef, pork, lamb, poultry, sausages, and seafood. While water can be used to cook the stew, the stock is also commonly used.
For flavour, a small amount of red wine is occasionally added along with seasonings and spices. They are typically cooked at a low temperature (simmered rather than boiled), allowing flavours to be fully incorporated.
This is mostly true for typical Jamaican stews as well, with one major exception being that it isn’t the go-to for Jamaicans to use stock while making stews, they usually opt for water or coconut milk.
5 Popular Jamaican Stews
1. Beef Stew
Beef stew is a popular dish in many countries and can be prepared in a variety of ways, such as by adding different vegetables or spices to suit individual tastes. In Jamaican style, potatoes and carrots are added, and some people even add small dumplings known as spinners. Butter beans or broad beans can be used in place of spinners.
This dish is usually prepared with a kick of heat from scotch bonnet peppers, and it doesn't taste the same without some pimento seeds. This goes well with a side of any rice dish or what we like to call “grung food” or ground provisions, which refers to yam, dasheen, and potatoes among others.
2. Ital Stew
Ital is a hearty Jamaican stew linked to the Rastafarian movement. Ital is derived from the word vital, the former being a popular word Rastafarians use to describe their way of life. Rastafarian meals are made from organic, non-chemically enhanced, unprocessed ingredients.
Plantains, split peas, squash, taro root, potatoes, carrots, okra, onions, and collard greens are cooked in a rich coconut milk broth with plantains, split peas, squash, taro root, potatoes, carrots, okra, onions, and collard greens.
Traditionally, the dish is lightly seasoned with thyme, pimento, scallion, garlic, pepper, and a host of other herbs and natural seasonings. In keeping with the Rastafarian diet, no salt is added either.
3. Stew Peas
Jamaican Stew Peas Recipe is a delectable and comforting dish made with red kidney beans, coconut milk, herbs and spices, and spinners. This Stew Peas Recipe can be made with or without meat and beans.
Jamaican Stew Peas contains red kidney beans rather than peas despite the name. Jamaicans don't say the word beans unless we're talking about baked beans, broad beans, or butter beans.
Everything else is peas in our eyes. It is probably the most complicated and hearty Jamaican stew of them all because it has the most ingredients and takes the longest to prepare. This stew usually consists of a variety of different meats, pigtails being the most popular. Other meats include corned/salted beef, chicken neck, chicken foot, and corned pork.
Oxtail with broad beans is a traditional Jamaican stew made with oxtail, onions, garlic, ginger, chile peppers, fava beans, water, cornstarch, and seasonings like black pepper, allspice, thyme, and salt.
The stew is slowly cooked over medium heat until it thickens and the beans become tender. This dish is popular among locals because it is flavorful and the meat is so tender that it easily falls off the bone. It is best served warm over plain rice or coconut rice.
Brown stew chicken is a spicy Jamaican dish that consists of browned chicken pieces simmered in a rich gravy made with onions, peppers, ketchup, and water. This dish is the perfect savoury dish with a great balance between sweet and spicy.
It is suitable to be had for any meal of the day, whether breakfast lunch or dinner. Like most Jamaican stews it is common to also add chunks of carrot and Irish potatoes to the dish as well. Traditionally, the dish is served with rice, peas, fried ripe plantains, and sliced tomatoes.
The great thing about Jamaican stews is that they are very adjustable. Don’t like a particular ingredient? Simply remove it. Thought of something that you think will make a great addition? Feel free to add. Removing or adding minor ingredients will not take away from the overall taste.
Have you tries any of these dishes before? If you haven't you can visited the recipes for some guidance.
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References & Sources For Jamaican Stew
- Chinese-Jamaicangirl.com. 2022. Jamaican Beef Stew - Chinese-Jamaicangirl.com. [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 August 2022].
- Tasteatlas.com. 2022. 6 Most Popular Jamaican Stews. [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 August 2022].
- Vincent, Y., 2022. Jamaican Stew Peas: An Authentic Comfort Food - A YouNique Journey. [online] A YouNique Journey. Available at: [Accessed 27 August 2022].
Jamaican Stew | Written: August 27, 2022
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