Wah Gwaan! Want to know yuh fried chicken from yuh jerk chicken? Let’s explore two jammin cuisines that have a lot in common: Jamaican food and soul food.
At Ting Irie, we serve mouthwatering Jamaican food but we have a lot of respect for soul food, too. So, we’ll answer some pressing questions, like ‘Is Jamaican food soul food ?’ ‘What do the two have in common?’ and ‘What’s the difference?’.
We’ll tell yuh bout some irie food from Jamaica that has a lot of soul, too. Let’s begin.
What Is Jamaican Food?
No surprises here, but traditional Jamaican food is from the Caribbean island of Jamaica. Jamaican food combines Caribbean ingredients like the local seafood, tropical fruits, and various herbs and spices with a lot of international influences.
Many Jamaican bredren have African heritage, so African flavors and cooking methods are a big influence in Jamaica. But there are other world influences, too, from periods of Spanish and British rule of Jamaica and from migrant populations of Chinese, Indian, and Middle-Eastern folk who arrived to live and work on the island.
We’d argue dat Jamaican cuisine takes the very best from all these influences to create some truly incredible flavors.
What Is Soul Food?
Soul food is a cuisine with origins in the African-American communities of Southern USA, going way back to over 100 years ago. These folk had to learn to blend their traditional African cooking techniques and some European recipes with local ingredients.
The results were a ton of amazing dishes we still know and love today, like mac n cheese, cornbread, fried chicken, and collard greens.
After the Great Migration of the 1960s and 70s, when many African-Americans left the Southern USA to seek better opportunities, ‘soul food’ was the name given to the recipes they took with them around the USA to places like New York and Chicago.
Soul food became a big food movement, sparking packed restaurants and long lines at food trucks, with its big flavors and nourishing portions.
So, Is Jamaican Food Considered Soul Food?
No, Jamaican food is not the same as soul food. But, the two cuisines have a lot of things in common. Here’s what:
Food Made with Heart
Search up #soulfood on Insta or TikTok and you’ll see that modern soul food often means food made with love, to fill hungry bellies and put a smile on bredren faces. Bold, unpretentious, and sustaining food inspired by the same sense of community and tradition that goes back to the 19th century Deep South of America.
Jamaican food is soulful, too. It’s flavoursome and warming, and perfect for feeding a family gathering or crowd at a skankin’ Jamaican party. Jamaican food brings joy and comfort, just like soul food.
In Jamaica, there’s a saying ‘Everything cook n curry’ which means everything is taken care of. In other words, a great meal solves everything in Jamaica.
A Melting Pot of Influences
Soul food and Jamaican food both blend influences from around the world. While soul food combines African and European-American techniques and ingredients, Jamaican cuisine also takes elements from Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern food.
Ingredients like chicken, rice, and beans feature in both Jamaican and soul food. However, their slightly different influences mean that Jamaican food can be spicier. Scotch bonnet peppers, curry powders, and garlic and ginger often lend a little more heat to dishes.
Rooted in Tradition
Both soul food and Jamaican food have a strong heritage.
Recipes are passed down through the generations, decades of grandmothers and mothers cooking up a feast of favorites each Sunday, children raised on the same wholesome family food as their parents were; these are things that can be said of both cuisines.
Soulful Jamaican Eats vs. Their Soul Food Equivalent
Let’s celebrate some similarities and differences between these two amazing cuisines with six incredible dishes.
Jerk Chicken vs. Fried Chicken
Chicken is a main player in both soul food and Jamaican cuisine. But different ways of preparing it result in quite different things.
Jamaican jerk chicken is big on flavor and heat, thanks to spending a lot of time marinating in a unique seasoning of chili peppers, herbs, and spices. Chicken is roasted up on a grill and then served in a lot of different ways, often with gravy, rice, and coleslaw.
Soul food’s fried chicken is marinated in buttermilk, coated in a mouthwatering seasoning, and fried to perfection giving its signature crunch and melt-in-the-mouth middle.
At Ting Irie, jerk seasoning is a core flavor; we love it in pasta, salads, likkle tings like patties, and even hummus.
Rice n Peas vs. Hoppin Johns
Both these dishes are a staple of their cuisines and are often on the table to fill up rumbling bellies at any gathering.
Jamaican rice n peas is a comforting side that compliments Ting Irie’s big tings meat and seafood dishes perfectly. The dish is made with rice plus kidney beans, cooked and served in the same pan. These two core ingredients are flavored with coconut milk, onion, herbs, and spices, especially allspice berries.
Soul food’s hoppin johns starts with the same two core ingredients, rice and beans. Black-eyed beans are the most popular choice. The rice and beans are cooked up with onions and sausage or chopped ham before being left to steam. Hoppin John’s is often served up as a one-pot meal.
Ackee and Saltfish vs. Catfish and Grits
Fish is important to both soul food and Jamaican food, but it's cooked up in quite different ways.
Ackee and saltfish is another pride and joy of Ting Irie and it's Jamaica’s national dish. Ackee is a fruit with a savory taste. It’s got an unusual flavor that works perfectly with saltfish, especially when they are mixed up with tomatoes, peppers and onions, and some signature heat from scotch bonnet chilies.
Jamaicans are happy to eat ackee and saltfish for any meal; it’s that good. Everyone should taste this flavorful ting.
Catfish and grits is a soul food dish. Recipes take chunks of catfish spiced up with cajun seasoning to be fried up and served with butter and grits. Grits are a kind of porridge made from cornmeal.
What’s to Choose?
So, is Caribbean food soul food?
Technically no, but Jamaican food has a huge heart, big flavors, and is just as soulful.
We think if yuh love one, yuh’ll love di other.
Why not check out Ting Irie’s Jamaican food menu in Dubai?
