The Science of Spice

64 World of Spice

When European explorers went looking for the Indies,

they found instead the Caribbean Islands. Centuries

of empire-building ensued, almost wiping out the

indigenous peoples and turning the West Indies into a

new trading hub on the Spice Route. Such forces

made Caribbean cuisine into the melting pot that it is

today, fusing Amerindian, African, Creole, Spanish,

Dutch, Portuguese, British, Latin American, Persian,

South Asian, and Indonesian cuisines.

“

The Caribbean’s varied

cultural influences make for

adventurous spicing, including

sweet, sour, hot, tangy, and

earthy flavours.

”

Roast vegetables

served with

mole sauce.

THE CARIBBEAN

Adventurous | Bold | Spicy

Signature

Scotch bonnet chilli, allspice,

clove, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon

Bar Scotch bonnet, these

staples are used across both

sweet and savoury recipes,

with native allspice joined

by fragrant spices from Asia.

Supporting

Black pepper, cumin, garlic,

paprika, habanero chilli

Mainly used to create

greater depth in one-pot

dishes, these spices bring

flavours from South Asia,

the Mediterranean, and

Central America.

Supplementary

Turmeric, coriander, fenugreek,

cayenne chilli, nigella

The first three spices

are integral to West

Indian curry powder,

cayenne is used in hotter

jerk blends, and roasted

nigella seeds flavour breads

and vegetable dishes.

Scotch

bo

nn

et

ch

il

li Mexican oregano

has pronounced

citrus and aniseed

notes. Dried, it is

added to chilli

powder blends.

al

ls

pi

ce

clo

ve

SPICE

PALETTE

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Jamaican jerk rub

A dry seasoning used to marinate chicken,

fish, pork, and beef. Invented in Jamaica

and adapted around the Caribbean.

2 tsp allspice

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

½ tsp cloves

1 tsp chipotle or

cayenne powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp grated nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp sea salt

Grind the whole spices and combine with the rest of the

ingredients. Flavour intensity depends on marinating time.

064-065_Mexico_Central_America_Caribbean.indd 64 04/06/2018 15:46