A Vegabond Voyage: A Vegetarian’s Adventures Abroad
Local vegetarian cuisine for the budget conscious and culturally curious traveller
It’s Independence Day for Jamaica. Though celebrations are typically held the first Monday in August, the official date that Jamaica became autonomous from British rule is August 6, 1962. Here’s just a taste of some of the healthy vegetarian foods in Jamaican cuisine.
Sorrel
A type of hibiscus, this plant gets made into a festive drink at Christmas time.
Photo by Kimberley (c)2013
Ital Food
Ital is a part of the Rastafarian philosophy that rejects the use of salt, additives and preservatives in cooking. Instead an all-natural, whole foods diet prepared with local ingredients is followed.
Our welcome meal
Photo by Kimberley (c)2013
Callaloo
Photo by Kimberley (c)2013
This was actually breakfast. Callaloo, a sort of Jamaican spinach is a staple vegetable. It is a good source of non-heme (i.e. plant-based) iron. Make sure to simultaneously consume food high in vitamin C to optimize the absorption of iron.
Ackee
Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica but is eaten like a vegetable. Imagine that your brains were made of bananas. This describes the texture and appearance of prepared ackee.
Jamaican Blue Mountain
Like wine, the taste and quality of coffee is dependent on the ‘terroir‘ in which it is grown. The Blue Mountain area near Kingston provides an ideal environment for cultivating a superior quality coffee bean.
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee at the Craighton Estate.
Photo by Kimberley (c)2013
Weal World Travel 