If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then a good Jamaican breakfast is one of the best things to wake up to in the morning. Who wants boring egg and toast when one can have a nutritious breakfast that not only satisfies hunger but is also finger licking good? Start the day off right and take your pick from many Jamaican breakfast options that tantalize the taste buds and energize you to tackle the day ahead. Here are 6 Jamaican breakfasts that make you feel like a champion.
1. Cornmeal porridge
A longtime favorite among Jamaicans, cornmeal porridge is go-to meal when you want a hearty, healthy start to the day. Lovers of breakfast cereal will enjoy this heavenly blend of corn flour, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, sweetened to a thick, creamy porridge that is best served hot. The nutrient-rich cornmeal porridge is highly recommended for growing children, and persons who are ill or in recovery, as it provides quick energy and nourishment to the body.
2. Steamed cabbage and saltfish
Whoever thought of the meal combination of cabbage and saltfish deserves an award. It’s truly one of the most delicious breakfast meals served in Jamaica. Shredded cabbage is steamed together with onions, scallions, and chunks of salted cod fish that has been precooked to remove most of the salt. The finished dish can be served with slices of bread, fried dumplings, roasted breadfruit, or boiled dumplings, bananas and slices of yam.
3. Johnny cake with salt mackerel and mint tea
Jamaican Johnny cakes are legendary at home and abroad but the combination with salt mackerel is very pleasing to the palate. Salt mackerel, or pickled mackerel as it is often called, is precooked to remove the salt, then sautéed with garlic, onions, tomatoes, and thyme. A hot cup of tea brewed with fresh mint leaves is the perfect accompaniment to this meal.
4. Callaloo with ripe plantain and hardo bread
Once thought of the poor man’s food, calalloo is now served everywhere in Jamaica from humble homes to hotel dining rooms. Callaloo is treasured as an important source of iron in the local diet, and as such has become a popular breakfast dish, even being exported to the international market. Steamed with tomatoes, garlic, scallions, onions, and thyme, callaloo goes very well with hardo bread and generous slices of ripe plantain.
5. Saltfish “flitters” fritters
Dip n fall back, stamp n go or whatever you want to call it, saltfish fritters is one of the most beloved snacks in Jamaica. It’s not surprising then that it is also a popular breakfast item, served by itself or as a side to the main meal. The tasty cakes contain generous bites of salted cod, with chopped onions, scallions in a flour batter which is fried until golden brown. The recipe for saltfish fritters has survived many generations and is favored for its deliciousness as well as for being very filling.
6. Ackee and saltfish, fried dumplings and Jamaican hot chocolate tea
Jamaica’s national dish is revered not only at home but also internationally where ackee and saltfish has been named one of the top breakfast dishes in the world. True lovers of ackee and saltfish know that this dish is incredibly delicious no matter what it’s served with. But pairing it with a batch of freshly fried dumplings is a clear favorite of many Jamaicans. It’s a meal combination that is only made better with a hearty cup of Jamaican hot chocolate tea, brewed from scratch with natural cocoa sticks.
