Well, we’re finally in December and Christmas is just around the corner. This is the time when relatives make their way home to the Caribbean to escape the winter blues, decorations go up around the house, and the Christmas classics are in rotation until New Year’s Eve.
Also, for most Jamaicans, abroad and at home, it’s the season for eating. Jamaican Christmas meals are oftentimes the biggest of the year. Here are a few staples of a traditional Jamaican Christmas menu.
Gungo Rice & Peas
Gungo Peas come in two varieties: those in green pods, and those in purple pods. The purple-podded peas are the seasonal delight that gets every mouth at the table watering. Also known as pigeon peas, gungo peas are slow-cooked in coconut milk with traditional Jamaican seasonings such as garlic, pimento (allspice berries), thyme, and scotch bonnet. They’re served with rice as a classic side dish that can easily steal the show.
Christmas Ham
Preparing a Jamaican Christmas ham is an event. There’s a science to picking one out. Do you want boneless or bone-in? Boneless is easier to prepare but bone-in leaves you with ham bone for soup afterward. Do you want skinless or skinned? Maybe you’ll even consider a chicken ham for attendees who cannot eat pork or pig products.
Defrosting a ham is a matter of preference. Some simmer the frozen ham overnight to make sure it was defrosted throughout and to get rid of some of the salt. Many, instead, opt to wrap it in newspaper. Jamaican Christmas Ham is usually topped with pineapple slices, cloves, and cherries before it’s baked until its skin peels off easily. Almost better than the freshly made ham are its leftovers, which are perfect for a future sandwich or fried up for breakfast.
Christmas Cake
The build-up to a good Jamaican Christmas cake starts the year before. The most enterprising bakers start soaking their fruits (raisins, mixed peels, cherries, etc.) in spiced rum a year in advance, imparting rich and complex flavors. However, this long process isn’t always necessary. If you’re in a pinch, just add the fruits to a pot with the spiced rum, then boil and simmer for half an hour. Soaked fruits may be blended depending on preferred texture. Blended fruits provide a smoother, more homogenous texture.
The body of the cake is fairly conventional. All-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder are combined with cinnamon powder, nutmeg, and mixed spice. Wet ingredients include eggs, cream, butter, rose water, almond extract, lime juice, and finally the soaked fruits are folded into the dry ingredients. The mixture is poured into a prepared baking tin and baked for around 120 minutes. Afterward, the cake is drizzled with either Red Label Wine or Jamaican White Rum while still warm, and then left to cool.
