By Marcia Abramson
He was seeking a shorter route to the countries of the Orient and the Far East, including China, Japan and India for silk, precious metals and spices. What he did find was Jamaica after his previous accidental sail to the Bahamas. I was told that he initially proclaimed that he had landed on “India at last” at Discovery Bay. Unfortunately, he did not bring back the cinnamon, silks or gold and did not live long enough to learn that Jamaica became a vacation haven for me, and literally millions of people from all over the globe.
Spain lost out to the British forces of Oliver Cromwell who took over the island of Jamaica. In fact, I was told by local historians, that the Breezes Runaway Bay SuperClub was the actual location where the defeated Spanish general and his men left Jamaica and the huge acres of sugar cane or “sweet grass.” They departed in two fragile canoes. I also understand that a very wealthy man in London was described as being “rich as a Jamaican planter,” even though he might have never visited the island that made him wealthy.
But in the end of the 18th century, a young British doctor, James Johnson, suffering from “weak lungs” was given six months to live and was sent to Jamaica to end his life in a pleasant climate. I understand that his hostess served him pitchers of fresh juice each morning of papaya, West Indian cherry and mango. He soon regained his health, walked, took horseback rides and credited his good health to the island’s “blue sky over the blue sea, luxurious vegetation, fragrant with the scent of spices and flowers, and an invigorating sea breeze” in one of the first travel books, entitled ‘Jamaica, the New Riviera.’
The word of the doctor’s recovery spread and the cool hills of Jamaica became an important convalescent locale with the residents and visitors from the Jamaican city of Kingston commuting by horse and buggy to the mineral baths at Rockfort a few miles from the city. Additionally, a sea plant found in the Jamaican waters, known as “Irish Moss” became a popular tonic and the discovery that the West Indian cherry had more Vitamin C than the best oranges added to the belief that Jamaica was the place for the best health resorts. According to Suzanne McManus, the charming, Vice President of Public Relations for SuperClubs, told me that even Noel Coward, the famous British entertainer and resident of a gorgeous home built in the cool hills let it be known that ‘Englishmen never went out in the midday sun.’ On a previous visit to Jamaica, I visited his hilltop home and learned that he had another home for guests along the beach front below. As I recall his home was called ‘firefly’ because after sun set the sky was ablaze with fireflies.
Other celebrities who found their way to Ocho Rios were the swashbuckling screen hero Errol Flynn and the British writer Ian Fleming built a small home where he created the immortal ever popular James Bond 007 film character. The singer Pavarotti, Fred Astaire’s first dance partner and sister Adele, Sean Paul and Jerry Springer were frequent guests at the SuperClubs at Montego Bay.
One of my pleasant experiences of Jamaica was sitting down to an authentic Jamaican meal with a concentration of delicious fruits and vegetables. Bananas came to the new world from Arabia, via the Canary Islands, with the earliest Spanish settlers. Boiled bananas became a breakfast staple until the green plantain came along. The plantain is considered a vegetable, that is until Jamaicans made it a delicious tart by adding sugar and cinnamon to the plantain. Ortaniques are a combination of grapefruit and tangerines and are delicious in Jamaica. Pineapple, mangoes, and papaya make for a marvelous fruit salad.
Happy Eating!
Copyright by Marcia Abramson
The following two recipes are some of my favorite Jamaican Dishes:
A vegetarian rundown is a style of food most often used with fish cooked down in coconut milk until it has a thick creamy consistency. Mackerel rundown is the classic favorite. The ingredients are:
2 cans of coconut milk 1 carrot, cut into sticks
1 stalk of scallion bruised 2 Irish potatoes, cut into cubes
1 large onion, diced 1 yellow sweet pepper, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, diced 1 pumpkin wedge, cut into cubes
1 Scotch bonnet pepper 1 red sweet pepper, thinly sliced
1 sprig of thyme 1 handful of okra, sliced (optional )
2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 small can of kidney beans
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In a large frying pan, pour in the cocoa milk and bring to a boil. Lower to medium heat. Add the potatoes, carrot, pumpkin, and cook until they are tender. The coconut milk should also be reduced at this time, add the onions, scallion, tomato, thyme, garlic, Scotch bonnet, and salt to taste. Turn down to medium low heat and add the okras, sweet peppers and red kidney beans until they are all cooked through. Remove Scotch bonnet pepper and serve immediately.
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Sweet potatoes are not one of my favorite vegetables until I had Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding at Breezes Runaway Bay SuperClub. The recipe is as follows:
2 lbs. Sweet potatoes 2 tsp vanilla
21/2 cups coconut milk 1 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp ground nutmeg
11/2 cups brown sugar ¼ cup melted butter
½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup raisins
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Preheat oven to 300 F and grease 9-inch baking dish. Peel and grate potatoes. In a large bowl, combine potatoes and all other ingredients. Mix well and pour into baking dish. Bake approximately 50 minutes until liquid is absorbed and the top of the pudding is golden brown. Cool before serving-good with rum sauce.
