About Us
About The Jerk Man
The Jerk Man has always had exquisite taste and a love for international cuisine. Before he became the beloved Jerk Man, he made a name for himself with pop up dinner parties in which he flew in ingredients from around the world. Time and time again there was one dish that astounded everyone’s palate – the jerk chicken.
The Jerk Man’s Jerk chicken journey included years of research and perfection.
The Jerk Man became interested in this Jamaican cuisine after hearing family elders speak about family history and being possible descendants of the enslaved Africans brought to Jamaica.
The Jerk Man stays true to his origin and includes ingredients from around the world in his jerk chicken recipe with a special emphasis on authentic Jamaica spices to bring his perfect dish to life. The Jerk Man’s jerk chicken has been put on the map in a major way including receiving international awards and recognitions.
The Jerk Man’s Jerk chicken journey included years of research and perfection.
Jerk is “one of the enduring legacies of the fusion of African and Taíno cultures in Jamaica.” The Taíno, a subgroup of the Arawakan Indians from northeastern South America, were members of the Caribbean’s Indigenous population.
Jerk began with the Taino people, who used the sweet wood of the allspice tree to cook the meat of local wild pigs.
Jerk, as a stand-alone term, refers to the way in which meat is seasoned, smoked and grilled. The method of smoking meats for long periods of time. Preserving the meat longer once it has been cooked. This process also introduces a strong smoky flavor to the meat and would transform tough cuts of meat into tender, delicious dishes
War between England and Spain reached the shores of Jamaica in the middle of the 17th century, leading to a British invasion that moved the Spanish colonizers out.
The British brought African slaves to Jamaica in order to guarantee a steady supply of sugar, coffee, cocoa, pimento, and other goods to merchants.
A group of these slaves escaped into the mountains and were later named the Maroons—derived from the Spanish word cimarrones, meaning mountaineers.
Jerk chicken is believed to have been conceived when the Maroons introduced African meat cooking techniques, including smoking food in pits dug into the earth, to Jamaica, which were combined with native Jamaican ingredients and seasonings used by the Arawak Indians.
A historical jerk seasoning recipe calls for bird peppers, pimento and pepper elder.
Wild boar was hunted and seasoned with pimento (allspice berries), salt and bird peppers (a species of chilies in the same family as cayenne); wrapped in pepper elder leaves; and finally cooked in “an underground smokeless pit … roasted over dying embers.”
The smokeless pit’s significance stems from the fact that the Maroons, who sought refuge in Cockpit Country—the mountain range surrounding the plantations where they’d previously been enslaved—had to sustain themselves without revealing their locations.
What is Caribbean Curry?
Caribbean Curry usually has a higher proportion of turmeric than other curries and is packed full of Jamaican flavors such as pimento, scotch bonnet chili and personal preferences like nutmeg, and other spices.
