One of the most distinguished days in the Jamaican culture is Sunday. It is the day of showcasing the best! #Sundaybest!!! It is the day where we dress in our best clothing and have the best meal of the week! A protein complimented by rice and peas (usually red beans) but as it gets closer to Christmas gungo peas tek over.
As a child, Saturday nights my mom would season the protein that is to be cooked for Sunday dinner and she would put the peas in 3-4 cups of water in the pot and leave it overnight! This was before peas come inna can already cooked! She would wake up early Sunday morning, put the peas on the stove, then you could hear her grating the coconut! The process involved cutting the harden coconut jelly from the coconut shell then grating it and adding water to get the milk. But as technology improved we moved from the grater to the blender. It was fairly recent we had the convenient packages of coconut milk. For my mom, cooking Sunday dinner was a long meticulous process... it seemed almost as if, if a single step was missed, Sunday in its entirety would be ruined. To compliment this delicious rice and beans was NEVER tin mackerel , NEVER, corn beef, NEVER chicken back... ALWAYS Snapper, Doctor Fish, Pork Chops, Chicken Breast (only part of chicken for Sunday), Oxtail or Goat. The presentation was different, the smell was different, simply everything about Sunday was different. Today, Sunday October 21st as I type this blog I am munching on pizza, feeling lazy about cooking, but there is something telling me "Crystal you don't want to ruin Sunday...guh cook!" The Sunday tradition of Jamaica lives in the hearts of all Jamaican and no matter where you are, you are inclined to cook yuh rice and peas and chicken or what ever other decadent protein, katch on some vegetables and have a nice drink of Carrot juice or some Lasco. The Jamaican culture is so unique and so vibrant. Placing so much emphasis on food and food preparation. Though we have progressed to having prepacked coconut milk and canned peas, the seasonings and spices have remained the same. Grace, Easispice and Lasco among other authentic brands have continued to ensure that the foods we fell in love with as kids, remain the same throughout life. This then gives us the opportunity to hand down these recipes to over kids and future generations of Jamaicans born or living the diaspora as well as to Jamaican enthusiasts. Exploring our website you will find under meal preparation our prepackages based on meals you want to recreate. Each package is mailed with a laminated recipe so you can recreate or for the first time create and authentic Jamaican meal. Meal Preparation
4 Comments
Grace canned mackerel in tomato sauce has been among the many daily dishes in Jamaica that is had for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It can be combined with any staple and create a perfectly delicious meal. While the label says " Mackerel in tomato sauce", in the Jamaican culture, this delicacy has found itself many alternative names such as "dutty gyal", "Flash out", "tin bum", "Grenade can", "Sketel" among other names. I believe that it is the versatility of this product that has made it a classic. In recent months, Grace Mackerel a household name, has found new love in the hearts of many when popular dancehall entertainer Ding Dong's did a remix of 'Flairy' to show an exquisite side to tin bum when paired with sausage and sautéed peppers. Eating mackerel is now a flairy experience! Following this commercial.... Tin Mackerel leveled up! Check out the video below.(we do not own the rights to the video) GRACE CHICKEN VIENNA SAUSAGE MO Jamaican provides products in five (5) categories of Jamaican Care Packages. Mo Packages, Meal Preparation, Mo creation, Jamaican snacks and Beverages. Mo packages are predesigned ready to ship products that have a variety of products that research have shown to be most popular among Jamaicans and others interested in indulging in the Jamaican experience. Customers also have the ability to create their own Mo Packages and in some cases receive a 10% discount. Meal Preparation is similar to Mo packages in the sense that predesigned packages are mailed to customers, with one exception, these packages are for meal recreations and are attached to the recipe. Customers will receive a recipe along with the seasonings to guide them in creating or recreating the Jamaican delicacy. NO MEAT KIND IS INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE! ONLY PREPACKAGED PRODUCTS. CUSTOMERS WILL NEED TO PURCHASE THE MEAT FROM THEIR LOCAL GROCERY STORE. Mo Featured Creation will be a category in which we have featured specialties based on customer response and requests based on what is being purchased. Beverages is self explanatory. In this category customers can purchase individual beverage items, beverage packages that are predesigned, create their own package as well as purchase drink recipes similar to meal preparations that will also have a recipe in the package. Jamaican Snacks is self explanatory as well. Here you will indulge in the best snacks of the Jamaican culture. Of the many questions I have received since the opening of Mojamaican, "why Jamaican food?" has been the most popular question. Besides the fact that our son Moses is obsessed with Jamaican food and traveling to Jamaica, being in the hospitality industry, I stumble upon many people who, upon realizing I am from Jamaica, immediate starts talking about our food and culture. While Mojamaican is geared towards Jamaicans like myself who are now living aboard, Mojamaican is also geared towards Jamaican enthusiasts.
Jamaica as a country is heavily reliant on Tourism. Today, tourism is considered Jamaica's second most important earner of foreign exchange. Stores, restaurants, transportation, and many other activities that cater to tourists also provide direct employment in the industry. Many other Jamaicans in every sector of the economy earn part of their income from tourism. While many visit from near or far to indulge in our culture, upon return to their homes, they do not have the resources to recreate a meal that they enjoyed while on vacation. Specifically, MEAL PREPARATION as a category offered by us is to present what many tourists have said to enjoy of the Jamaican cuisine and giving them the tools to recreate or create that meal. MEAL PREPARATION allows for our customers to choose a meal or beverage they have an interest in and the core ingredients will be mailed to them alongside a recipe that allows then to recreate the item selected. For example: https://www.mojamaican.us/store/p63/www.mojamaican.us/shop.html.html#/ For a customer who chooses the oxtail option under meal preparation, a MoPackage containing :
In the meal preparation section visitors to our website will find a few of the well sought after Jamaican delicacies that are enjoyed on a daily basis by Jamaicans. Mojamaican is aimed at giving an inclusive feeling and yaad vibes to Jamaicans at Home, Jamaicans Aboard and Jamaicans at heart (enthusiast) . We are open 24/7 to answer all your questions and meet all your needs. We would be more than happy to assist you in creating your next MoPackage filled with all the Jamaican flavours your pallet enjoys!!! |