JERK CHICKEN

Jerk Chicken

Bringing the flavour of The Caribbean to your Kitchen.

Jerk Chicken abounding with the flavours of the Caribbean. Warm, strong, smoky & welcoming this seasoning will give a spicy kick.

Jerk cooking (also called jerking) is native to Jamaica. It is believed to be a combination of cooking techniques from three separate and very different cultures. The first of those cooking cultures is that of the Arawak people, who migrated up to the Caribbean from South America 2500 years ago. Historians believe that the Arawaks brought with them the method of drying meat over low fires that is common in Peru.  After the arrival of Columbus and Spain’s colonization of Jamaica, slaves made up a substantial part of the island’s population. They were brought in to increase the productivity of the island’s sugarcane, coffee, and allspice plantations. Some of these slaves escaped or were left behind after the Spanish left and before the arrival of the British. During the 17th and 18th centuries, they joined up with the Arawaks. These slaves were known as Maroons.

Historians believe that the Maroons combined local spices and European ones to create what we now call jerk seasoning. They also combined African and Arawak slow smoking techniques with allspice wood to cook wild boars they hunted. The method would eventually be used on domesticated pigs.

The name jerk is believed to come from the Quechua word charqui, which refers to dried and salted meat. The “jerk” in jerk seasoning has the same linguistic root as America’s beef jerky.

Like many seasonings the ingredients vary slight from family to family. Our Homage to Jerk Chicken Spice is a representation of the traditional and gives a flavour reminiscent to the traditional as well as has a high salt content making it conducive for curing.

 Fry it! Braise it! Smoke it! Roast it! BBQ it! Chef it!