In Jamaica, a traditional breakfast, sometimes called a country breakfast, is substantial. It usually includes some of the following: green bananas, Johnny Cakes also known as fried dumplings, roasted or fry-roasted breadfruit, fried plantains, bammie (a flat bread made from cassava), and yam and either ackee and saltfish, saltfish and callaloo, mackerel, fried fish, pork, or liver.
A traditional breakfast in Jamaica can sometimes mean porridge made from bananas, cornmeal, plantains, oats.
This particular traditional breakfast included green bananas (on the left, they don’t look green though), dumplings (the two round items on the right), callaloo (green, from the spinach family), ackee and saltfish (yellow), and mackerel (between the bananas and the ackee).
Of course, a traditional breakfast such as this takes time to prepare so nowadays it’s more often done on weekends or purchased from restaurants and cookshops. And a breakfast like this will stay with you all day.
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What a fun feature, Marcia! Look forward to more foodie Tuesdays!
In Italy people mostly have cappuccino and prefab toast or briosce for breakfast. This looks more substantial, but the fried dumplings reminded me of these ham croquettes http://italiannotes.com/ham-croquette-recipe/
It all sounds and looks like a delicious breakfast – except for maybe the fish… just not my thing 🙂
Oh, sorry about the fish, Cathy. It’s definitely delicious and filling. Thanks for linking up!
Hahaha, prefab toast. I bet they have to have a substantial lunch.
I’ll try your ham croquette recipe next time I have friends over.
Thanks, Jackie. Thanks for linking up!
I have no idea what I expected a Jamaican breakfast to look like, but this wasn’t it. Would be fun to try breakfasts from around the world. Love your idea of #FoodieTuesday.
Fun idea, Marcia. Norwegian breakfast is usually bread with cheese, fish or pâté.
well that looks really different, I would definitely go for a try….looking forward to linking again and visiting the other foodie focused posts 🙂
Thanks, Noel. Hope you’ll give it a try. I bet you have some mouth watering foods in Hawaii. See you soon.
Interesting, Sophie. Ours came out of the strenuous work, like farming, that a lot of people still do. The meal had to be substantial to keep them until lunch or dinner time.
Hahaha, that’s funny, Laurel. Glad you like the FoodieTuesday idea and a breakfast post would be a fun to do.
Phew! That’s one stodgey breakfast, but I note your comment about it needing to sustain the workers all day. It’s got the five food groups in there.
Wow, that’s enough food to last all day! I’d love to try a bammie. I wonder if any of Toronto’s Jamaican restaurants serve breakfast?
Your post brings back wonderful memories of food in Jamaica!
This was a great recipe! This was my first time having Mackerel and although I wasn’t sure of getting green plantains/green bananas…I used green bananas. I thought it was a little dry so I added olive oil but once I did it was great…as a matter a fact, my family ate the whole thing for breakfast, although I made it for lunch later on. lol More Levi More!
That’s fantastic, Alvaro! The best part is your family liked it. Lovely!
Thanks, Irene. Hope you get a chance to return soon!
It does last most of the day but if you’re doing manual labor or are very active, I’m sure it’s just like a normal breakfast.
They might only serve breakfast on the weekends. In NY, there are a few food trucks that serve breakfast and some of the restaurants. The good thing though is that this can be any meal, not just breakfast.
Yup, it had to stick to the ribs! Haha, I didn’t even notice that.
Traditional Pickled Green Bananas(Guineos Verdes en Escabeche) 4 pounds unripe (green) bananas, unpeeled, cooked for 20 minutes in 2 cups of milk plus 2 quarts of water 2/3 cup white vinegar 1 2/3 cups olive oil 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 tablespoon black pepper 1 cup alcaparrado 4 bay leaves Peel the bananas and cut them into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Combine the remaining ingredients in a nonreactive bowl. Add the bananas and toss well. Marinate for at least 1 hour before serving. Even better, marinate overnight. NOTE: A variation of this traditional dish is made with balsamic vinegar and black Kalamata olives.
That looks like a really hearty meal but I’m not sure on a few things. But, I would absolutely give it a go! Marcia, your Foodie Tuesdays is absolutely brilliant! I’m looking forward to participating again like this last Tuesday. I met soooo many nice people and it was just flat out fun! 🙂
It is, Mike. I hope you’ll link up with us next Tuesday and share some of your delicious meals and recipes.