On Vacation and the Taste of Summer

Privilege alert:

The Culinary Converter's family is packing up and heading for Jamaica! Due to the largess of my beloved mother, our extended (and scattered) family tries to get together in some beautiful and sunny place once a year. We are heading to what I think is one of the most beautiful places in the world, a small resort outside of Montego Bay. For about six months, I have thought about what I will have for lunch when I arrive: Bustupshut Roti (paratha roti) with curried shrimp and green mango chutney. Possibly with a Red Stripe (I will already have had a rum punch, probably at the airport).

The food. Oh, the food. Curries, ackee and saltfish, spicy meat patties, curried goat. Mangos, pineapple and papaya. Oh my. Also, the coffee. Jamaica has a long and fascinating religious history. This diversity has also left its stamp on the country's cuisine. 

View image | gettyimages.com

While known mainly for its indigenous Rastafarian movement, the Rastafari are a religious minority in Jamaica, constituting less than 5% of the population. The traditional Rastafari diet called Ital (like vital) tends toward vegetarian, although fish is not uncommon.

View image | gettyimages.com

Highly churched, the island country boasts the largest number of churches per square mile in the world. But despite being overwhelmingly Protestant, Jamaica is religiously and ethnically diverse and this diversity has also left its stamp on the country's cuisine. While Islam first came to the island through West African slaves and was systematically destroyed by the institution of slavery (much like in the US), Islam arrived in a new wave with Indian laborers in the 19th century. Bahá'ís also make up a notable Jamaican minority. Jews have been in Jamaica since the Spanish Inquisition and, while they have never amassed large numbers, have left a cultural imprint on the island (Bob Marley's father's family was of Syrian Jewish descent; take that Jewish Geography!). 

The Man and I went to Jamaica for our honeymoon thirteen years ago and it definitely changed the way we cook. And the way we drank. We had the privilege of staying at the beautiful Jamaica Inn outside of Ocho Rios. Every morning began with Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee on our balcony and was swiftly followed by a delicious Planter's Punch on the beach. Now, I have been chasing that punch recipe for about a decade. Every island does their rum punch differently, and every establishment has their own variation. While I have been (crazy) fortunate to be able to explore rum punches in quite a few Caribbean locales, nothing beats the original at the Jamaica Inn. And while I can't guarantee that this recipe is exactly what the Inn provided us back in 2003, this punch (the result of much trial and error) will send you to Jamaica, at least in your mind. 

For those of you who like the cocktails and the rum, we leave you for the week with this gem:

Planter's Punch

Note: Don't neglect the nutmeg. The Man thought I was bit looney when he saw me take the grater out, but when he tried the drink both with and without, he agreed emphatically that it is essential. Make a pitcher of this stuff; you won't be sorry. 

2 ounces Jamaican Rum (Appleton rum is preferable)

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

1 oz fresh orange juice

2 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz grenadine or to taste (The Man likes his drinks sweet, me not so much)

Angostura and Peychaud's bitters to taste

freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

pineapple wedge, orange slice, and maraschino cherry (optional garnishes)

Combine all but the nutmeg in a shaker. Shake and strain into a rocks-filled glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and any optional fruit. Salut!

So, are you going somewhere this summer? What will you be eating and drinking on vacay?

On Strawberry Festivals and Full Moons

Sunday (June 14th), in addition to being National Strawberry Shortcake Day, was the hallowed occasion of our neighborhood Strawberry Festival. In our cute little hamlet in Western New York, our neighborhood association annually sponsors this gathering. Located on a (small-ish) green space a few blocks from my house, this festival features a bounce house, strawberry shortcake for $1.75, a band playing all sorts of Americana, and a variety of rag-tag do-gooders petitioning for local causes. It's very old-timey and lovely.

A few weeks ago when we were discussing the upcoming neighborhood Strawberry Festival, the Man mentioned that his church used to have a Strawberry Festival. He mused, "why is that a thing? Is it a traditional time when the strawberries were harvested? Did people need to eat them quickly prior to refrigeration?" I decided to try to find out. 

Indeed, there are strawberry festivals all over North America, According to some corners of the interweb , the first one was held in 1850. Typically held at churches as fundraisers, the strawberry festival went dormant in the wake of the Civil War as other crops became more lucrative. The tradition was revived in the 1920s when strawberries began to be planted more. These festivals often had quite a carnival atmosphere, some offering rides.

Florida Strawberry Festival  

Ours is a meager festival in comparison to some of these other examples but, as previously mentioned, we can walk to it, eat strawberry shortcake and the kids get to rock out in a bouncy house.

Additionally, our neighborhood is very mixed religiously and, because we live in an eruv, is home to a large population of Orthodox Jews. I love our mix of neighbors, and I was happy to see some of my religious neighbors I had not seen in a while (this being Western New York, it takes a while for nice weather to allow us to be out and about). This year was the first time I realized that the shortcake was bought from a local kosher bakery and therefore everyone was able to partake in the fun. It is also held on Sunday, presumably for that reason as well.

But, in my (admittedly) limited research, I found out more about the so-called Strawberry Festival. Some Native American tribes named the full moons after the crops that were ready to be harvested in the following month, hence the Strawberry Moon (this year on June 2nd). Additionally, many Native American tribes celebrated the strawberry as the first fruit of the year. A thanksgiving ceremony was held, a Strawberry Festival that preceded those from church bazaars or rotary clubs and continues in tribal communities today. 

Annual Kanatsiohareke Mohawk community Strawberry Festival. (Photo courtesy of www.mohawkcommunity.com)

For all of us, a deliciously ripe strawberry signifies the true start of summer. And it is one of my absolute favorite fruits. Alone, with yogurt, or in a paper bowl accompanying fluffy shortcake and whipped cream and shared with my neighbors.

Do you attend an annual strawberry festival? How do you like your strawberries? Share your recipes here!