Jerk Hut | Seminole Heights

Welcome to Jerk Hut
Andrew - Jerk Hut Founder & Owner

Jamaica, the third largest island in the Caribbean features miles of white sand beaches, azure seas, and lush tropical vegetation watered by many rivers. The peaks of the island's famous Blue Mountains reach 7,402 feet above the Caribbean Sea. When Columbus landed on the island in 1492 it was inhabited by tribes of Arawak Indians. The Spanish briefly settled the island but were soon overrun by the British. Plantations flourished throughout the island and Africans, East Indians and Chinese were brought in to tend the crops. Later, the French, Germans and Middle Easterners joined the melting pot. With the arrival of each group, another layer of complexity was added to the cuisine of Jamaica. The Arawak Indians preserved meats by coating it in a complex blend of spicy seasonings and grilling it on a wooden grate over a low smoldering fire. A technique we now call JERK. The Arawak also contributed cassava, bammie and pepper pot to the Jamaican culinary tradition. The Spanish brought plantains, bananas, Seville and Valencia oranges, as well as tamarinds and ginger to the Jamaican table. Jamaican favorites such as Escoviched fish, pea soup, and rice n peas were also introduced by the Spanish. The East Indians brought the curries, roti, and many of the spices that are now an integral part of Jamaican cooking. Out of Africa came okra, yams, and callaloo all staples in the Jamaican diet. The French gave Jamaica solomon gund