ME LOVE MI PATTIES
With fantastic images and entertaining stories to illustrate exceptional local cuisine, people and places, “Nyam Jamaica” is a collaboration between author and photographer Rosemary Parkinson, international renowned photographer Cookie Kinkead and the “Grand Dame” of Caribbean cuisine, the late Norma Shirley. Titled “Nyam”, the patois word for “Eat”, the encyclopedia follows the female trio across the island on a culinary journey that is as much a lesson in geography as one of culture and cookery. Take a trip into “Banana Land” in the parish of St. Mary with extracts from “Nyam Jamaica”, exclusively made available to the readers of the Jamaica Tourist by Rosemary Parkinson.
Patties are the original Jamaican fast food. In days gone by, a patty man and his patty pan were a familiar sight in every small town and village, particularly on market day. The words ‘patty shop’ and ‘patty pan’ entered the Jamaican lexicon a long time ago to symbolize ‘small enterprise’, or ‘rickety construction’. Today patties have come a long way since then. Available from large fast food enterprise as well as frozen in supermarkets, found in small shops and with side-ah road vendors, patties now come in two sizes – the ones that are produced in huge quantities daily for Jamaicans and the cocktail size for nibbling at parties. Chicken, beef, vegetables – even lobster – are some of their many ingredients.
It is commonly recognized that only Jamaicans can make a real true Jamaican patty. It is also commonly recognized that only a Jamaican knows how to one. First the paper bag the patty is sold in is folded slightly downwards, then the process of pushing the boiling-point patty upwards out of the bag begins whilst the biting into and eating takes place - all with a stealth that no ordinary man can figure out, for not a crumb is lost in this procedure.
Norma remembers, as do many other older Jamaicans, Bruce’s Patties on Retirement Crescent in the Crossroads area. Started in the 1940’s, they started the patty concept, inventing a patty roller for rolling out the dough. Bruce’s was an easy walk from what is now known as ‘The Carib’ cinema and a nice treat for the young couples after the movies. One thing for sure is give a Jamaican any patty, hot from the oven, a cool ‘box’ juice drink and you have a satisfied citizen. If he’s starving put the patty ‘innah coco bread’ and ‘his belly’ will want of nothing more.
Tastee Limited, incorporated in 1968, opened with a single shop selling about two dozen patties a day, now they have some 23 outlets with two manufacturing plants – one in Kingston and another in Montego Bay producing in excess of some 5,000 patties per hour! This gives you an idea as to the enormity of the patty business in this country. Tastee do not profess to have invented the patty but Mr. Vincent Chang, owner and Managing Director of Tastee Ltd., will tell you that he has made a definite contribution in manufacturing high quality patties, claiming that it is impossible to either copy the Tastee filling or its pastry as they are ‘state secrets’. So if you think the recipe below is the original, think again. I was given this by Tastee themselves with the warning “it is as close as you can get, but not quite.”
Jamaica Patty
Filling:
Pastry:
Topping: 2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large hot skillet, add vegetable oil and brown the ground beef. Add rest of ingredients. Place salt, flour, butter and shortening in a bowl. Add water enough to form a dough. Add annatto or turmeric at this time for colouring. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough on a floured board. Cut out dough with a cookie cutter in rounds of about 6” in diameter. Place small amount of ground beef mixture on one side of dough. Cover with other side and seal by moistening the edges with a little milk. Beat two eggs and brush on patties. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Patties are the original Jamaican fast food. In days gone by, a patty man and his patty pan were a familiar sight in every small town and village, particularly on market day. The words ‘patty shop’ and ‘patty pan’ entered the Jamaican lexicon a long time ago to symbolize ‘small enterprise’, or ‘rickety construction’. Today patties have come a long way since then. Available from large fast food enterprise as well as frozen in supermarkets, found in small shops and with side-ah road vendors, patties now come in two sizes – the ones that are produced in huge quantities daily for Jamaicans and the cocktail size for nibbling at parties. Chicken, beef, vegetables – even lobster – are some of their many ingredients.
It is commonly recognized that only Jamaicans can make a real true Jamaican patty. It is also commonly recognized that only a Jamaican knows how to one. First the paper bag the patty is sold in is folded slightly downwards, then the process of pushing the boiling-point patty upwards out of the bag begins whilst the biting into and eating takes place - all with a stealth that no ordinary man can figure out, for not a crumb is lost in this procedure.
Norma remembers, as do many other older Jamaicans, Bruce’s Patties on Retirement Crescent in the Crossroads area. Started in the 1940’s, they started the patty concept, inventing a patty roller for rolling out the dough. Bruce’s was an easy walk from what is now known as ‘The Carib’ cinema and a nice treat for the young couples after the movies. One thing for sure is give a Jamaican any patty, hot from the oven, a cool ‘box’ juice drink and you have a satisfied citizen. If he’s starving put the patty ‘innah coco bread’ and ‘his belly’ will want of nothing more.
Tastee Limited, incorporated in 1968, opened with a single shop selling about two dozen patties a day, now they have some 23 outlets with two manufacturing plants – one in Kingston and another in Montego Bay producing in excess of some 5,000 patties per hour! This gives you an idea as to the enormity of the patty business in this country. Tastee do not profess to have invented the patty but Mr. Vincent Chang, owner and Managing Director of Tastee Ltd., will tell you that he has made a definite contribution in manufacturing high quality patties, claiming that it is impossible to either copy the Tastee filling or its pastry as they are ‘state secrets’. So if you think the recipe below is the original, think again. I was given this by Tastee themselves with the warning “it is as close as you can get, but not quite.”
Jamaica Patty
Filling:
- 3 pounds ground beef, chicken, vegetables, fish or lobster
- 2 onions - grated 1 clove garlic – grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground ginger
- 1 stick celery ½ sweet red pepper – finely chopped
- ½ sweet green pepper – finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes – finely diced pinch of salt pinch of black pepper
- 1 Scotch Bonnet – deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Pastry:
- 4 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup butter ½ cup shortening
- ½ to ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons annatto or turmeric – for colouring (optional)
Topping: 2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large hot skillet, add vegetable oil and brown the ground beef. Add rest of ingredients. Place salt, flour, butter and shortening in a bowl. Add water enough to form a dough. Add annatto or turmeric at this time for colouring. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough on a floured board. Cut out dough with a cookie cutter in rounds of about 6” in diameter. Place small amount of ground beef mixture on one side of dough. Cover with other side and seal by moistening the edges with a little milk. Beat two eggs and brush on patties. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
