RARE Jamaican Food!! Cross-Country Jamaican Food Tour!! (Full Documentary)

so we have to wait until it opens up the gas is released if the gas doesn't release it's poisonous can i eat this raw some people do eat it raw am i some people right now i'm not i'm not eater in our last caribbean series i experienced culinary extremes in the bahamas yes he's got like three of them now i'm heading just a few hundred miles away to a different world welcome to jamaica with a population of under 3 million jamaica is powerful pound one of the most iconic countries in the world famous for their athletic prowess their music and best of all their food food here goes well beyond jerk chicken it's the fruits it looks like something you would find from avatar the spices oh yes and even the species you've never seen before and i'm here to see it all today our food journey starts in the country's capital kingston my men meant we're in jamaica i can't believe it we're doing it yeah we're doing it joining me on this jamaican journey matt robinson online he goes by jamaican food boss he's a gemini he's a tour guide turned youtuber showing the best foods this country has to offer we're liquor but with talawa is what we said meaning that we're smart but we carry a lot of weight behind us i have no doubt about that there's a lot i'm gonna learn during this trip right now we have our first meal this is breakfast this is a popular soup in jamaica consisting of jerk seasonings local herbs veggies and two underutilized animal parts chicken feet and pal skin wow the savory is spicy you just feel the spice right here on the back of your throne it's real hot though right oh that's just a comment though that's not from this oh jesus christ yams almost creamy different types are yum for the soup than rosy oh look at this yeah we have a lot of west african influences in our dishes the cold skin is one of them so i've had it before i mean what i had in nigeria was a little bit different pretty spicy but this one is a nice balance like still a little chewy a little gummy it's water it's not talk talk about the texture right oh that's really good here the chicken points so delicious yeah it's super soft tender gelatinous and it's just soaked up all this wonderful savory spicy broth get the juice out because the broth is not good with flavor oh wow you're so good at eating man you're like my wife she eats chicken wings and like there's nothing left these are easy cuts of meat to find in jamaica a lot of people are eating that are eating it because we can't afford it but this is just a start it's just the beginning bro all right fantastic some of jamaica's best food isn't found in high-end restaurants or resorts it's served right here on the street side a convenient place for locals to pull up grab and go an unusual breakfast this morning our first vendor is serving up a species you'll only find here jamiakons will call it landcraft okay this is a jamaican mud crab so different islands have the same species there are different variations of them wait hold on let me see if i can do it i got children what's going to happen next yeah wash it off i'm putting some scotch bonnet and some real jamaican seeds some scotch oh the pepper pepper oh i thought we're getting drunk the crabs are rinsed then doused with warm water to push out any remaining dirt inside this dish and the soup we tried earlier are both made by the owner of this doll alice ma'am good morning good morning happy to be here can you tell me how long have you been here what 30 years 30 years 13 13 30 30. yeah okay i said 30. and then you repeated 30. so i thought it was wrong alice inherited these recipes and this business from her mother-in-law and she's kept it going ever since has this area changed a lot in that time yeah how's it changed sometimes we get load under that town we don't get any crap sometimes you don't have any crap yes i right now i poke i demand them poke i don't know if you make me have it i feel them jab that i didn't do i don't want got teeth i do nothing so then poke at the crab from the crate my editors are never going to be able to figure out what you're saying the crabs that she gets in our farm now jamaican crab season is due during the months that have no r in it so june july august crab season okay yeah after steam cleaning the crabs they're moved to another pot filled with scotch bonnet peppers and scallions add salt jerk seasoning and margarine powder the crabs boil and soak up these powerful flavors you have to suck out the flavor because it's cooked in a lot of seasonings with the spices of the pimento the scallion and everything oh that's so delicious yeah this is so sweet it's one of the sweetest crabs i've ever had there you go i want to live in this moment forever we'll stay in jamaica forever break off the whole claw break off the whole club and you'll knock it with the bottle this is trap dish right there hopefully yeah there you go [Music] look at that dude i tell you i'm so happy right now and he's just the first stop oh my goodness i'm saying 100 the crab itself is sweet and delicious but the seasonings it is so delicious it's sweet but it's spicy and savory all at the same time it's not a load of meat like a big leg from a king crab but it carries its way i tell you what jamaica will lick him up with tala even the crab it's small but it have a lot of way to play about it yeah i think this is a good omen for this trip i'm very excited to learn more after all of your troubles yeah for putting runoff for that one big offender thank you i have no idea what you said up and down this street you'll find staples of kingston timeless classics passed from generation to generation that epitomize the flavors that locals crave this is incredible what is going on here just a few stalls down a common breakfast that dates back to the 1800s this dish comes at you in three phases are these cucumbers yeah really i usually hate cucumbers so do i first the veggies a combination of cucumber tomato onion and thyme cook until the water vaporizes then add some oil and continue simmering it's steamy soft it's so fresh so delicious then here's the fish phase two the protein roasted salt fish that's been rehydrating for hours before finally joining the veggies the fish is salted in order for it to travel that's why we hydrate it not only to rehydrate it but also to take some of the salt open i've had something like this before actually neon they dry fish like crazy it reminds me of being there it's almost like you're eating a fish jerky which is why you have the raw see i'm witty phase three the starch two chunks of roasted yellow yam rest at the bottom of the container top that with the fish and veggies this here is a specialty that mitzi also inherited from her mother this is why them say ucn boat runs so fast when he won and got the world record yellow yummy you couldn't find it in jamaica it was so long oh i love it it's almost like this fish is like a seasoning to the whole dish because the yam is starchy it's good but there's no seasoning on that so you take a big bite of this it's chewing is super salty and then you balance it out with the yam over here it is almost shocking to me to see something this complex this deliciousness right here on the side of the street meanwhile her grill is made out of tire rims welcome to jam rack yeah dude if you want food without all the traffic buzzing by might i suggest a cook shop small diners with a rotating menu and affordable prices what's more common than street food like we had already or the cook shop like this they're both on the same connotation of level i mean some people feel for something on a certain day you wake up you want a crab you want a soup after that no this is lunch so this is actually what we would do on a regular basis today at annie's they're serving up something called aki's it's made even more special when you realize this national dish is nearly impossible to get outside of jamaica you'll see why soon that's looking good yeah i'm on but first an appetizer first of all boiled banana boiled green banana what's going on there all of this on the left side we don't call it banana we don't call it yam what we have we call it food it tastes 90 like a potato and 10 like an unripe banana oh it's good though it's very good but i noticed like there's a lot of places where the usa has a lot of bread asia has a lot of rice but so far here you just have a lot of starches food food that way then here this is the liver from what animal cauliflower coal cow cow cow these boiled green bananas are meant to be paired with this a stewed liver marinated in jamaican seasonings and cooked down in oil oh all right no this is glazed with this beautiful sweet and savory sauce it's very dense a little heavy so i can see why that would pair well with the food the food today we're in luck because this cook shop is cooking up aki and salt fish this is the country's national dish marvin yes sir and marva is here to tell me all about it pleasure to meet you do you two want to shake hands no just bust it off with it yeah okay see here's the problem i feel like i'm missing out you're really connecting in a way that i can't and i think it's the way i talk it's a bit formal iguana something you have to know right now how do i say nice to meet you wag one or one one is a mixture of english spanish and the west african akan language how long they placed there 22 years all right the vocabulary and pronunciation vary quite a bit from standard english hey bless up yourself disappearances and we all agree i'm not being racist no fantastic youtube comments there you go eat it we're here for a very special reason we're here for what i'm told it's the national dish of jamaica it's called what's it called aki [Music] originally comes from africa it looks like something you would find from avatar but its seeds were brought here in the 18th century it would have been closed up on the tree right and then it pops open yeah it releases gases actually so i really scare sometimes we all release gas when we this much from this beautiful flowering fruit only one part is edible and it must be prepared carefully you have to wait until it opens out so the pot has to open before you consume it if ingested while unripe while its gases remain inside you could be victim to vomiting or worse some have even died can i eat this raw some people do eat it raw am i some people right now i'm not i'm not eater oh it tastes like boiled edamame beans well i love that this is so good yes i never eat it like that before to me that was already great but now you're going to dress it up you're going to do way more to it marvin respect and manners you're welcome preparing the aki is a time-consuming process the fleshy yellow bits must be removed from the black seed and the body of the plant now that we have our key ingredient it's time to cook first veggies are cooked in a load of oil tomatoes onions scotch bonnets and scallions are a must but don't forget the salt fish next boil the aki and add it to the main pot with a dash of black pepper the aki and saltfish are paired with some dense fried dumplings made of flour lasko milk powder and baking powder the national dish of jamaica the national this was not on the syllabus like a johnny cake it is exactly ajanicue yeah you know sometimes i do feel like a food expert you are a food expert not like i got a degree or something nowadays you get a degree with the amount of years you've been studying something or doing it as work i'm pretty sure you have your doctorate right now but you wouldn't usually eat it plain that's what goes with the akian sausage [Music] oh so good [Music] that is one of the best things i've ever had creamy smooth the flavor after it's been cooked like this it changes you're not going to like how i address it it's like canned mushrooms yeah i like canned mushrooms i don't like canned mushrooms and before it had a lot of body to it now it's like fluffy it's so soft it's creamy this is outstanding now you're getting into the google change the favorite profile by adding it to the journey [Music] like reggae music the influences that we have to jamaica aki is something that speaks jamaica every time you taste it is this something that's gone international it hasn't gone international like jerk chicken it's something that is more local but a reason for it being is not readily grown up north or further it's specific to here nowadays you can buy canned aqui but i'm going to tell you right off the bat no because we want that canned mushroom flavor and that's not going to come from canned.com thank you chef big up chef the biggest stops possible that sounded more russian i'm working on it one third of this country's population lives in this city kingston has varied culinary influences african spanish and british among them here you'll find the birthplace of jerk cooking and spices you'll find the food usain bolt eats every morning but you might also find certain offcuts that are turning on local eaters here's one now oh yeah yeah finally i get some rice what am i looking at here look at some curry coffee with some broad beans these beans are so broad our last location is actually not here just a few steps away you'll find anneliese restaurant catering authentic jamaican cuisine while utilizing some seriously unique cuts of meat first up curried cow foot what am i supposed to do with this that's been pressure cooked with broad beans if you're in jamaica you love that they give you that piece it's kind of like cankles look at this you got a bone right there a big cross section and then you can see the skin all around it right here oh wow it's gooey and gelatinous and spicy seasoned well it's so thick and so rich i mean it's probably 10 protein and then a lot of fat and collagen in there but i love this texture this is the kind of texture i couldn't appreciate it when i was a bit younger i think i had to travel the world a bit more grow as on your office that is our appetizer i think from here we should go and talk to the chef and learn a lot more about this main course the main course is something tricky not everybody eat well that laugh at the end was maniacal jeff smith spent a lot of time in this kitchen but before this he worked in the backbreaking kitchens of new york when i asked him what he misses about the usa he said for today's final meal he's offering up something first of all barely recognizable i mean if salvador dali was gone and he designed a cow that's what it would look like it comes straight from the butcher like that yeah yeah did he boil it yeah and it's creepy like all this now is edible from the snout to the back of the brain and everything in between yeah so what are you gonna make from this what i'm gonna make from this i'm going to make a dish yeah all right well it's good sounds good let's get going this dish is known as cowhead brown stew what may seem unique to you is a pretty common dish in this area there's a lot of thing here that have to remove oh so you don't eat that no no so you can eat almost everything but not that part in particular this you don't eat this item all right all right so i'm cleaning it up now okay so maybe you don't eat the whole thing but okay i'm telling you you can eat a lot of it all right we got the tongue over here so this is the eye now i know for sure you can eat the eye in mexico i had we don't eat the eye oh you said we used to dissect it in school some people eat it but i don't do it like that if you don't clean it properly then you won't get a nice taste from it we want a nice one we want a nice taste all right mr smith this is fantastic i can't wait to try out this dish we'll see you soon the flavor base begins with scallions thyme onions and scotch bonnet peppers used to saturate the cow head along with jerk seasoning and browning sauce pressure cook for 15 minutes before finally adding in the beans so same rice same rice and then here you can see big thick pieces of skin they're so jelly like it's so gelatinous try it out oh it's so soft so tender we had skin earlier today also cow skin but that one was a lot more chewy this is super soft the sauce is thick rich heavy with a little bit of heat nice starchy beans than just super gelatinous wiggly-ass meat nice but what you're supposed to do is mix up everything mix it up should all balance each other out right come on everything's supposed to balance everything and come together delicious but ma'am it's a great start [Music] jamaica has a lot to offer and for this to be the start of your journey i don't think you could ask for anything more because the flavors are there the unique dishes are there part of this journey for me is cracking the code learning more about the people how is it that just such a small island can be so powerful and can produce so many icons a little what we tell our the energy the vibe of jamaica the inspiration throughout i mean you speak of bob marley's we are the birthplace of marcus garvey we have great athletes usain bolt is our living legend we have the fastest woman alive nba as well patrick ewing is jamaican so this little place has provided so many people with the opportunity to be great and it comes from within it's something that we take pride in no matter where in the world you go we represent jamaica and we always say yeah this is where the heart is and would you say sean kingston is the most iconic of all those people [Music] caribbean culinary adventure continues here on the island of jamaica today i'm learning about the secret diet of jamaica's rastafari people how hard is it to stick to the diet of a rastafarian hidden in these mountain tops you'll find a small invite-only community there's no police that goes up there they're their own sovereignty up there you know i want to learn how they live is it a religion would you call it a religion and even more how they eat are there certain foods you don't eat but first breakfast [Music] i don't know anybody quite like me nobody's so good at being so lazy i'm in good morning good morning we're doing it joining me today young local singer and rastafarian black hero yeah where are we right now this is the famous corn shop it's famous yeah it's very famous because of their well-known cuisine as we're about to try and also their famous irish watch irish mass that's what we call it it's really seymous irish moss is a species of algae found all over the atlantic ocean is this something that was invented in jamaica no i'm really thinking this is an african thing oh i thought at least you would say ireland it's commonly used as a thickener in milk products like ice cream so chances are you've already tried it and had no idea it's seaweed honey lime and that's it this is all natural let's try it out cheers [Music] nobody would guess that there's seaweed in here it doesn't taste like anything from the sea exactly okay you were expecting a salty or whatever yeah it just tastes sweet i like it and then here this plate this plate looks magnificent this is what a pretty typical jamaican breakfast looks like it starts with boiled dumplings usually made from flour salt baking powder cornmeal and water then boiled bananas i tried that yesterday how was it it was good he called it food we don't call it banana we don't call it yam what we have we call it food food yeah just food just food food yeah that's followed by brown fish stewed with veggies and jamaican seasonings like scotch bonnet pepper thyme onions and ketchup finally a side of stir-fried vegetables is this salt fish or just like fresh fish not fresh food it's like sultan yeah this is what we call a slice fish so it's like these massive fishes that they kind of cook down and so this is a brown stew version of that fish i'm not sure what's the name of this particular fish but it's brown stewed it's salty it's firm it reminds me of some countries have fish has street food and they cook it and then it just hangs out all day and then when people are ready they throw it on the plate so it can be a little bit hard but it's all right it gives it a little bit of texture and then this right here these are just big heavy beautiful dumplings they call them and they're really big we call it isn't it i love these dumplings so they're like sticky and doughy i love chewing on these i want to ask you about you you're a musical artist what genre well right now 2021 music is really generous but i'm definitely a regular dancer it's at the core of what i do when donkey said they wanna let me believe it i'm what you call one of those crossover fusion kind of guys is it something that you make a living from it definitely that's full-time full-time full-time were you always rastafarian no i grew up in a christian house my father was a minister so when did you convert so to speak it wasn't really a conversion it was like a journey the journey really began from church then you're just trying to find more purpose more meaning to this life we live in and rastafari was the only thing within jamaica that showed me there's things that i can relate to that i couldn't have related to before in the christian church for many rastafarianism may conjure images of dreadlocks reggae music and marijuana in reality it's much more than that it began as a black empowerment religious and social movement in the 1930s eventually it became one of jamaica's major religions and cultural forces so it's a way of life it's a way of life really these days more than one million people worldwide identify as rastafari all right this is a great breakfast and i think we have a lot more to see all right let's go to learn more about the rastafari lifestyle and diet we're heading to a place known as bobo hills it's a place that does hoses the original traditions of rastafari tucked away in these mountains lies a commune where a small devoted population learns and worships are there people who live there full-time yeah full-time fully for them but to get there you not only need to climb this mountainside you also must be invited in as tourists are not welcome oh this is crazy now what why don't we just go let's go yeah this is priest prince he's a member of bobo ashanti one of the major branches of rastafarianism that was born in this village before we enter we must say a prayer after give thanks for this day and for this visitation if thankfully skill for guidance going out and coming in rastafari many rosters limit their diet to what they consider pure and natural that means no processed food no artificial seasoning coloring or preservatives there's not a lot of powders or processed seasonings the food eaten here is grown locally or harvested straight from the source [Music] [Applause] their diet is also free of alcohol cigarettes and drugs except for one and that one is used a lot sir bless blessed love my lord meet the village chef john wordy an expert in rustic cooking today you're the chef are you always the chef oh my fama was a toddler so when you were younger did you eat meat no and so what we have here is basically vegetarian right not child coming from the earth do you do any gardening here yeah man when we're ready man we have a callaloo coming from here we have a lettuce green banana oh wow all that's here yeah man you are in jerusalem school room the raw rastafarian diet is extremely healthy as they mostly grow their own organic food this tradition has roots in the distrust of our current modern food system and supply chain a system that often relies on chemicals pesticides preservatives and gmos [Music] whether these fears are justified or debatable one thing is certain the rastafari diet is evidence that eating organic food doesn't have to be boring or expensive can you show me this one yeah this is the congo peas tango like in africa yes oh these are great we're going to make some strew witnesses so today you're going to make three different dishes nacho we're going to give you some strew we're going to give you some ground providence food and we're going to put the aki with the vegetable perfect standards for cooking and eating here are just one facet of the rastafari lifestyle the faith itself is the bedrock upon which all else is [Music] unsanta for your built and cast and all the faces shine upon us that children that we shall be safe and redeem the rastafari lifestyle has deep roots in christianity their holy book the bible their paradise africa and their divine guiding spirit god also goes by a different name john their wise prophet hail selassie king of ethiopia in the 1930s the word rastafarianism comes from ross tafari mokhane the pre-regnal title of his majesty the faith teaches redemption for african descendants and their repatriation to zion or africa [Music] back in the kitchen john wordy is cooking up a feast first boiled dumplings different from what we've tried this morning as they're made with whole wheat flour and cornmeal the dough is manipulated into the shape of a banana then plopped into a pot and left to boil in the meantime the chef prepares ground provisions or root vegetables dashin or taro there's also cocoa another kind of sweet potato and green bananas all these will join the dumplings i'm in dinner time here we go this looks excellent oh my gosh so this is a banana we had this morning no that's a spinners a dumpling but in a different form oh you're right as i bit into it i was like wait that's just dough yeah it tastes like whole wheat because people just use cornmeal and flour only but they add the wheat flour there's not that much process it's healthier it's gonna pass through a bit easier to your system we're going to be pooping good tonight if you're feeling down and for you how hard is it to stick to the diet of a rastafarian there's levels to it the real diet of our crease like rastafaris is fasting where they really don't eat that much they just live off the air and water and there's fruits how many calories are in air i have no idea i'm pretty sure it's like probably right all right but for people who can't live off air then what the next level is then vegan the next step would be vegetarian food what are we eating right now and then there's the next level where there's some of us eat fish along with this so we don't eat any other meat but i eat fish i find it hard giving up the fish but no goat no chicken no beef although some rastafarians still eat fish for most meat is something taboo as it's considered dead food that will not provide your body with energy but on the contrary strip it away there's a rooster down here i love the idea of a rooster going into a food hall takes a lot of balls right no he knows he's safe here nobody eats it oh yeah that's right exactly what's the point of having a rooster here it's a part of the family [Music] next up congo bean stew remember those congo beans soaked in coconut juice they're simply boiled with chopped carrots okra and irish potatoes let's try it out definitely taste the coconut yeah the coconut gives it some natural sweetness oh yeah that's that's like the secret ingredient like coconut milk mixed with beans beans are nice and starchy there's okra in there carrots that's nice now the star of today's table steamed vegetables with aki aki is a type of fruit a distant cousin of lychee and longitude start by boiling the freshly picked aki then prepare the vegetables so delicious vegetable calaloo cabbage onion tomato pepper put the veggies in a separate pot and let them cook when it's nice and soft season with sea salt and add the boiled aki mix well and serve so i had aki on my first day in jamaica and so is this like similar thing but without the salt fish yeah oh yeah very different from the aki i had yesterday much more like gentle flavors like i actually tasted cabbage not super seasoned gentle light and you can really just taste the vegetables themselves typical jamaicans we just add a little black pepper all these other things to spice it up but really this is how it should be eaten this is fantastic it was a pleasure hanging out with you today enjoying a meal with you and to learning more about the rastafari people what's behind this place this way of life and especially the food delicious our caribbean culinary adventure continues here on the island of jamaica today we're going on a cross-country jerk tour starting with the classics the oil drum is unique how long do you think you have to cook inside of it to get rid of the uh oil flavor ending with an entire freaking pig have you done this before yes i've done it a few times have you ever been surprised in a bad way so what's so special about jamaican jerk and how did it become world renowned well it all starts here heading 70 miles from kingston to the northeast tip of the island we'll bring you here portland this is the home of jerk the standard next to which every jamaican jerk could be compared here right on the side of the street you'll find jerk come the traditional way open it up big reveal [Music] i'm told this is called pan chicken one chicken locally i call it pan fold it's made in an old oil drum so what that does it recreates the original style of jerk where it was underground where the smoke was up into it because you have to have smoke and jerk this jerk chicken is grilled over charcoal but first it's doused in a spicy pungent marination of spices only available here in jamaica here's how it's done by the bow this is the original jerk season that i use this is blended scotch bonnet pepper that i already pre-blended here the seasoning is called seasoning to the bone this is a jerk seasoning it's made of natural jamaican herbs like pimento berries blended dried crushed pepper this is the all-purpose seasoning the same thing like the drink seasoning but it's more refined one tablespoon of garlic powder mix all together until it has this nice light brown color [Music] rub that on the chicken along with thyme onion and scallions and let it soak up those flavors for 25 minutes toss it on a custom grill made from an old oil drum and keep it hot avoiding direct contact with the flames [Music] your chicken's probably the most popular but what is it that makes something jerky it is the marinade process it looks delicious we should try it out salty spicy the scotch bonnet is very unique it's like a heating pad in the winter it's a nice lingering heat it's not intense so it just stays there and it just hums yeah you see the thing is with jerk we have two important ingredients which are grown in jamaica better than anywhere in the world pimento the scotch bunny all of that combined up with other seasonings is what creates this magnificent drugstore i could just eat and listen to you talk all day oh even the white meat is soft and tender and juicy everything is juicy that's his festival is a type of fried bread that's usually paired with jerk chicken it's made from flour cornmeal salt baking powder water and sugar it's also addictive when you finish eating you'll blow it up like a puffer fish no sweet heavy crunchy outside doughy inside it helps to stuff up some of the heat of the scotch bonnet pepper that we just spoke about i've learned one of the best compliments you can give to food in jamaica is nice nice yum our first and most affordable location is a great entry point into the world of jerk but here in jamaica you can jerk anything well i mean any food i think you get my point [Music] our next stop right here gold teeth jerk center located on fairy hill just a few minutes from boston beach here they offer a range of protein options folks come here for their traditional jerk technique we can do the turkey gourd rabbit reindeer whatever you want there'll be cookies yeah meet the chef jay james how you doing bro good me too i feel like i just smoked two packs of cigarettes i don't know why you and jamaica get used to the smoke i'm used to a different kind of smoke and that's what i'm saying when you're in jamaica unlike the typical grilling over steel grates everything here is notably grilled on top of wood is the wood actually giving flavor to the meat yes man the wood give flavor as well this is pimento wood with even thicker boards on top to help hold in some heat what's so special about the pimento wood oh my god you can see this one sweating give it the flavor this one's sweating too yeah how are you doing i want some underneath it all charcoal emitting heat and flavorful smoke also from pimento wood it goes from raw to cooked lots of cocoa right here it must take a while because the wood isn't burning how long does it take six hours oh that's a long time low and slow the other reason we came here not just for the way you're grilling it the way you're preparing the meat but also the different types of meat you have available here it's different than other places here you're serving rabbit yes why rabbit it's famous meat no on the black you know yeah the rabbit is cleaned and all its organs are put aside time for the marination we've got the pimento right over here give it a flavor we're gonna go over the jerk sauce the rabbit is rubbed down with a secret jerk sauce but even the most secret jerk sauce must contain a couple of key ingredients pimento berries spices and scotch bonnet peppers this is the liver this is the kidney stuff it after marinating it's brought to grill for six hours [Music] so with rabbit sometimes it can be a bit dry and doesn't have a lot of fan how do you keep it moist slow fire if you're gonna blaze a fire it's gonna dry down you have to know the country wallet this is the rabbit right here oh it's interesting the way you prepared it here the rabbit it almost looks like chicken it tastes like chicken tastes like chicken i'm in waguan that's it right i'm very curious about this is it rabbit very common meat here not very common but what it is it's grown a lot throughout jamaica because they breed a lot what do you think is the best part of a freaking rabbit the legend thai right they're looking [ __ ] i'm gonna try it out cheers getting a little pepper yeah low heat but a lot of juice which is impressive i mean this animal has almost no fat it's almost like a nice juicy moist chicken breast and it's smoky i'm gonna get a little bit of sauce you don't need too much because trust me the heat is on it and the heat is in it all so hot but it's all nice it's not the intense heat no it's a manageable heat you see when you start acting or sowing like you're pregnant then you know the pepper nice i think the reason some people faint when they eat hot food is because they go on oxygen yeah they hyperventilate this is a rabbit it's an appetizer we still have a whole goat like we have you ready one what leg please sir put it like that try to use the meat off the leg no we're going to drink sauce stuff the sauce inside that's a permanent flavor let it soak for two hours then we put it on wood uh right here a whole leg of a goat let me pick it up i think we could just give it a little bit of a split still smell that is a ram goat can you smell that a ram goat yeah one a woman a man i can't you can smell the different kind of mango and lemon goat take a look at this man he really works at coating all the meat massage that seasoning right down into it cheers cheers super juicy wow it's very goaty oh i'm bad to have spicy milk this is the same spice same drop seasoning on it you can taste a little bit of the heat as well it's interesting seeing the jerk seasoning placed with different proteins because it brings out different flavors i still taste the goat itself but there's still the powerful jerk flavor the scotch bonnet it's hot it's spicy and there's the smokiness from the wood from the fire you come to jamaica you need the smoke whether it's from the jerk or something else the smoke has to be today was just a warm up yeah i'm on tomorrow something i didn't even know was possible we're jerking a whole pig it doesn't sound right but it's gonna look right i can guarantee you that and taste even better these for our final jerk experience we're heading 130 miles to the northwestern coast of jamaica this is montego bay the second largest city in jamaica after kingston [Music] i've come here to see an entire pig get jerked and this is the jerk master himself chef what's going on it's a very impractical location for an interview and that's how the creative minds work you know yeah it's gonna look beautiful i hope so andrew a jamaican jerk competition champion in 2019 he's not even a full-time chef but with love and a passion for cooking he's mastered the art of jerk you can jerk anything that you want yeah you know what i'm saying really i tried everything i've done bird i've done rabbit i've done fish i've done big of course i've done chicken it's a love for me so i have the show for the show today his approach is a long lost one cooking underground today you're doing a whole pig have you done this before yes i have how many times maybe about six seven times before how do you make sure no sand gets in the meat we line it with the banana leaves so the banana leaves basically protects the pig from the sun how do you know for sure when it's done have you ever been surprised in a bad way no never first up andrew prepares the pit digging sand to a depth of about two feet layer in sheet metal and secure it with rocks add a layer of pimento wood to give off a distinct aroma add heat and let the fire do the work this is the base all right so we're going to get the jerk seasoning ready if put on the pig automatically have a start to the spice of life i will get the fermented all powder just as chengdu china celebrates their szechuan peppercorns jamaica celebrates their pimento both these peppercorns have a distinct potent flavor that you could not compare to ordinary black pepper get it all dusty then we're going to do the scotch bunny add some vinegar and some water add some garlic some fresh thyme scallion now i can add my pimento to it with the seasoning what does the seasoning absolutely have to have in order to be called jerk absolutely important in any jerk you have to have pimento and you have to have scotch bonnet when it's mixed into the all the other ingredients and stuff it just brings out an amazing flavor and once you get that incorporated with any meat at all it's like heaven wow i got really lost in your beautiful words now we need the pig let's get this pig ready trying to get little grooves so the seasoning can soak right down into under the skin he applies a dry rub jerk seasoning that includes a blend of herbs and spices flip them over usually cinnamon thyme cayenne pepper garlic onion and allspice then he adds his own wet rub give it a good massage and let it marinate no this is what you call it cocoa butter good for the skin do you think the jerk is it all about the seasoning or about the cooking technique too it's a mixture of everything because everybody tried their own spices and herbs and different mixtures and stuff like that but even if you put it and you don't have the technique and the passion because it takes time jerk is not something that you don't show showing the grill i want to turn color it good you're looking for a texture you're looking for flavor you're looking for a smell you're looking for if it got crispy everything is a process the pig is ready the pit is set time to make the bed andrew layers the cooking grape with even more pimento leaves to give it more flavor although they come with flavors as a pimento the spice of jamaica you use it in anything it's in the blend it's in the leaves it's in the berries now the most important step of this process getting the pig tucked in for bed you want the head of the butt the head all right i got the butt right here yes all right let's go if we fail we might end up having a raw pig covered in salt be careful of your step though should i step here yeah all right lay it down here that's right so it's on the grill it's on the pimento leaves yes it's over the coal what's the next step line the sides also with leaves then i'm gonna get another sheet cover it so the sand won't be able to transition it this is one of the most simple looking but most ancient cooking structures used to trap heat and bake smoke or steam food when no other equipment is available is this a jamaican style of cooking it's really getting back to the roots of what jerk is jerk is coming from the days when the tainos and the maroons got together they hunted the wild hogs burying the hug that's how the jerk process came about so whatever we have passed those days and just our last culture but when you get the meat it just has a different flavor a different texture even sometimes a different color you'll see it and it looks pink or reddish but then it's already cooked it's a smoked flavor that goes through it so they saw the fire don't cook it with a smoke so that is why the process takes six and a half hours chef yes sir the moment is upon us yes it is underneath this piece of corrugated steel is a mystery all right there's a wild hog it's either done or dead or or decorated well either way it's most certainly dead absolutely so step one remove this all right try to be super careful wow that's crazy the pig rolled over while it was in there i wasn't expecting that this is black is that how it's supposed to be yeah so are you gonna eat this skin you can straight up straight up oh yes all right just up up yeah man as the chef as a guy pulling out of the ground you have your back to the crowd to the people who are going to be eating it soon what's that one piece that you can't resist to try immediately it's either the butt that part or either the rib i love the rib you got that texture that everything that you're looking for well i'm looking for some rib then all right oh this is nice super juicy i've never seen pig skin like this where it's just covered in jerk seasoning it's become like a hardened paste yeah cheers [Music] oh yeah that pop you're so juicy it's hard to describe that pimento it gives a certain kind of freshness to it there's a spice i feel the warmth like all the way from my mouth to my belly oh it's so delicious are you are you on your second rib now he's like yup keep talking oh he's just ripping the ankle off oh you can try that thank you sir oh look at this there's skin there's fat there's protein there's a mix of textures and tissues you want some i want all of it oh okay oh yeah completely different experience than the ribs there's crunchy [ __ ] it's moist and it's more interspersed with fat all of this on the outside is what kept everything moist on the inside absolutely yeah i mean the pig is like the perfect animal for cooking because it's almost hard to mess it up and i don't mean to take any credit away from you but it's like nature's little cooking vessel it has a thick skin it keeps everything protected inside this is fantastic chef you've outdone yourself thank you very much lenny chef andrew cuts up the roasted pig and portions it out ribs tenderloin sirloin belly bacon ham shoulder it's all stacked up together except for the head the head remains whole and we'll be trying that soon chairs cheers we're cheering these red stripes so much i should be getting a little sponsorship i think sponsored by red stripe right here this is the kidney i love it all right cheers little gaming a little different i like it though nice and soft like a little livery in the texture but it's really just taking on all those seasonings beautifully i want to talk about this pimento this is a spice that's used all over jamaica everywhere in everything now when i find new ingredients i like to try them just raw so when i'm tasting it i can identify it in a dish from then on yeah right we're trying out it's super fragrant to me it's a mix of cloves a little mint and pepper it has a little bit of a numbing effect a little sting what the szechuan peppercorn is to food in chengdu china this is to food in jamaica absolutely this part right here the ears do you hear that it broke off so easily oh my god oh wow it's almost like a jerk jerk definitely a dark jerk crunchy tough although fatty interior oh my god dude it's so warm chef are you horrified at home no no no no no right there that is the money oh that's my favorite bite yet that is game ender right there what's interesting to me is we've had three different types of jerk and they all use different cooking styles i mean we had it on the pan we had it over the pimento wood and then here underground all the results are a little bit different but there's still a thread that connects them all too definitely there's a seasoning thread that connects it the pimento especially yeah now i feel like i really get it what makes it jerk and there's nothing else like it in the world no incredible so thank both of you cheers to that i appreciate it man blessings our caribbean culinary adventure continues here on the island of jamaica what are you going to make from this i'm going to make a dish yeah all right well sounds good let's get going [Music] today we're telling three different stories of seafood in jamaica you're going to attempt to fry this whole tuna that's right from the rare creatures caught and cooked in local villages i saw one fisherman come in he had a puffer fish those are poisonous no no no to preparing and eating the caribbean's most venomous fish beautiful fish but if you get stuck by one of those sharp barbs you're in for a bad day it all starts here matt and i are starting the day in a small village tucked away on the edge of montego bay greeting us here jackie put it there yeah where are we right now we are in the greenspan fisherman beach grange pen is one among hundreds of fishing villages dotting jamaica's coastline villages like this are made up of modest houses built with wood and sheet metal and they kind of have to live here because they're right next to the water they can jump in their boat they go out they fish [Music] with their self-constructed boats and locally made gear fishermen here leave for the ocean at the crack of dawn and they return when the sun is up and the tide is low is there any type of fish that if you catch it you throw it out stingray is dangerous to the partner so we will left him inside but i see people they say it's viagra so why don't you want to catch it more a successful catch looks like a boat full of snappers groupers jackfish doctor fish and barracudas solo fishing like this makes up 95 of the jamaican fishing industry i saw one fisherman come in he had a puffer fish those are poisonous no no no according to national geographic wikipedia and the japanese chef who once prepared fugu for me the puffer fish contains tetrodotoxin which is 1200 times more poisonous than cyanide you've eaten that fish like sometimes not out of that but you never felt anything make your face numb like you had a stroke no if someone knows certain type of fish that you have a big head and a small body you don't touch it i'm like that on tinder big head small body encouraged by jackie's confidence matt and i decided to take a bite of puffer fish freshly caught and grilled on the spot that was until i saw how they prepared it [Music] i gotta say i've lost my nerve can't do it come to think about it the gentleman in japan did have a certificate on his restaurant wall and i mean does anyone in this village have a special certificate to prepare fugu in a way that's not going to kill anybody they've been cooking it for longer than sushi chefs but they don't have a certain thing so you feel comfortable i feel like yeah exactly here these were looking a lot more tropical a little bit ago these are dr fish why are they called them we got them say that they're good for you that's all i can give you it's all right in the belief that seafood tastes best in its natural form with its natural flavors the preferred preparation here is straightforward gut roast done let me get to what we call a plate oh thanks i'll take a plate i go from right here right down to the belly there and i just tear across so once you tear across all of that white meat comes off so i'm just gonna toss it in my mouth right away yeah no seasoning at all it's just warm soft fishy natural flavors of the ocean stretchy chewy skin and a liquid crunch as well that's nice perfectly seasoned by the caribbean this is like survival cooking cooking at its most basic form just grab the fish scale it gut it throw it on a fire it's not pretty good that was just an appetizer leading up to this this is a caribbean king crab these crabs are efficient cleaners of coral reefs thanks to their diet based on algae with that in mind fishermen plant these crabs around their fishing spots to create a better environment for other species to spawn once these cleaners grow fat it's their turn to become part of the life cycle [Music] usually you're going to see a big crab like this steamed up or put in a pot of boiling water but here it's going to be grilled we're cooking it on a tire rim i've never seen it done this way it's midway through cooking right now all right give it a little bit of a flip all right good flip it's kind of just bubbling and boiling in its own shell at this point and they wait for it to stop boiling as soon as that's done we know the meat is done it's time to crack it open and see what's inside [Applause] i'm not sure where to start legs like oh dude it's steaming look at this we don't have anything to crush it with we do this in jamaica we always have our red stripe handy if we're not drinking it we're using it [Music] you have a good meat going on [Laughter] no there's tons of shattered shell in there i really [ __ ] this up what it's like when you're trying to open a hard-boiled egg and it just keeps shattering into pieces and not actually opening there's gonna be no crab left get it there you go so much meat all that works it's so voluminous i can hardly handle this whole bite i think i tasted something it was very small now the claws have to have something inside i'm looking for just the bite of all bites we have to just tick time ah there we go there we go there we go there we go oh it's so solid you got a huge piece oh this is perfect my hands got chocolate and i'm just gonna put it on my clean hand the meat it's like a dry desert like all these separate little muscle fibers and in between there's delicious crabby juice what have you done well done is there still a tendon in the middle no i took the tendon out oh dude this could be the best bite in the world should we beat each other i don't think we can do that [Music] yo best bite ever it tastes buttery its own juices just make it sweet and brings together that meat perfectly if this crab was alive right now it would be blushing guys oh my god yeah but i've had so many different species i gotta say it's probably the top a lot of crab is good it's good in general it's got a bit of sweetness or a bit of like briny seafoodiness to it this is completely different an incredible texture with every bite you take you can feel the juices rushing out of the meat and then it's just naturally sweet but also just buttery almost like an oil natural oil that's coming from the crab meat maybe cooking it the way he's cooked it keeps the oils in the meat because when you boil it you always see this like white pasty stuff around the meat well that's all the fat that's boiled out of the produce exactly and to me when you boil it you bring the flavor out when you steam it or you cook it like this the flavor stays in yeah absolutely seafood story one complete in our next chapter we'll see a chef take on a seafood challenge of epic proportions a record-breaking attempt like you've never seen before [Applause] chef jeff put her there pleasure to be here great respect every time life is beautiful chef jeff is the founder and head of spirits his venue is packed with palette-pleasing local seafood but today we're going off menu i want to talk about what we're eating today right here that bad boy this is a 30 pound yellow fin tuna a whole yellow fin tuna i don't even should i do an interview from here can you see me getting your hands on a tuna like this in jamaica is a real treat for local chefs so jeff's plan for today he's gonna fry it whole [Music] have you ever fried a fish this big before no it's the first time i'm going to attend a day what's your strategy your square and once you do that it's open up each layer to the oil so you get that hot that's penetrate to the fish the bone the meat so that's going to be a lot of cuts is it going to even be recognizable if the family came here before it went into an autopsy could they pull back the sheep and identify this as a family member no no [Music] for a fish this huge they must construct a pan big enough to suit its mighty girth this sounds like an incredible journey something that's never been done before in this kitchen never with big risk comes big reward and great responsibility i kind of i think i don't know while the oil tub slowly reaches the required temperature the chef rubs the fish with a blend of seasonings making sure they reach every deep crevice then like ted bundy it's ready to fry [Music] you ready that's right they've got two of these fryer tools they're gonna bring it over to the oil and lower it in descending slowly [Music] and we just have to hope oh my god it's crackling so far so good it's not like those videos like when they cook a turkey for thanksgiving and it starts on fire i'm bravely watching what's happening from a safe distance he's slowly easing the fish down into the oil he doesn't want to do it too much yes it's in it's fully in it's submerged oh this looks awesome is it working yes [Music] how do you feel is this what you expected yes so now i'm gonna get my spoon what happened i just want this side to start cooking so once we turn it the cooking process already started so it would be much easier wow this is a huge tuna the cuts look perfect they look clean it's like every little cut on there is its own tuna fillet or tuna steak you feel happy i'm happy i'm happy i'm happy we're on the right track add black pepper scotch bonded pepper and garlic to the oil to enhance the flavor of the oil itself [Music] then the moment finally comes one of the most epic flips in seafood history [Music] it's super hard to flip because it's so big and right now some of the skin is peeling off a little bit but i think they're managing pretty good it's just going to get one flip that's it this is the final flip chef are you happy with the flip i'm so happy perfect flip time perfect [Music] and i'm just looking at a nice texture oh my gosh the whole thing is in here the eyes the face we can eat all of it right that's right i enjoy the head yeah yeah leave the fish to fry for another five to six minutes and keep adding hot oil to the top like you're basting a turkey when the fish is visually crisp it's ready to leave all right this is the most delicate part of the process now it is frying it's so easy for the fish to fall apart grabbing the whole thing it's gonna go on a platter right next to it boom right down on the checkered platter and that is in one solid piece oh chef wow look at this fantastic job it looks properly roasted all the way through there's enough tuna steaks on here to feed a whole village and soon i'm gonna be trying this out myself i'm so excited chef you've outdone yourself well done and well done to you too what did i do look at you all in the fish hey yeah look at me dress it up with spicy pickled veggies and bammy whammy all that's left to do is to dig in oh it's still plenty hot yeah i'm one yes look at that it's a whole tuna steak there's a little different textures all over this thing some parts are really crisped up and some are a little bit more steamy it's all crunchy medium the skin and all the outside here has just been completely coated and lined with seasoning so it's warm it's savory it's salty oh my lord all right i'm ripping off this tail piece obviously it's a lot more narrow so probably cooked a lot faster and you can see a beautiful crisp right here [Music] super crispy the teal usually have a little darker note to it than the white meat of the belly especially with the tuna here's what i'm really curious about did the body cook all the way through i'm pulling out of this whole big slice yeah so that is almost all the way cooked through some sashimi in the middle here and then just right nearby some nice fried tuna very tender there's so many experiences in one fish the head there's a lot of treasured parts in here first is the cheek i've been told by many fish head lovers that this is the best bite the whole tuna right here it is super fatty mixed with protein and then a nice crunchy exterior here oh yeah a lot more fatty i feel it in your fingers right but the whole head there was so much meat and so many different holes and crevices and places where you could reach in and grab meat and pull it out tuna tongue is that a delicacy not that popular i'm gonna put that there so this is the top of the head yeah i'm on an insane amount of meat on here you can see even the grain the way the meat is growing here gorgeous oh look at just like the tenderloin this is the backup with some crunch on it try some of that i would love that thank you my friend this is one of the most unique seafood experiences i've ever had i mean anybody can fry a fish or fry a tuna but when it's at this scale you can see the difference from the head for the tail from a little bit of sashimi inside that may not have been intentional compliments to the chef he ordered himself creating this masterpiece and the size alone sonic you know when you come to jamaica size matters our final chapter brings back an element of danger no not the puffer fish this would be even worse it's peeing it goes right to your neural tub it's a bad deer that was really bad this danger of the deep is waiting for me here [Music] safiron is a family-owned business we've been here 35 years you come here you feel like you're on a boat and you're getting fresh seafood straight from the caribbean sea locals come tourists come every animal in the jungle kind of comes homestead one reading us today jason owner of pier one what are some of the more popular seafood in jamaica well lobsters are always number one and the red snapper is a close second of course now we're gonna try something today that's a little bit different so we're trying something that's not really native to this area no no this is the lionfish yes [Music] coming from the tropical waters of the south pacific and indian oceans this beauty is the star of many aquariums but around florida and the caribbean it's an absolute terror the lionfish is believed to have escaped or even more likely to have been released into florida waters from an aquarium over two decades ago they're very aggressive and they feed on young fish on the reef and once they come up the reef is basically dead in an effort to reduce the number of lionfish the jamaican government encourages its consumption well it's very difficult to catch you have to handle them with a lot of caution because even dead even in this state if one of those barbs were to stick you you would be in for a bad night 20 minutes for the puffer fish yeah this would be even worse it's pain it goes right to your neurotox it's a body all right i'm going to gently put the plate down behind you and just don't back up too much despite its bad reputation when it comes to flavor this bad boy is highly rated among seafood lovers but before you dig in you must carefully remove the fish's venomous spikes it cooks anyway it's a nice fish it can be escovich fried steamed roasted what should we do today let's do a nice steamed fish next score the fish and season it with salt and pepper then stuff some thyme onion garlic and scotch bonnet into its nooks and crannies [Music] heat it in a pan with olive oil sprinkle some bell pepper and scallions on top pour in a cup of water and let it steam until it's ready to eat let's take a little tour of the plate it looks like we've got some pressed plantains that have been fried and what's this this is rice and peas rice and peas is everywhere throughout jamaica it's one of our most loved dishes some people cook it with coconut milk and it has fresh herbs and spices in there oh it's very flavorful i love it this is broccoli do we need to discuss i don't even want to see that all right here it is the lionfish it's in the shape of the fish without all its fancy weapons yeah they had to snip all of that off so we can actually consume it where your needles down [ __ ] right come on it is still pretty bony that's a flop remember how we got piece of the cheek from the tuna this has meat under there that should be right under there as well so in the fin pit there's a nice big beautiful chunk of white oily meat only hard part about this the discerning flavor of the fish and the flavors that they've added on here which are quite delicious it's like a thick salty savory gravy it's one of my favorite fish in the past 10 years they've taken over the reefs but since then i've learned to love it and i absolutely can't get enough of it how do you think we can get more people to jump in on this by watching your video okay hear the body this is gorgeous look at this mean it's so soft tender it's juicy but it's not like mushy no it still holds firm oh the taste is so good the flakiness and the meatiness of this is similar to pirate a lot of people in jamaica eat parrot fish which helps to build a reef i mean it eats a reef and it passes sand so it helps with the reef building these just eat the reef so what we're trying to do is also get people to stop eating as much pirate fish and eat more lionfish if this fish became extremely popular demand would go super high supply would go low prices would go up wait is that good hold on what's my point ah demand would go up supply would go down prices would go up people would be more motivated to go out and catch these kind of fish because they know they're gonna make big money off it they're like why would i get two and a half or some of these species that are going near extinction everybody we have to work together on this one if you can all dial right now one eight hundred eat lions it's not a real phone number i don't know i was just on a roll oh i've got yeah that's very good you better eat it what a beautiful day our caribbean culinary adventure continues here on the island of jamaica today we're taking on a traditional cookout with indo-jamaican flavors it's different than any doll i've had in india it's mouth-watering wow it's weird it's something you must try when you come to this island these are the most dainty petite testicles i've ever seen in my life and it all starts here good morning i'm very excited we have a nice breakfast in front of yeah one this looks delicious joining me today raja raja what am i looking at here rice as you can see white rice thank you dal with selfish chocolate said jamaican food it's a good mix dal rehydrated lentils with a soupy mesh consistency blended with spices to make it yummy it's one of india's most commonly eaten food oh yeah here it's made with curry powder garlic lentils and sauteed garlic that simmer down over time what kind of spices in here curry powder pepper onion green pepper oh it's like a delicious split pea gravy but i gotta say that's different than any doll i've had in india it's lacking about 14 spices it's not exactly the same as when i have curry and indium there's just so many seasonings so many different spices and this is a little bit more tamed down version this indian signature gets mixed with saltfish a jamaican staple that makes its way into several local dishes why do you guys eat so much salted preserved fish if the fish are just right out there it really dates back in history when ships used to transport people to jamaica during the slave trade the saltfish was a big part of that transport they needed something that was preserved right it seems now like it's almost just a seasoning yeah it gets hydrated char grilled then scraped off before it's mixed with sauteed onions garlic and scotch bonnet peppers oh wow that's super salty it adds volume but adds some seasoning too to what you're eating you know what happened this is drinking food oh okay this is for the room it's gonna make me retain water good thing i don't have to weigh in for a wrestling match tomorrow today we're here to eat something really special it's one of the favorite foods on the island one of my favorite foods what is it goat curry it's one of the most beloved foods in jamaica to start you'll need a whole goat where'd you get the goat did you get the gum i got to go they drop it out from a van they actually brought it to my house i had a problem last night my wife was saying can you get that ghost out to here kept on waking her up this poor goat raja's grandparents were among the first indians arriving in jamaica in the early 1900s cuisine in jamaica it's a mix of a lot of different places including india definitely including india i mean curry is a huge part of [Music] indo-jamaican cooking is just one facet of the diverse diaspora that's influenced food on this island as an indian jamaican growing up i know there's plenty of indian people here but you're not the majority was it different at all being indian or you're just another jamaican just like another jamaican some people would say wait you're not jamaican but that's not that common [Music] 80 000 is the number of indo-jamaicans who call this place home not even one percent when you grew up did you eat more jamaican food or more like purely indian food a mixture because i just like everything but they've made an outsized impact on this island nation by significantly contributing to its culture food is no exception how do you make curry goat walk us through it first thing you have to do is kill him cut him out make sense and put in a curry in the pot and then you just curry the goat cool i think you should also write a recipe book after the meat is separated and portioned out it's marinated in a curry powder created and branded by raja himself using some local ingredients here in jamaica this right here just says indian curry and it has a google image of curry is that you yeah did you buy this image from google images or do you just steal that no comment [Laughter] this goat will be made into four different dishes and absolutely nothing will go to waste two dishes are for the party but the other two well there's just not enough to go around first the testicles we're gonna try something very special but first some jamaican seasoning jamaican overproof overproof white rum what's overproof meat exactly it has more alcohol than any other alcohol right now are you overproofed at the moment a little tastes like a bitter way to make my problems go away it's got to be a better way seasoned with jerk seasoning and grilled over an open fire these are the most dainty petite testicles i've ever seen in my life not including my own [Laughter] [Music] you're serving it with little toothpicks like we're at a fancy party these are hors d'oeuvres here please enjoy i like it with a pepper real jamaican scotch body yeah give it a little bit of life hit it on the seeds here be careful it's hot oh it's spicy usually it can be really fatty and gelatinous and jiggly but this is a little more solid i like it yeah [Music] is it a jerk seasoning yeah it's very well seasoned a delicious blend of spices on there this is good raja you are a true poet not only a food smith but a wordsmith [Music] do women eat the testicles as well yeah so it's men women children grandparents when i was growing up i used to tell the girls it was like they grew um beard yeah because i wanted this report myself does it do anything for your stamina no just tastes good that's basically all right russia i think this is a good break let's get back to work okay next our second appetizer involves the goat head it's been scorched and scraped and now it's ready for raja's inspection i'm going to cut the head open inspect it dab in a worm a worm a little worm and if there's a worm you still eat it but you just get rid of the one that's getting rid of it let's do it i've never heard of it all right go for it [Music] you're inspecting it looking closely he's looking for a tiny worm yes it does are you sure because you said it's small do you look closely enough there's no work the goat head will be used for a different dish soon for now i just need what's inside you're gonna peel that out scoop it out with your fingers very nice saute the brain in oil along with salt pepper and onion cook until it breaks down and transforms into this foamy gray matter [Music] i tried hanging out with raja russia is great don't get me wrong he doesn't like to talk and then we gave him rome and it was everything went inside internally this food is often paired with a starch like roasted yellow yellow the final meal the goat feast is almost ready everybody's working in the kitchen there's a person in your background someone in my background it's not at all orchestrated we're legitimately working hard to make this meal come to fruition but first i wanted to share a stamp with you have you ever had breakfast i've never had bread not that type of bread i knew you couldn't resist i'm really really interested to see exactly what it is all right here we go cheers oh so oily wow i gotta hit some yam after with it amazing yeah they got to be partners they got to be paired up how do you feel about the texture really it has a little sweetness to it as well yeah the scotch bonnet pepper gives it that little heat you can't go wrong with that i agree raygun for the first time having this it's something i'd definitely try again all right appetizer complete main course coming up yeah let's do it yeah i'm on [Music] folks we've done it the final meal here in jamaica for this series and perhaps of my life no i think you're coming back okay this honestly looks magical it's beautiful it's hard to believe that just a few hours ago this was a gorgeous looking uh live creature the meat looks outstanding the soup this is where we're gonna start it's called manishwata what is going on manishwata is the goat belly and all the other pots that you think you would throw out of the soup it's in here the intestines face meat goat feet and even the goat's penis all is hidden inside first cook this random assortment of proteins along with onions scallions and scotch bonnet pepper add diced pumpkin and allow it to cook down a bit so what does managed water mean basically comes from way back because many men used to prepare it but it also says that it have a little aphrodisiac it gives you a little punch and it makes you stand up for more than upon your feet [Laughter] next prep green bananas with the peels still intact then carrots potatoes and yellow yams before adding it to the final pot [Music] oh the soup's good did you use pumpkin or squash to create the base for the soup yes because it has a beautiful starchy base to it so it's kind of thick and it also adds that color to it what time that is green banana with the skin on oh that's a loud yeah mine it's soft and a little crunchy wow i've never eaten the banana peel before that's awesome right yeah it tastes good just real starchy gives it a different texture to the soup and then am i going to be able to figure out what part is what part yeah really what's that that's the head how you know that or maybe one of the foot and i think it's ed but you think [Music] so it's definitely the foot i can taste the char on it because they charred it they scraped off all the time all right that is the sweetest spot they call that the rug the rug look like a rock it's my favorite part i like it raja got to say very impressed transition over to here [Music] our spotlight of the day the goat koreans containing all the unspecified cuts from the animal there are no lamb chops or goat steaks just little bitty pieces all joined together in one pot season the meat with all-purpose seasoning and mix in a pot cook curry powder in oil add onions scallions scotch bonnet peppers and finally the meat simmer for hours to make it tender [Music] bro shut the [ __ ] up that is so good wow that's blowing my mind right now unbelievably tender the fat is interspersed within the meat a bit it's all soaked in that beautiful curry flavor it's super savory a little bit of heat scotch bonnet pepper half a hop song it's so tender it's that type of tenderness where the fats render down a bit and as you're chewing it it's kind of sticky on your teeth i know why people love this dish so much it's like fireworks in my mouth it really represents the mixture of jamaica the autumn many one peopleness of it just different variations different cultures different ethnicities that have fused together in this dish as well that comes from india but is enjoyed so widely here in jamaica raja now you say something nice like that [Music] he already well sells everything we're a little mother i think there's only one thing missing and that is the iconic spice of this island gotcha i need to taste the scotch bonnet whole and i think you should join i know our place where we can go let's go [Music] man it's been a great trip a lot of culture food all that stuff yadda yadda now the challenge the scotch bonnet one of the hottest chilies in the world i believe it's number three okay great here's your rules eat the whole thing seeds and all seeds are not yeah of course oh gosh we have to see who can go longer without reacting so cheers [Music] spend this cheers inside [Music] it's really painful why'd i do this ariana ultimate so scotch bought it spicy for some for people like me and marcus wiens not a big deal i'm gonna go lay down take care y'all [Music] that's the end of the video and the end of the series here in jamaica i want to say a huge genuine heartfelt thank you to my dude matt handshake big respect big ups very large props matt was a huge integral part of making this trip happen couldn't have done it without you and honestly an incredible ambassador to this country thank you sonia and it was a pleasure having you on your team here guys you can check out matt on his youtube channel jamaica food boss he's making fun food videos there go there check them out and subscribe as for us that is it for this one i will see you next time thank you so much for watching peace all right bless up

Channel: Best Ever Food Review Show

Views: 7,558,134

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Id: NTLifuwI7Dg

Length: 77min 48sec (4668 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 06 2022