jerk seasoning

Ingredients: sea salt, onion, allspice, black pepper, cayenne, garlic, thyme, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves

Unique to the Caribbean, this hot and spicy mix uses many of the native ingredients of the area - allspice, nutmeg and chillies. It's the allspice and nutmeg in particular that give the mix the distinct and delicious aroma while the onion and cinnamon give sweetness and significant heat comes from the pepper and cayenne. It is thought that the jerk seasoning mix came about for the need to preserve meats and so the spices were mixed with vinegar to make a paste that was rubbed into the meat, having a preserving effect but also a delicious flavour.

uses: Mix the jerk seasoning with vinegar, orange juice or lime juice and honey to make a paste then use to marinade pork or chicken - great for a barbeque. Rub the dry spices over meat before grilling or roasting.