Jamaican desserts
Jamaicans can be classified as the sweetest people on earth, both for their personality and the food. When you indulge in some of the desserts that are offered by these islanders you can be sure that it is laden with sugar, condensed milk, syrup or just about anything that would be sweet.
In the years before the British and the American sweets were popular in our markets, you could find candies in many forms such as, peppermint sticks, mint balls, paradise plums Bustamante backbone and gizzadas. The candy is something that is passed down from one generation to the next and you have many different versions emerging.
Many of the delectable Jamaican dessert recipes include: The coconut grater cake and gizzadas sweet, the grater cake is a confection made from the grated dry coconut, boiled in sugar syrup. Ginger and rose water is usually added and color flavoring can be used to get different colors such as pink and white.
The gizzada is a sweet tart with dough made from flour, salt and water and kneaded and shaped into shells. The shells are filled with a mixture of grated coconut cooked with sugar and a little nutmeg and baked to a brown color. These are also known as “pinch me round”. From the coconut there is also toto, cut cakes and coconut drops. Peanut is also use to make cakes or more popular known as peanut drops. This is made from boiling the nut with brown sugar.
There are also tarts which are made from plantain and apple. These are small pastries filled with mashed apples or ripe plantain and spices and then baked. These are some of the best Jamaican recipes.
Another favorite is the tamarind balls which are a popular national candy. This is made from the pulp of the tamarind which is kneaded with sugar to form small balls.
The making of breads, cakes and puddings is another favorite in the Jamaican cuisine and is done by most persons as a past time. On most Sunday evenings you can be sure that something would be in the oven baking.
Some of the popular puddings are made from ingredients such as bread, sweet cassava, sweet pudding and cornmeal. The delectable cakes can be found in the form of coconut toto, fruit cakes, carrot cake, rock bun, rum cake, plain cakes and banana bread. Most of these products show the versatility of the Jamaican people as they would utilize left over products to make these delights. For instance, on Sundays after coconut juice is used to make the rice and peas dish, the left over coconut trash would be used to make the coconut toto or gizzada.
Breads are another highlight in the Jamaican cuisine and come in many varieties. Some of the bread that is available is corn bread, ginger bread, coco bread, coconut bread and the traditional hardough bread.
One must not forget the old time favorite, the bulla which can be found in many versions. This is a flat round cake made from flour, molasses and baking powder. It can also be flavored with ginger and is popular favorite with school children and adults alike. It is eaten with cheese or pear (avocado).
There are so many sweets and desserts to choose from and they all have their own distinctive flavor. You will realize that the fruits are well utilized in these condiments especially the coconut. But whatever they are made from they are real good complements to the Jamaican dishes.