Jamaican Cookery

    I went to the market today with a shopping list, but if you wanted onions, you were out of luck. Most higglers’ stalls were completely empty, and the few who had stock were charging a staggering $500 per pound. Jamaican local onion crop started from February, i believe, so, there was no foreign onion selling, only local but local onion is going home and i am yet to see the foreign onion in the market and so, the little supply of local onion is selling for $500 this week last week it was $400. But how did we get here? To understand why a basic kitchen staple has suddenly become a luxury item. February: The Local Monopoly The Jamaican local onion crop began reaping in February. To protect local farmers, foreign onion imports were scaled back. For a brief moment, only Jamaican onions were on the market. Production numbers looked high, but the illusion of security didn't last. March & April: The Missing Infrastructure Jamaica does not have wide...

If you’re looking at this fruit, you would say naseberry but sometimes, it’s actually sandberry . And trust me, there is a difference. Growing up in Jamaica, naseberry is nothing new. It’s one of those fruits you see all the time, especially when it’s in season. But every now and then, you’ll come across a version that looks the same on the outside, but once you bite into it… completely different story. That’s sandberry. What Is Sandberry? Sandberry is basically naseberry with a sandy, grainy texture. The outside looks almost identical, so if you’re just going by appearance, you can easily get fooled. But the moment you taste it, you’ll know. The texture is what gives it the name slightly rough, almost like fine grains. And the sweetness? On a whole next level. This is not your regular fruit sweetness. This is pure brown sugar energy . My Experience Trying Sandberry I bought what I thought was naseberry, but the vendor told me straight ,it’s sandberry. I laughed it off at first, but wh...