EXPLORE
TASTE
REFLECT
CREATE
L E F T: The coconut is one of
the most versatile foodstuffs
on the planet B E L O W :
Rows of earthenware onggi
pots glint in the Korean winter
sun. These pots are used for
preserving local delicacies,
most notably kimchi
Caribbean Peppered with influences from all over the world, Caribbean food is as
colourful as the country itself, with the natural abundance and variety of vegetables
in particular used to great effect. Onions, bell peppers (capsicums) and celery are
central to many Caribbean dishes where you will find domestic and commercial
kitchens heady with the steam from fragrant pots of gently frying Scotch bonnet
peppers, spring onions and thyme.
One of the key components of Caribbean cuisine is jerk seasoning, a wet (or
dry) rub made of cinnamon, black peppercorns, allspice and thyme – sometimes
with the addition of Scotch bonnet peppers. Don’t let their grandmotherly
connotations fool you, this is not a pepper in the capsicum sense, but a chilli pepper,
hotter than a jalapeno and packing the same punch as a habanero. It measures an
impressive 100,000 to 350,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) on the Scoville scale, the
internationally recognised measurement of chilli heat, named
after the American chemist Wilbur Scoville who invented it.
The Scotch bonnet gets its name from its shape: reminiscent
of the floppy plaid hat: the Tam o’Shanter beloved of the Scots
and in turn named after the hero of the Rob \