Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook

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Author of the Barbecue Bible and Project Smoke, Steven Raichlen, traces the history of smoking from its Palaeolithic origins to present day, and argues that cooking with fire was one of the greatest technological advances in the history of humankind.

Three authentic Jamaican recipes for a Caribbean feast | The

Melissa Thompson’s enticing Jamaican-inspired cookbook Motherland combines a solemn history of the Caribbean island nation with notes about its delicious food and spirited reputation … Spicy, sweet, rich and varied, the recipes of Motherland evoke the unique wonders of Jamaica’s enduring spirit.” — Foreword The practice of smoking is one of the world’s oldest food preservation methods, but which techniques are catching fire today, while other processes risk being extinguished?The third season of Motherland starts as it means to go on: with an “absolute nitshow”. As an official arrives to brief parents at the state primary school, every unravelling mother in the land will wish she didn’t recognise herself. The nit expert urges parents to comply with the guidelines: “Combing … shampooing … combing again,” which is only marginally less laughable than the government’s “stay alert” slogan it is satirising. But it is not too soon for the pandemic to get the Motherland treatment – if it came in a bottle, it would look, smell and perform precisely like nit shampoo. Leyla and Robbie sit down to taste some smoky drinks, while pondering the future of traditional methods, and how to balance the world’s love for peated whiskies with peatland restoration. This beautiful cookbook features in-depth research into the evolution of Jamaica’s food. It charts the contribution of indigenous Jamaicans, the Taino. It follows the impact of colonization, and how the periods under Spanish and British rule left an indelible mark on the nation’s gastronomy, without shying away from their brutality: Eyewitness accounts describe the barbarity of the colonial powers. And it recounts how enslaved men and women from West and Central Africa brought inspiration from home and familiar cooking techniques to create legacy dishes that are still celebrated today. The contribution of Indian and Chinese indentured workers is also examined. These stories are woven into the recipes, so the reader is invested in the dishes they cook.

Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook | Strong Sense of Place Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook | Strong Sense of Place

Through both the recipes and informative essays, Melissa Thompson relates the history of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean Although Motherland remains Sharon Horgan’s angry baby, this is the first series in which she is credited as a producer and not a writer. Happily, the rest of the season two team – Holly Walsh, Helen Serafinowicz and Barunka O’Shaughnessy – have done a solid job of retaining Horgan’s signature blend of comedy: lacerating, farcical, painfully British (although, of course, Horgan is Irish). It is as if you can sense the attempt with each killer line – the tragedy of your kids going off you when you fart in front of them, say – to induce the giant, dirty Horgan laugh we know so well from Catastrophe.

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But I return to the Something Sweet chapter to choose a recipe to share with you today. I just couldn’t resist: it’s the Guinness Punch Pie, inspired by “one of the most compelling drinks you can have” — and yes, of course this wonderful book also contains a recipe for it, too! There are recipes for the classics, like saltfish fritters, curry goat and patties, as well as Melissa's own twists and family favourites, such as: