JAMAICAN ITAL CUISINE
By Saba Igbe with recipes from Yvonne Hope
Jamaican cuisine has been influenced by its slavery era and a variety of cultures including China, India, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Its food includes everything from boiled green banana to mango chutney. Most Jamaican food includes meat of some kind, but ital food is an exception. Ital cuisine involves a natural way of cooking, developed by Rastafarians. Typical ital food does not include red meat and is prepared to enhance a healthy lifestyle.
Since the 1940s, Rastafarians have disapproved of processed food. Herbs and hot peppers like Scotch bonnet are a frequent substitute for salt. Sugar is usually avoided, and only a little dark raw sugar sweetens some food on occasion. Though vegan food wasn’t popular in 1970s mainstream Jamaica, it wasn’t unusual for Rastafarians to make their own tofu, veggie mince, and soymilk from scratch. Now, a whole generation has lived to see ital become a more accepted part of Jamaican cuisine.
Generally, ital ingredients are directly from the Earth, and local markets are a popular place to find fresh vegetables. It’s common for some Rastas to blend their own herbs and spices to create flavor specific to their taste. Traditional ital food includes beans, peas, callaloo, and coconut, which are part of traditional Jamaican cuisine as well. Ital is thought to be a take on the word vital, and means natural, organic, fresh, and pure. For Rastas, the choice to eat ital is a spiritual decision that can be for health reasons, or as a way to respect the lives of fellow animals.
Despite the general guidelines, there aren’t rigid rules about what to eat or how to make ital food. In fact, there is a tendency to experiment with food. If an ingredient isn’t available, then some Rastas will try something else. Food can be influenced by other cultures. For example, Ghanaian peanut stew can get the Jamaican treatment with scallions, thyme, coconut milk, and callaloo added.
The following ital recipes are influenced by international cuisine and provided by Yvonne Hope, owner of the Ashanti Oasis Vegetarian Restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica.
Veggie Mince Wrapped in Pak Choi Leaves
(Makes 6 stuffed leaves)
Scallions, also known as green onions, spring onions, or green shallots, are seen by many Jamaicans as an essential part of Jamaican cuisine. Veggie mince is textured vegetable protein or TVP.
- ½ pound textured vegetable protein
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 stalks scallion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 sprig thyme
- Salt to taste
- Half a Scotch bonnet pepper without seeds or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 pak choi leaves (bok choy)
Cook textured vegetable protein in water for 5-8 minutes. Add the tomato paste, onion, scallion, garlic, thyme, salt, and hot pepper.
Blanch the pak choi leaves. Put blanched pak choi leaves in cold water to stop the cooking process. Spoon cooked textured vegetable protein in pak choi leaves and wrap or roll.
| Total calories per serving: 154 | Fat: 1 gram |
| Carbohydrates: 21 grams | Protein: 19 grams |
| Sodium: 37 milligrams | Fiber: 8 grams |
Tofu with Tropical Sauce
(Serves 10)
Callaloo is a leafy vegetable. It can be found in Jamaican food stores. Collard greens, bok choy, or spinach can be substituted.
- 1 pound tofu
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- Salt to taste
- Half a Scotch bonnet pepper without seeds, minced or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ pound callaloo or other leafy green vegetable, chopped
- 1 cup fruit juice
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Slice tofu into triangles (6 slices). Make a pocket in each slice of tofu (at the top.)
Blend half of the herbs and spices along with all the onions and pepper and pour over tofu to marinate. Steam callaloo or other leafy greens.
Bake or fry tofu, then stuff with steamed callaloo or other greens. Bring fruit juice and remaining herbs and spices to a boil, then add cornstarch and simmer until it thickens. Pour fruit juice over tofu and serve. You can add small pieces of fruit if you choose.
| Total calories per serving: 68 | Fat: 2 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 9 grams | Protein: 5 grams |
| Sodium: 8 milligrams | Fiber: 1 gram |
Red Peas (Kidney Bean) Loaf
(Serves 6)
Red peas, as they are commonly called in Jamaica, are known as kidney beans in many other countries. Dried red peas are best soaked overnight, or for several hours.
- ½ pound dried red peas (kidney beans)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt Pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- ½ cup coconut milk
Boil or cook red peas (kidney beans) until tender.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cooked red peas, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add flour and combine well, making sure to mix all ingredients together. You can also combine the ingredients in a food processor. Add the coconut milk last to make a batter.
Pour the mixture in an oiled loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown.
| Total calories per serving: 184 | Fat: 4 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 28 grams | Protein: 9 grams |
| Sodium: 202 milligrams | Fiber: 6 grams |
Curry Bean Curd
(Serves 10)
Eden Foods, as well as other Asian companies, produce dried bean curd.
- 10-ounce package dried bean curd
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- Salt to taste
- Half a Scotch bonnet pepper without seeds or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon curry powder
Soak bean curd in warm water for 25-30 minutes. Once the bean curd becomes soft, pour the bean curd liquid away. Cut bean curd horizontally, then marinate in half the portion of the herbs and spices along with half the chopped onion and 2 Tablespoons water.
Sauté remaining onion, herbs and spices, then add bean curd, and allow it to warm for 5 minutes. Add curry powder at the last minute. Stir and serve.
| Total calories per serving: 186 | Fat: 13 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 7 grams | Protein: 14 grams |
| Sodium: 3 milligrams | Fiber: 3 grams |
Three Bean Stew
(Serves 4)
Broad beans, gungo peas (pigeon peas), and red peas (kidney beans) can be substituted with any three beans of your choice.
- 1½ cups canned broad beans
- 1½ cups canned gungo peas (pigeon peas)
- 1½ cups canned red peas (kidney beans)
- 10 ounces coconut milk
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sprig thyme
- Salt to taste
- Hot pepper
- 1 carrot, chopped
Place beans and coconut milk in a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients and cook 30 minutes over medium heat.
| Total calories per serving: 287 | Fat: 16 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 31 grams | Protein: 10 grams |
| Sodium: 329 milligrams | Fiber: 9 grams |
Falafel with Tahini Sauce
(Makes 15 small patties serving 4)
- 7 ounces chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- Oil for frying
Boil chickpeas until tender.
Combine cooked chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add flour and combine well. Mash ingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want it to be a thick paste.
Form the mixture into small patties. Slightly flatten.
Fry in 2 inches of oil for 2-5 minutes until golden brown. Serve with Tahini Sauce (below).
| Total calories per serving: 307* | Fat: 14 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 37 grams | Protein: 10 grams |
| Sodium: 305 milligrams | Fiber: 9 grams |
*without tahini sauce
The fat content of this recipe will vary depending on the type of oil used, cooking temperature and time, and other factors. We estimate that 10% of the oil used for frying will be retained.
Tahini Sauce
(Makes about 1 cup)
Tahini is a sesame seed paste.
- ½ cup tahini
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
In a food processor or blender, combine tahini and garlic. Add salt. Remove from food processor and add olive oil and lemon juice. If the sauce is too thick, add a teaspoon of warm water until desired consistency. Mix in parsley. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
| Total calories per 2 TB serving: 124 | Fat: 11 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 4 grams | Protein: 3 grams |
| Sodium: 173 milligrams | Fiber: 2 grams |
