List of Jamaican dishes and foods

Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, ingredients, flavours, spices and influences from the Taínos, Jamaica's indigenous people, the Spanish, Portuguese, French, Scottish, Irish, English, African, Indian, Chinese and Mildde Eastern people, who have inhabited the island.

Soups play an important role in the Jamaican diet, not only as appetizers, but also as main lunch and dinner dishes, because they are hearty and filling.

Jamaican soups consist of tubers/staples (such as yam, sweet potato, white potato, breadfruit, Jamaican boiled dumplings or dasheen), vegetables (such as carrot, okra and cho-cho/chayote), corn, pumpkin and meat.

In Jamaica, soups are often prepared on Saturdays for dinner, but they may be eaten throughout the week or at special events.

They are usually consumed alone, but may be served with hard dough bread or Jamaican water crackers.