There is always something great about travel and visiting places. Something to see and discover. Occasionally something unexpected comes about. Jamaican curry goat or curried goat was the unexpected in this case.
The original plan was to visit Notting Hill Carnival and maybe get a pizza or a sandwich for a bite. Nothing more. First the backstory.
Notting Hill Carnival
We were a young family years back in the 90s visiting London when we spotted a Kiwi fruit stand. They were giving it away free. I think it was a NZ Govt agency or collective that ran the stall promoting the industry. It was something new to us and we tried it. We liked it and asked for more. We realised the stall was among other stands and waiting for a parade to come thru.
That parade was the Notting Hill Carnival. We had a lovely time, people were nice and what a celebratory atmosphere for West Indians as well as for the rest of us. The colours, the music and people in costume dancing, made for a memorable event for the family. First time I saw and heard steel bands in real life and in full glory.
Years later, back in London and this time I planned ahead. I went in early to find a vantage point with my backpack and camera gear ready. I picked a T-junction, about a third of the journey from the start. The parade would hit the T junction and would turn left. I noticed food stalls lined up which I did not expect, were on the street turning right right of the T-junction, which was closed.
As the parade was a good 2 hours away, I watched the stalls getting ready from afar as well as people slowing making their way to line the streets. I do enjoy people watching and this was good.
Caribbean food stalls
An hour later I did an exploratory walk to look at the stalls. They were offering West Indian or Caribbean cuisine which made sense, catering to the festival crowd. Signboard menus gave an idea of the cuisine though the food was not ready.
Every stall was clearly an extended family affair covering 3 generations. It gave a good feeling.
Jerk chicken was common across the menus. I heard of it before but had not tried it. So the plan was to have Jerk chicken. I did note that stalls identified themselves by the flag of the Caribbean nation they were from. So I picked up a bit of geography and heritage as well.
The Blackberry and Apple side chat
I went back to my vantage point and began chatting with a young security guard to kill time. He operated a small phone shop as a full-time job in Wembley, the Carnival security was a side gig. The hottest phones he told me were Blackberry and Apple.
He said that demand outstripped supply and therefore he was on to his distributor every morning pleading for more phones. He said he was just a small retailer and had little clout. On a good day he would get two of each. His profits came from accessories though. This led to discussions about phones and accessories and their margins and then, there was a wonderful whiff of aromatic curry in the air. Curry in Western Indian cuisine?
A year later during the London riots of 2011 I would find out why Blackberry was popular. It was the only phone that had encrypted messaging at that time. It’s the reason why companies favoured it as well as drug and criminal gangs. The Police had no answer. Now back to the curry smell.
I could not move as the crowd was getting thicker and I needed my vantage point for good photos. I persevered despite the lure of the the wonderful aroma.
The aroma of curry
2 hours later I headed towards the stalls happy with the photos that I took.
I was hungry. Though the aroma had long dissipated the quest to find the source was strong. Within minutes I realised that my speed reading of signboard menus failed me. I saw “Curry Goat”. If I had seen”Goat Curry” as in the common usage it would have registered immediately.
Picked a stall and ordered a serve of Jamaican curry goat. It came with brownish colored rice and peas. I enjoyed it. The meat was tender, it came off the bone easily and when you stand and eat, it was convenient. It was delicious with the right texture and it was different but a find.
It was so good that I had to know more about it and the West Indian cuisine. I therefore spent serious time looking at the stalls, their spread as well as the cooking process. It was informative and fascinating. I appreciated the opportunity of seeing an array of food of various Caribbean nations in one location with their kitchens in the open.
Something stood out. All had an open fire besides stoves. The answer to which I found out later.
The extended family help made so much sense. Many hands were needed to keep feeding the barbecue pit fire, preparing ingredients, manning the various stoves as well as serving a never ending line of festival customers.
I was watching a real life documentary.
Origins of Jamaican curry goat
By the time I got home, Jamaican curry goat was still top of mind. I could not get it off my head. The next few days were spent on the internet. So here is what I learnt.
The British Colonial Government sent over half a million Indians to 13 Caribbean islands and to the coastal mainland. This was from 1838 and in the early years as indentured labourers to work the booming sugar cane plantations.
The Indians brought along their curry powder and introduced it to the region. Trinidad and Tobago and British Guyana received the most of the incoming Indians, with them forming approximately 40% of the current population. It was Jamaica however with its 3% of Indians that ended up making curry goat famous. It is also Jamaica that prefixed the cooking process in front of the food as curry goat, jerk chicken, jerk pork etc.
Other than curry
It is important to note that only the curry powder is foreign, the rest are more or less indigenous to the region including the cooking process. Curry goat cooking if you watched on YouTube or on telly and you took away the curry part, it has all the hallmarks of making a traditional stew. It is therefore not a surprise that in some Caribbean nations it is called a stew and often the names are used interchangeably.
Stew takes from 2 to 3 hours and it is the same with curry goat. Hence the softer and more tender meat unlike Sub-continental or South East Asian curries where the meat is firmer. It also explains why the curry aroma dissipated as the dish requires more water and longer period to cook. The frying of the curry paste in oil however is similar to the way South East Asians such as the Malaysians and Indonesians do it. This is also when the curry smell starts to come out. By the way, meat must be boned in for the Jamaican curry goat, something they are serious about.
The other interesting difference is the use of lemon or lime together with vinegar and water to wash the meat. It is a hygiene practice across the Caribbean. I wondered if it had an effect on the meat in terms of flavour but I expect some level of tenderising. It important to mention that this too is taken seriously.
Though curried goat is distinctive and cannot be mistaken, the variations in ingredients and colour is wider than other curry dishes of the sub-continent. It’s like every family have their own recipe for the same dish.
Taking in the curry goat
As it is closer to stew and still a curry, you can have it on its own just like stew. If it is too spicy you will need bread or roti. Rice however is the usual compliment. I do like it with brown rice and peas like when I first tried it as they are great compliments. It is a combination that I always choose when available.
I think it is a given that the best tasting version should be in Jamaica and or in the Caribbean. London however is great alternative place to try because of the breath and depth of the Caribbean diaspora.
My favourite Jamaican Goat Curry version is in a cafe opposite West Croydon Station. In view of the variety of cooking styles emanating from various Caribbeans nations as well as family recipes of Jamaica, it does makes sense to try variations as much as you can.
Characteristic of Caribbean Cuisine
I did find it a challenge to name other common Caribbean dishes as variations were plentiful amongst the islands and the use of various names for the same dish.
One convenient indicator to me are the common ingredients used in Caribbean dishes. Its rice, plantains, beans, cassava, cilantro, bell peppers, chickpeas and scotch bonnet peppers being the obvious ones to me.
It’s the last, scotch bonnet peppers that seems to be the one that gives many of the Caribbean dishes its oomph or signature tinge. Found in both curried goat, jerk chicken and many others preparations. It is also very hot and therefore seldom split when thrown into the pot. If sliced and diced, the seeds are taken out. It is at the high end of the scale for chilly hotness with seeds.
Green seasoning is paste or marinade similar to Italian pesto that is unique to the region and culture. It is blended or crushed or pounded herbs and vegetables such as garlic, peppers, cilantro, onions, scallion, thyme, basil, rosemary etc. Each family have their own recipe.
One clear and distinct characteristic of Caribbeans cuisine as opposed to most of the World is the use of minimal oil. Their dishes are therefore less oily. Frying in oil is rare. The practice is open fire cooking such as smoking, grilling and on a barbecue for meat. It’s the same with seafood.
It is also no surprise that our supermarkets carry a wide range of marinades and sauces from the Caribbean. One to rub the meat before cooking and the other to dab the finished meat before eating. You don’t need them however for the stews and curries.
Don’t miss it if you come across Jamaican curry goat. It is delicious. Remember there must be bone in it.