National Geographic, in its book Food Journeys of a Lifetime, has placed Jamaica’s National Dish, Ackee and Saltfish (salt-cured cod) as Number 2 in the Top 10 dishes in the world.
At Neita’s Nest we have always included it as a staple. Any 4-day stay at this Kingston bed and breakfast is sure to include this signature dish. And before the crop on our tree is over, we stock up on the best tinned ackee on the shelves, the one labeled Linstead Market Jamaica, in order to keep this promise.
Randy, our recent B&B guest, when asked by his Jamaican friend of the breakfast fare at Neita’s Nest, could not remember the name but confidently stated “I had Scrambled Eggs with Yellow Yam”! Bobby, our mutual friend, with his quizzical chuckle and even more confidence came to my defense. “There is no way that Michelle would serve you eggs and yam!”
The ackee is aptly described by National Geographic as a nutritious fruit with a buttery-nutty flavour and resembling scrambled eggs when boiled”. Despite ackee’s unhappy origins as slave food in Jamaica around the mid-18th to 19th centuries, Jamaica claimed it as our national fruit when we became an independent nation nearly 50 years ago. The boiled ackees are sautéed with the prepared saltfish, onions and tomatoes, with every good cook claiming one additional ingredient or other to making their version special.
Here, we proudly serve our National Dish with any one or combination of starches from a list of favourites; boiled green bananas or yams, roasted or fried breadfruit, fried or boiled dumplings, bammies, hot buttered toast or fried green plantains. Depending on the season, you may also find some avocadoes or ripe plantains on the side.
The truth is, the sides don’t matter, as long as the ackee takes centre stage.
At Neita’s Nest we have always included it as a staple. Any 4-day stay at this Kingston bed and breakfast is sure to include this signature dish. And before the crop on our tree is over, we stock up on the best tinned ackee on the shelves, the one labeled Linstead Market Jamaica, in order to keep this promise.
Randy, our recent B&B guest, when asked by his Jamaican friend of the breakfast fare at Neita’s Nest, could not remember the name but confidently stated “I had Scrambled Eggs with Yellow Yam”! Bobby, our mutual friend, with his quizzical chuckle and even more confidence came to my defense. “There is no way that Michelle would serve you eggs and yam!”
The ackee is aptly described by National Geographic as a nutritious fruit with a buttery-nutty flavour and resembling scrambled eggs when boiled”. Despite ackee’s unhappy origins as slave food in Jamaica around the mid-18th to 19th centuries, Jamaica claimed it as our national fruit when we became an independent nation nearly 50 years ago. The boiled ackees are sautéed with the prepared saltfish, onions and tomatoes, with every good cook claiming one additional ingredient or other to making their version special.
Here, we proudly serve our National Dish with any one or combination of starches from a list of favourites; boiled green bananas or yams, roasted or fried breadfruit, fried or boiled dumplings, bammies, hot buttered toast or fried green plantains. Depending on the season, you may also find some avocadoes or ripe plantains on the side.
The truth is, the sides don’t matter, as long as the ackee takes centre stage.
Freshly picked ackees in their pods
The pods and seeds are removed and the creamy- couloured fleshy fruit is boiled and sauteed with salted codfish and seasonings.
