If you have had Jamaican food, you will vouch for the fact that it is one of the best types of food one could prefer. Especially if you love spicy food, the Jamaican cuisine will not disappoint you. It has gathered influences from various ethnicities, and no wonder it is one of its kind appetizing and delicious food!

There are several dishes and recipes in the Jamaican cuisine, but the Jerk chicken in Maryland steals the show. It is one of the most loved and popular dishes for not only the local people but also the tourists. It won’t be wrong to say that jerk chicken has become synonymous with Jamaica. If you ask people who never had Jamaican food, about one Jamaican dish that they could name or would want to taste, they would undoubtedly say jerk chicken. Every restaurant near me serves jerk chicken, and the taste is mouth-watering.

However, the question is, ‘What is jerk chicken?’ The name has been derived because of the special cooking technique known as ‘Jerk.’ This style of cooking is native to Jamaica and is a national staple. However, you can find it in other parts of the globe as well. It is all about marinating the chicken in the right flavors and cooking in a specific way. Jerk style of cooking is not just confined to chicken, and the marinade can be applied to pork, beef, goat, and vegetables. But most commonly, jerk is synonymous with chicken.

The chicken is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a hot mixture of spices known as jerk spice, and it is placed over an open grill. It is the ingredients in the marinade that makes the jerk chicken spicy. The jerk spice is a type of habanero pepper known as the scotch bonnet. For enhancing the flavors, other items are also added, such as pimento, thyme, etc. These spices increase the flavor and make sure that the meat is well marinated. The marinated chicken is allowed to rest for 12 -24 hours; in most cases, overnight before cooking.

The jerk cooking is done in an open pan, and the chicken is grilled slowly for hours. When you grill the meat for a long time on a slow flame, the spices leave their flavor, and you get an amazing taste. Even a single bite will cause an explosion of flavors in your mouth.

As Jamaicans began to migrate to other parts of the world, jerk chicken started becoming popular. Also, when visitors began tasting Jamaican cuisine, the jerk chicken grabbed most eyeballs. That’s how it became quite popular. It is to be noted that when you visit Maryland, you must try jerk chicken at small street-side local shops. They sell the best jerk chicken, and you can get a taste of the authentic flavors. Small restaurants and street vendors have aced the art of cooking jerk chicken, and you will certainly come for more.

Next time if you visit Maryland, don’t forget to have Jerk chicken.