Jamaican cuisine

Jamaican cooking is hot and smoky: scotch bonnet, allspice and thyme turn up in nearly every recipe.

Allspice is called pimento in Jamaica, and it is a local plant — the island supplies most of the world's crop. Both its berries and its wood go into the marinade and into the smoke.

Scotch bonnet is used two ways: cut for heat or whole for aroma. A whole pod, lifted out before serving, gives its fruity scent and hardly any burn.