st. thomas

The deep east. Maroon country. The food here predates the British.

SignatureMaroon Jerk

Food Culture

St. Thomas is Jamaica's deep east. Rural, mountainous, and proud of it. The Maroon communities in the John Crow Mountains keep cooking traditions that predate the British colonial period. This is where you find food prepared in ways that haven't changed in centuries, and nobody's updating them for Instagram. Bath, in St. Thomas, has natural hot springs and a botanical garden planted in 1779. The food here is traditional, heavy, built for people who work the land.

Signature Dishes

Maroon Jerk

★

The ancestral version. Cooked in earth pits, not on grills. Slower, smokier, more ancient than the Boston Bay style. This is where jerk started before jerk had a name.

Roast Breadfruit

Charred on an open fire until black outside, creamy inside. Eaten with anything. Eaten alone. Just eaten.

Bath, in St. Thomas, has natural hot springs and a botanical garden planted in 1779. The food here is traditional, heavy, built for people who work the land.

Must-Visit Spots

Bath Fountain

restaurant

Hot springs and simple food. The mineral water is the draw, the cooking is honest country fare.

Bath

Local Ingredients

Breadfruit

St. Thomas breadfruit is roasted over open fires everywhere. The parish basically runs on it.

St. Andrew

Portland

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