Jamaican Patties

Several years ago, I lived and worked in a relatively large city. It was surrounded by a sprawling metropolitan area and was quite a melting-pot of people — including tourists as well as permanent residents — which I thought was delightful. My company employed people of every imaginable race and culture, which made for a wonderful educational experience in learning about foods and customs from different parts of the world.

My supervisor was American-born, but his ancestors came from Poland. There was a delightful young woman who was also American-born but her mother was from Bogata, Colombia, while her father came from Santiago, Chile. Another young woman's parents came from Cuba and she was born in Miami, Florida. There were others with ancestry from Korea, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, India, Ireland, and other places. One of our interns was from Germany, and came to work for us when she graduated from a university in Kentucky. When I was promoted to a management position, my immediate superior was a woman whose ancestors came from Russia. It was an enriching experience working there!

And then there were a couple of young ladies from Jamaica. They were both so pretty, always upbeat in attitude, and lots of fun to talk to. It was fun listening them talking to each other, excitedly, in Jamaican Patois, although I certainly didn't understand much of what they said. During lunch one day, we were talking about what we were going to prepare for dinner that evening. One of them said, "Patties!" and the other responded positively that it was an excellent choice. I was a bit mystified because "patty" could mean so many things. So, I timidly asked, "What's a patty?" Both of the young women giggled surprise at my question, but answered that a "patty" is meat wrapped in a flaky crust. Further investigation revealed it to be a sort of savory turnover, similar to empanadas in Hispanic cuisine.^[1] I decided if I ever had a chance to try them, I would, as I like trying new things!

Several years went by and I never saw a Jamaican "patty" on any restaurant menu and I'd basically forgotten about them. Then, one day while aimlessly wandering down the frozen food aisle at my grocery store, I saw them!

These are made by Carribean Food Delights^®, a US-based company that was founded by a businessman born in Jamaica. Since he hails from Jamaica, I feel sure that his product likely upholds the integrity of a traditional patty, although not as good as a homemade version would probably taste. They had "mild" and "spicy" as choices, so, of course, I opted for "spicy!" 🔥

Each patty is individually wrapped in a little packet. As they're already fully cooked, a simple thaw-and-heat operation is all that's needed to prepare them. The instructions on the package recommends 16 minutes in a 400°F/200°C oven or two minutes in a 1000-watt microwave. I usually go for three minutes in the microwave, just to be sure.

A couple of these are usually kept in my freezer at all times for when I don't feel like cooking anything more involved, and I find them quite tasty! I had one a while ago for dinner, accompanied by some leftover Creamed Spinach (one of my favorite side-dishes) which I prepared last night. Perhaps I will remember to take pics of the Creamed Spinach process next time I cook it and include the recipe here. It is easy to make, so healthy, and sooooo good! 😋

The photo below is a single patty, cut in half to show the beefy filling. That is a lunch-sized plate (8"/20cm) from my set of dishes. I seldom use the large "dinner" plates as they're just too big for the amount of food I eat, and the lunch-sized plates keep me from loading-up and overeating. 😉

According to Wikipedia, seasoned beef is the most common filling for Jamaican patties, but sometimes chicken is used as well as other meats, and there are plenty of potential fillings that would appeal to vegetarians, too. The shell of the patty is very light and flakey, making them somewhat delicate.

Every time I eat a patty, I think of those two former coworkers of mine who taught me about the patties, and I also think of our dear @millycf1976 as well, who has probably eaten many of these in her lifetime. 🙂

Have your ever tried a Jamaican Patty?
Do you make them, yourself, or other empanadas or turnovers?