Rastafarian food is ital food. vital food, organic, vegetarian, no salt. If they do happen to eat meat, no fish with scale,no pork(seven devils), shellfish(bottomfeeders)no animals with webfeet. However most importantly and a fact that has been perhaps neglected to be mentioned enough is the genetic source of their vegetables. Pure open-pollinated seed from old fashioned varieties. Seed that has been collected and planted again season after season, passed from father to son, mother to daughter. Seed that has adapted to their local environment and provides up to 75% more nutrition than genetically modified imported vegetable crops.
In Jamaica the traditional diet is very healthy, not much sweet food is eaten. The adage Food is your Medicine couldn’t be more true here. Coconut, Breadfruit and root crops, green banana and Ackee. These are very staple foods and they are all fruits and vegetables. Jah Blue always comments that the fruit isn’t as sweet in Australia as it is in Jamaica. Unique varieties of Citrus, Papaya, Watermelon, Mango have thrived in Jamaica over the centuries imported from all parts of the globe. These plants are very special and need to be preserved and valued. Not just simply chopped down to make way for concrete and imported junk food.
With all the illness associated with the western junk food diet we would all do well to understand and know the traditional foods of tribal peoples as these foods contain all the nutrients to keep us healthy. I have listed the names of Jamaica’s main vegetable crops below to assist you in locating these foods for yourself and perhaps even trying them in your own garden.
Root Crops
Dioscorea sp Yam Family Dioscoreaceae
Ipomoea batatas Sweet Potatoes,kumara,uwi,ubi. Family Convolvulaceae
Colocasia esculenta var antiquorum coco yam, eddo tanya
Colocasia esculenta var esculenta Dasheen
Manihot esculenta Cassava,Yuca,Tapioca,Manioc Phol. Family Euphorbiaceae
Fruits
Musa sp Plantains and Bananas Family Musaceae
Blighia sapida Ackee Family Sapindaceae
Persea sp Pear, Avocado aguacate Palta Family Lauraceae
Artocarpus altilis Breadfruit Family Moraceae
Mangifera indica Mango Anacardiaceae
Spondias mombin Hog Plum Family Family Anacardiaceae
Theobroma cacao Cocoa, Chocolate
Ziziphus mauritiana Coolie Plum
Melicoccus bijugatus Guinep
Mammea mericana Mammy Fruit
Manlkara zapota Naseberry
Passiflora edulis Passionfruit
Punica granatum Pomegranate
Syzygium jambos Rose Apple
Hibiscus sabdariffa Sorrel Rosella
Chrysophyllum cainito Star Apple
Hymenaea courbaril Stinking Toe
Annona squamosa Soursop
Tamarinus indica Tamarind
Citrus sp lime orange mandarin grapefruit lemon
Carica papaya Papaya PawPaw Family Caricaceae
Cocos nucifera Coconut Family Arecaceae
Syzygium malaccense Otaheite Apple Malay Apple Family Myrtaceae
Ananas comosus Pineapple
Vegetables
Capsicum chinense Scotch Bonnet Chilli Family Solonaceae
Momordica balsamina Cerassee Family Cucurbitaceae
Amaranthus sp Callaloo Family Amaranthaceae
Cajanus cajan pigeon pea gungo pea
Sechium edule Chocho Choko Family Cucurbitaceae
Abelmoschus esculentus Okra, Gumbo Family Malvaceae
Dolichos lablab Hyacinth Bean Poor Man Bean Family Fabaceae
Phaseolus sp Broad bean green bean Family Fabaceae
Cucurbita moschata Pumpkin Gramma Family Cucurbitaceae
Citrullus vulgaris Watermelon Cucurbitaceae
If you do some research on these plants you will see that most of them are medicinal plants with powerful healing properties. Let nature heal us, protect biodiversity of good crops.
|
