Book review: Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook by Melissa Thompson

Through both the recipes and informative essays, Melissa Thompson relates the history of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean

"Motherland is a recipe book, but more than that it is a history of the people, influences and ingredients that uniquely united to create the wonderful patchwork cuisine that is Jamaican food today," writes Melissa Thompson in the introduction to her debut cookbook.

Patchwork seems the perfect description for a cuisine that has taken many different influences – from the island's earliest known settlers, who farmed cassava, which remains one of Jamaica's staple crops, to the Spanish colonialists, who introduced sugar cane to the Caribbean – and stitched them together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

And while many would perhaps prefer to think of this ‘fusion' cuisine apolitically, neither the history nor cuisine of Jamaica can be discussed without considering the effects of slavery. As Thompson explains, the food of Jamaica "is a beautiful product of this violent chapter in world history".

A coconut and black-eyed pea soup recipe reveals that the peas originated in West Africa, brought to the Caribbean on slave ships in the 17th century. A recipe for fried fish features escovitch, a common way of serving fish in Jamaican cuisine that's derived from the Spanish dish escabeche, featuring vinegar and vegetables. The technique was introduced to Jamaica by Spain's Jewish settlers, who fled their homes during the Spanish Inquisition.

And then there is one of Jamaica's most famous signature dishes, curry goat – goats were introduced by the Spanish, but the dish was created following "the introduction of indentured servants from India".

Chapters are divided into Snacks, From the Waters, Ground Provisions, Yard Birds, Meat, Grits Grains & Hard Food, Something Sweet and Drinks & Preserves, with detailed history sections interspersed throughout. Through both the recipes and informative essays, Thompson relates the history of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean – a history that is inextricably linked to Britain's. And, while it's vital for us to educate ourselves, Thompson makes the process of learning a delicious one.

Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook by Melissa Thompson (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26)