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Shared by Christina Whittaker

Finding Identity at a Jamaican Shabbat Table

Finding Identity at a Jamaican Shabbat Table

Family Journey

Old Harbour Bay, JamaicaBronx, NYDavie, Florida
Brooklyn, NY
6 recipes
Steamed Red Snapper with Pumpkin and Okra 

Steamed Red Snapper with Pumpkin and Okra 

6 servings30 minutes

Ingredients

For the All-Purpose Seasoning:

  • 3 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons onion powder
  • 3 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice 
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt 
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

For the fish:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 
  • ½ white onion, sliced into half moons 
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 scallions, sliced into thirds 
  • 1 small tomato, diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 small green pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 cup cubed pumpkin or kabocha squash
  • ½ cup carrots, peeled and sliced on a bias 
  • 4 large pieces okra, sliced in half 
  • Juice of ½ a lime
  • 5-6 allspice berries
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika 
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
  • 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning (see below)
  • 2 teaspoons Grace Fish & Meat Sauce 
  • 2 fresh, whole red snapper fish, around 2 lbs. each
  • 2 tablespoons butter 
  • 2 teaspoons Grace fish seasoning
  • 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
Oxtail Stew with Butter Beans

Oxtail Stew with Butter Beans

6 servings4 hours

Ingredients

For the oxtail marinade:

  • 5 pounds oxtail 
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 teaspoons browning sauce 
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 sprigs thyme, stripped and leaves chopped finely

For the green seasoning:

  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 3 scallions
  • 2 stalks celery 
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 small onion, peeled
  • 1” piece fresh ginger, peeled
  • 8 sprigs thyme
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper, stalk removed
  • Olive oil, as needed

For the stew:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, medium dice
  • 1 red bell pepper, medium dice
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • ½ - ¾ teaspoons ground allspice 
  • ½ cup green seasoning (see above)
  • 4 scallions, roughly chopped
  • 8-10 cups light beef broth or water
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper
  • 1 ½ cups cooked butter beans
Rice and Peas

Rice and Peas

6 servings1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups (12 oz) uncooked kidney beans
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
  • 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 stalk fresh scallion
  • 3-4 cloves garlic 
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
  • 20 oz. canned, unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning
  • 3 ½ cups basmati rice 
  • Salt to taste
Fried Sweet Plantains

Fried Sweet Plantains

4 servings20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large, extremely ripe plantains (the peels should be close to back and the plantains should be soft)
  • 1 ½ cups avocado oil 
  • Sea salt, for serving 
Gizzada (Coconut and Ginger Tarts)

Gizzada (Coconut and Ginger Tarts)

10 tarts2 ½ hours

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 4 oz. pitted dried Medjool dates, finely chopped
  • ½ cup honey
  • 4 ½ oz. dried, unsweetened coconut 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger 
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • ¼ teaspoon finely grated nutmeg 
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil

For the pastry:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 stick unsalted vegan butter, frozen for 15 minutes
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 
  • ½ cup ice cold water
Sorrel (Spiced Hibiscus Drink)

Sorrel (Spiced Hibiscus Drink)

12 servings5 minutes + 8 hours steeping

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons dried ginger 
  • 1 large cinnamon stick
  • 4 allspice berries
  • 45g dried hibiscus 
  • 8 cups boiling hot water
Recipes
1
Steamed Red Snapper with Pumpkin and Okra 

Steamed Red Snapper with Pumpkin and Okra 

6 servings30 minutes

Ingredients

For the All-Purpose Seasoning:

  • 3 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons onion powder
  • 3 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice 
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt 
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

For the fish:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 
  • ½ white onion, sliced into half moons 
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 scallions, sliced into thirds 
  • 1 small tomato, diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 small green pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 cup cubed pumpkin or kabocha squash
  • ½ cup carrots, peeled and sliced on a bias 
  • 4 large pieces okra, sliced in half 
  • Juice of ½ a lime
  • 5-6 allspice berries
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika 
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
  • 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning (see below)
  • 2 teaspoons Grace Fish & Meat Sauce 
  • 2 fresh, whole red snapper fish, around 2 lbs. each
  • 2 tablespoons butter 
  • 2 teaspoons Grace fish seasoning
  • 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
2
Oxtail Stew with Butter Beans

Oxtail Stew with Butter Beans

6 servings4 hours

Ingredients

For the oxtail marinade:

  • 5 pounds oxtail 
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 teaspoons browning sauce 
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 sprigs thyme, stripped and leaves chopped finely

For the green seasoning:

  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 3 scallions
  • 2 stalks celery 
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 small onion, peeled
  • 1” piece fresh ginger, peeled
  • 8 sprigs thyme
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper, stalk removed
  • Olive oil, as needed

For the stew:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, medium dice
  • 1 red bell pepper, medium dice
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • ½ - ¾ teaspoons ground allspice 
  • ½ cup green seasoning (see above)
  • 4 scallions, roughly chopped
  • 8-10 cups light beef broth or water
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper
  • 1 ½ cups cooked butter beans
3
Rice and Peas

Rice and Peas

6 servings1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups (12 oz) uncooked kidney beans
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
  • 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 stalk fresh scallion
  • 3-4 cloves garlic 
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
  • 20 oz. canned, unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning
  • 3 ½ cups basmati rice 
  • Salt to taste
4
Fried Sweet Plantains

Fried Sweet Plantains

4 servings20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large, extremely ripe plantains (the peels should be close to back and the plantains should be soft)
  • 1 ½ cups avocado oil 
  • Sea salt, for serving 
5
Gizzada (Coconut and Ginger Tarts)

Gizzada (Coconut and Ginger Tarts)

10 tarts2 ½ hours

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 4 oz. pitted dried Medjool dates, finely chopped
  • ½ cup honey
  • 4 ½ oz. dried, unsweetened coconut 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger 
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • ¼ teaspoon finely grated nutmeg 
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil

For the pastry:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 stick unsalted vegan butter, frozen for 15 minutes
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 
  • ½ cup ice cold water
6
Sorrel (Spiced Hibiscus Drink)

Sorrel (Spiced Hibiscus Drink)

12 servings5 minutes + 8 hours steeping

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons dried ginger 
  • 1 large cinnamon stick
  • 4 allspice berries
  • 45g dried hibiscus 
  • 8 cups boiling hot water

This story comes from JFS’s operation’s manager Christina Whittaker, who shares it in her own words.

I did not grow up with a Shabbat table — my mother is from Jamaica and my father was born in England. At home, we celebrated Christmas and Easter and on weekends we ate a not quite full English breakfast of eggs, tomatoes, and baked beans.

These family gatherings did not include the flavors of the Caribbean. That more exciting fare came from my maternal grandmother Gloria, or “Grandy” as I called her, whose food rituals revolved around a place I had never been: her native Jamaica. 

Grandy always ate the eye of the fish first so it wouldn’t look at her as she consumed the body. This ritual of hers terrified me as a child and caused me to avoid whole fish for years. But, by the time I reached adulthood, this terror had transformed into fascination. I missed Grandy’s steamed fish, the eyes staring at me expectantly, her oxtail stew, and the rice and peas that accompanied every dinner at her table. Grandy was fashionable and dramatic; despite living in south Florida, she kept her furs from her years in New York in her closet. And her dark wooden dining room table was too long for her household of two.

On weekends when I was little, Grandy and I would venture out to the local Caribbean market to source ingredients like scotch bonnet peppers and whole allspice. My compensation for accompanying her was a gizzada — a sweet tart filled with desiccated coconut, ginger, and cinnamon. 

Returning from these outings, I watched her prepare meals with the ingredients we gathered. I was fascinated by her cooking, but too intimidated to participate. Instead, I watched, sometimes standing on a chair to peer into her silver Dutch pots, which I later came to recognize as a staple of the Caribbean kitchen. The stews simmered on the stove all day; she approached dinner preparations with such care and patience. I remember the intense woodsy smell of allspice that seemed to mimic the scent of freshly sharpened pencils in her home, it was so different from the kitchen aromas at the homes of my American friends.

I didn’t consider myself part of the immigrant experience because my parents came from English speaking countries; but, still, I felt the first-generation pressure to assimilate. At school, I didn’t talk about the Jamaican food I ate at Grandy’s on the weekend and my parents packed me innocuous lunches, usually ham and cheese or peanut butter, always on white bread. I was a picky eater as a kid, so it was a small victory when I liked something. In my dad’s words “what you didn’t eat was never continued.” My parents encouraged exploration, but I think their desire to start a new life in a new place fostered this indulgence. They wanted me to feel like I belonged. 

I chased that feeling to New York where I found acceptance at a small liberal arts college. In my late twenties, my relationship with my long-term partner led me to explore Judaism. He grew up in a Conservative Jewish household, but together we embarked on something new for both of us: a “home based” spiritual group centered around meditation. We made new friends, sat in weekly meditations, and it was here that I met the rabbi who would usher me through my conversion. I had grown up Catholic, but never felt fully at home in church. What I desired was community, and I found it through this shared meditation practice.

At the onset of my conversion process, I was anxious that my new identity would create distance between me and my family. But, I was pleasantly surprised that Judaism actually deepened my connection to my family. My mother’s Christmas decorations now include a menorah and she’ll ask me about the upcoming Jewish holidays and how my partner and I will be spending them. 

Through my conversion, I searched for versions of my new self in food. At the table, I navigated Jewish culinary traditions including challah, schnitzel, and jachnun. None of these, however, were like the Jamaican cuisine of my childhood. But, I had a hunch that if I kept looking, I would find something. A little research revealed Jewish migration to Jamaica going as far back as the Spanish Inquisition. The island, surprisingly, was a place where all of my identities met. 

Spending time with my aunt, I learned how to make steamed fish with okra, a staple on Grandy’s table. And conversations with my mother revealed that she had been working on compiling her mother’s and grandmother's recipes for years, some of which are now part of the Shabbat table I share with my partner. This process has allowed me to bring food from my childhood into my spiritual practice; there is no better time than Shabbat to engage with the rituals of my ancestors.

Photographer: Armando Rafael. Food Stylist: Jennifer Ophir. Prop Stylist: Vanessa Vazquez.