Jamaican Curry Goat is an authentic Jamaican dish consisting of goat meat cooked with potatoes, tomatoes and a mixture of spices that are significant to Jamaica. It is one of the most popular dishes in Jamaica and it perfectly reflects the rich cultural diversity of Jamaica.

This dish originated from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and was brought to Jamaica by Indian laborers. As slavery was abolished in 1833 and former slaves no longer wanted to work on plantations, British Empire experienced labor shortages across its colonies. So the British government opened offices in India and tried to recruit Indians as indentured laborers to work for a certain period, usually five or ten years. They would received basic provisions and a minimal salary, followed by either a free passage home or free land. This led to the migration of some 36,000 Indians to Jamaica, and many more to other British colonies such as Trinidad, Tobago and British Guiana (now Guyana). With them, they brought their culinary influences and although today only 3 percent of Jamaica’s population are people of Indian origin, traditional Indian foods such as “curry goat” are now seen as Jamaican.

Jamaican curry goat is a special dish that is served on festive occasions such as weddings and birthdays. This is due to the cost of goat meat, which is more expensive than chicken or beef, and the fact that it takes a long time to prepare and cook it – it is traditionally marinated in Jamaican spices for at least 24 hours before it is slow cooked in a curry sauce.

We made a vegan version of this dish and used seiten as a substitute for goat meat. Seiten has a dense, rubbery texture that somewhat resembles goat meat. The most important part of this dish is a marinade, so try to use authentic Jamaican spices. Even in its vegan version, this dish is not complicated to make, but it takes some time to prepare it and cook it. However, this delicious, juicy dish is worth the time.