The heritage of the jerk style of cooking and jerk seasoning mirrors the history of barbecue and gumbo because it is a totally multicultural food. The main flavours are allspice accompanied by a strong heat. Other herbs and spices like ginger, garlic and onion form the background flavour notes.
Jerk seasoning, perhaps surprisingly, has a variety of health benefits. It contains minerals; like most spices, allspice is an excellent source of minerals, notably iron, calcium, magnesium and manganese. Eugenol is an essential oil found in allspice, which has antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties. Thyme is a great source of vitamin C and it contains smaller volumes of a few B-vitamins including B-2 and B-6. Allspice contains vitamin C.
Jerk seasoning is a versatile spice which you can use to flavour chicken, fish, or tofu along with pork.
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