Jamaican patty

Jamaican patties and a Red Stripe beer.

A Jamaican patty or pattie is a pastry that contains various fillings and spices baked inside a flaky shell, often tinted golden yellow with an egg yolk mixture or turmeric. It is made like a turnover but is more savory. As its name suggests, it is commonly found in Jamaica, and is also eaten in other areas of the Caribbean, like Costa Rica's Caribbean coast but most notably that of Haiti, in which the pastry is thick and crispy essentially a turnover. It is traditionally filled with seasoned ground beef, however, fillings now include chicken, vegetables, shrimp, lobster, fish, soy, ackee, mixed vegetables or cheese. In Jamaica the patty is often eaten as a full meal especially when paired with bread. It can also be made as bite-sized portions and is then referred to as a cocktail patty.

In recent years, the Jamaican meat patty is found pre-made and frozen in United Kingdom and North America (primarily Canada, New York City, and South Florida), and the Philippines. When sold outside of the Caribbean, patties are often made and labeled according to varying degrees of spiciness.

Jamaican patties are quite popular in Canada and England and are sold in the cafeterias of high schools, colleges, and universities.

See also

• Empanada
• Turnover (food)

References

• What is a Jamaican Beef Patty?