Motherland

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 ANDRE SIMON BEST COOKBOOK AWARD
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The BBC Radio 4 Food Programme Books of the Year 2022
The Observer New Review Books of the Year 2022
The Telegraph Top Cookbooks of 2022
The Financial Times Top 5 Cookbooks of 2022
The Week Best food books of 2022
Delicious Magazine Best Cook Books of 2022
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'Melissa captures her love of food and its roots deliciously' - Ainsley Harriott

Motherland is a cookbook that charts the history of the people, influences and ingredients that uniquely united to create the wonderful patchwork cuisine that is Jamaican food today.

There are recipes for the classics, like saltfish fritters, curry goat and patties, as well as Melissa’s own twists and family favourites, such as:

Oxtail nuggets with pepper sauce mayo
Ginger beer prawns
Smoky aubergine rundown
Sticky rum and tamarind wings
Grapefruit cassava cake
Guinness punch pie.

Running through the recipes are essays charting the origins and evolution of Jamaica’s famous dishes, from the contribution of indigenous Jamaicans, the Redware and Taíno peoples; the impact of the Spanish and British colonisation; the inspiration and cooking techniques brought from West and Central Africa by enslaved men and women; and the influence of Indian and Chinese indentured workers who came to the island.

Motherland does not shy away from the brutality of the colonial periods, but takes us on a journey through more than 500 years of history to give context to the beloved island and its cuisine.


'Visually stunning with wonderful writing and recipes, it’s a love song to the people, food and history of Jamaica and is sure to be a classic' Sarah Winman

'A masterful work and a must for any lover of the food of Jamaica and the Caribbean region or simply anyone who loves good food' - Dr Jessica B. Harris