The Caribbean is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, but there’s much more to it than that. Jamaica and the rest of the islands have one of the planet’s most diverse culinary cultures. Here, we’ll look at some of the places from which the Caribbean draws its traditions and how they’ve influenced Jamaican cuisine.

Many ingredients commonly used in Jamaican cooking were originally grown by the island’s natives. Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, cassava root, and scotch bonnet peppers are frequently found in today’s island-inspired dishes.