Food

Carnival food by numbers (and how much gets eaten)

• 30,000 corn on the cobs
• 15,000 fried plantains
• 1 ton of rice and peas
• 1 ton of Jamaican patties
• 12,000 mangoes
• 16,000 coconuts
• 10,000 litres of Jamaican stout
• 25,000 bottles of rum
• 70,000 litres of carrot juice

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/22/food-at-notting-hill-carnival_n_5697261.html

There are over 300 food stalls just waiting to be cleaned out at the Notting Hill Carnival every year. Above is a list of all the traditional foods found at carnival and how much is often consumed every year. Of course the types of food you are destined to come across at carnival are all related to Caribbean culture and the dishes normally served in the islands, such as a lot of jerk chicken and pork.

Jerk chicken is the most popular Caribbean meat often prepared. It is cooked in what is called a “jerk drum,” which is equivalent to an oil drum turned sideways and used for barbequing. The most common ingredients that bring about that famous jerk flavor are elements such as ground allspice berries, scotch bonnet chillies, spring onions, thyme, and a lot more. The key to perfect jerk chicken is a hot and slightly sweet smoky flavor with crisp skin and tender meat. And with this you’ll usually find sides such as rice and peas, plantains, corn, and a lot of rum.