Patty Cake

This past week I was away on a fabulously relaxing family vacation in the Turks & Caicos islands. In addition to feasting on fresh Caribbean snapper, wahoo and grouper, I sampled a staggering variety of conch dishes.

But perhaps my favorite tropical delight was an import from nearby Jamaica--patties and coco bread. I found this combination, an old college favorite, at a place called Stinson's Chinese Jamaican bakery. It was by far the best Chinese Jamaican bakery I've been to.

The patty, usually beef or chicken, is basically an empanada. Its golden, flaky exterior houses a curry-heavy meat. I enjoy the chicken more, but either one is solid. I've had veggie patties, but they taste too much like Indian pakoras for my liking.

Coco bread is a sweet, doughy roll that contains no coconut. It's so called because the bread is made to be split open like a coconut, (albeit with less effort). This Jamaican creation is heavy and eggy, not unlike a nice challah, as my breadaholic brother noted.

I was taught to wrap coco bread around the patty, but some folks find that double breading a bit odd. It's kind of like eating a corn dog wrapped in a bun. Which takes us into Taco Town territory.

Some coco breads are more patty shaped, while the ones we found clearly weren't (see below).

My lone Jamaican friend confirmed that patty enveloping is in fact done on that island, but not excessively. She likened it to super-sizing at a fast food place. I think it ups the patty from a snack to a meal.

Whether you eat them separately or together like Voltron, you need to explore patties and coco bread.