Callaloo
Also spelled: Calaloo, Kalalu, Callalloo
Meaning
A leafy green vegetable (in Jamaica usually amaranth, sometimes taro leaf elsewhere) cooked down with onion, scallion, thyme and often saltfish; also the finished dish itself. Unlike the Trinidadian callaloo, which is a soupy okra-and-coconut stew, the Jamaican version is a dry-ish sautéed greens dish.
Examples
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“Mi madda a cook callaloo an saltfish fi breakfus.”
My mother is cooking callaloo and saltfish for breakfast.
'a cook' uses 'a' as the continuous marker; a classic Jamaican breakfast pairing.
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“Yuh waan callaloo inna di ackee?”
Do you want callaloo in the ackee?
No copula or auxiliary needed to form the question, just intonation.
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“Di callaloo dem grow wild roun di back.”
The callaloo plants grow wild round the back.
'dem' pluralises the noun; refers to the amaranth plant itself.
Origin
Of West African origin; commonly traced to words in the Kikongo/Bantu group (e.g. 'kalalu' for a leafy greens dish), carried to the Caribbean through the transatlantic slave trade.
How it's used
Everyday word used across all classes. Note that 'callaloo' means different plants and dishes in different islands, which causes confusion among Caribbean people abroad; in Jamaica it specifically means amaranth greens.