Meaning
Goat meat slow-cooked in a rich curry of Jamaican curry powder, onion, garlic, thyme, and scotch bonnet until the meat is fall-apart tender and the gravy deep and fragrant. A celebrated dish and a mark of an occasion, curry goat is served at weddings, funerals, parties, and every big gathering, usually with white rice or rice and peas, and the great pot of it simmering is a sign of a real celebration. Beloved across the island, it is one of the crowning dishes of the Jamaican table.
Examples
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No wedding complete widout a big pot a curry goat.
No wedding is complete without a big pot of curry goat.
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Di curry goat cook dung till it fall off di bone.
The curry goat cooked down until it fell off the bone.
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Serve di curry goat ova white rice.
Serve the curry goat over white rice.
Origin
Curry came to Jamaica with Indian indentured labourers in the 19th century and was adapted with local seasonings; curry goat became a centrepiece of celebration cooking.
How it’s used
A quintessential celebration dish, tied to weddings, funerals, and parties.