Meaning
To rinse raw meat, chicken, or fish before cooking — traditionally with water and often lime, lemon, or vinegar — to clean it and take away the 'fresh' smell before seasoning. Washing the meat is a near-universal step in the Jamaican kitchen, and to skip it strikes many cooks as unclean. The lime or vinegar rinse is felt to freshen the meat and prepare it to take the seasoning well.
Examples
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Wash di chicken wid lime before yuh season it.
Wash the chicken with lime before you season it.
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Always wash yuh meat good.
Always wash your meat well.
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Vinegar an water fi wash di fish.
Vinegar and water to wash the fish.
Origin
From English 'wash' + 'meat'; the customary rinse (with lime/vinegar) before cooking. See [[fresh]], [[season-up]].
How it’s used
To rinse raw meat/fish (often with lime/vinegar) before seasoning. See [[fresh]], [[season-up]].