Motherland is a timeline through food-a tangible expression of each moment in Jamaica's history. It explores the island's food and how its Indigenous, African, and European roots have woven a unique patchwork of delicious cooking. Award winning food writer Melissa Thompson always felt the magnetic pull of her dad's island, the motherland. And in this book she delivers the best loved Jamaican classics, with recipes for jerk, curry goat, rice and peas, celebratory punch, and much more. Melissa guides us through the difficult history of a place often reduced to a paradise island of reggae and sunshine. From the Indigenous peoples to the European settlers who introduced the murderous transatlantic slave trade that brought millions of people from Africa to the Americas, this book details how those myriad influences led to Jamaica's wonderful, singular cuisine, which tells the island's story without uttering a word. Book jacket.