Handheld · Flaky & Spiced

Jamaican Beef Patty

Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

That signature yellow crust doesn't come from egg wash — it's turmeric or curry powder, a nod to the island's Indian-influenced spice palette.

A semi-circular pastry with a flaky, golden turmeric-tinted crust is filled with seasoned ground beef (or chicken, vegetables) and baked. Patty shops and street stands sell them island-wide.

Why it's made this way: Patty shops became Jamaica's answer to fast food, blending the British colonial-era Cornish pasty format with curry spicing brought by Indian indentured laborers.

Roughly what's in it

300kcal

10gprotein

30gcarbs

16gfat

Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.

Read it in context →

More from Jamaica

Sorrel

Jerk Chicken 🫓 Bammy

Jerk Pork (Boston Bay Style) 🍌 Blue Drawers (Duckanoo) 🦐 Janga (River Shrimp) Soup

Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.