Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding May Look Like Pie, But Don't Be Fooled

When it comes to holiday celebrations and family gatherings, chances are there are a couple of pies sitting at the dining table. Yes, you can bring the ole sweet potato pie or banana pudding, but why not wow your party crowd with an aromatic dessert? For your next celebratory event, consider bringing Jamaican sweet potato pudding. Rich in flavor, Jamaican sweet potato pudding is a Caribbean dessert typically eaten during the holidays.

Jamaican sweet potato pudding — also known as a pone — is a dark brown round delicacy with a texture that resembles a cake more than a pie or pudding. It's packed with many spices and consists largely of sweet potatoes and coconut. A typical pudding also includes raisins (sometimes soaked in rum), ginger, flour, and spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. These ingredients result in a harmonious blend of holiday spices and tropical flavors, which produce a delicious, silky dessert. Add an extra punch of sweetness by topping the pudding with slices of banana or toasted pecans.

Most Jamaican sweet potato puddings use Caribbean sweet potatoes, also known as Boniato or white yams. However, that doesn't mean you have to stick to these types of potatoes.

For a denser pudding, use batata, which is a white-fleshed sweet potato native to Central and South America. If you want a sweeter pudding, try Japanese Murasaki sweet potatoes, which have a more intense sweetness than the regular variety. Though most may associate sweet potatoes with vibrant orange hues, why not give Jamaican sweet potato pudding a splash of purple by using Okinawan sweet potatoes? These potatoes have deep purple-colored flesh and are packed with nutrients.

You don't even have to solely use potatoes to make the pudding. For instance, while the differences between sweet potatoes and yams aren't always obvious, using yellow Jamaican yams can make a more dense pudding thanks to its high starch content. Whatever sweet potatoes — or yams — you decide to use to make Jamaican sweet potato pudding, it sure will be a crowd-pleaser at your next holiday dinner.

It's unclear when Jamaican sweet potato pudding came about. But like many Caribbean cuisines, Jamaican cuisine is a diverse culinary mishmash of Taino, African, and European cuisines. Sweet potatoes originated in Central and South America, cultivated by indigenous groups way before the arrival of European settlers and African slaves.

As sweet potato is a popular ingredient to use for sweet potato pie in the United States during the holiday seasons, the root vegetable also appears as the main star in many similar desserts across the Caribbean. Caribbean sweet potato pie is a popular dish in the region. While it sounds similar to Jamaican sweet potato pudding, the pie packs an extra sweet tartness thanks to the addition of pineapple. In the Dominican Republic, pan de batata or Dominican sweet potato cake is a popular holiday dessert. Nearby in Puerto Rico, cazuela is a pie jammed with sweet potato, pumpkin, and coconut milk, which makes it perfect to be served during the holidays.