This Bodega Snack Is A NYC Food Icon

@feedyoursoull

When you think about street food in New York City, you usually think of peanuts, hot dogs, pretzels and Halal carts. On the other hand, the local snack that flies a little under the radar but appears just about everywhere is the Jamaican beef patty. You’ll find them in pizza shops, bodegas and bakeries in Caribbean neighborhoods, and they have become a New York City food icon over the years.

A Jamaican beef patty is like a meat-filled turnover or hand pie. It’s meant to be something you buy when you’re on the go. This rectangular patty has a flaky yellow crust, and it’s filled with ground beef that’s seasoned with onions, thyme and chili peppers.

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Not all Jamaican beef patties are alike. The kinds that you’ll find in pizzerias are often the commercialized versions. Anyone with Caribbean roots will tell you that there’s no competition when you compare the street version with the handcrafted beef patties you find at Jamaican bakeries around the city. You know these patties are the real deal when the crusts are extra flaky and the filling is memorably spicy. When you break open the pastry shell, there should be layers of buttery yellow crust before you reach the spiced beef center. If you get these patties while they’re fresh, the pastry crust will be tender enough to basically melt right into the filling.

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Like other cultures and cuisines that become Americanized, Jamaican beef patties are no exception. Companies like Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery And Grill turn out Jamaican beef patties like they’re Big Macs, but purists know large-scale operations like this one compromise the flavor.

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The huge migration of Caribbean immigrants to Brooklyn in 1970 brought the tradition of the Jamaican beef patty to the city where it has since become a staple of NYC cuisine. You might get all kinds of different opinions when you ask people about their favorite patty, but the majority will tell you the real deal comes out of the Jamaican mom-and-pop bakeries in Brooklyn. If there’s a Jamaican grandma anywhere on the property, you know they’re legit.

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