Truffles, foie gras, carpaccio, crème brulee and champagne. Over the years, the Cayman Islands’ epicurean reputation has grown in proportion to the availability of exotic delicacies such as these, culminating in the annual Cayman Islands Culinary Month – which is itself so decadent that it stretches over January and February.
In catering to the hearts and bellies of the international gourmet, however, there lurks the danger of overlooking the food normal people usually eat.
With that in mind, we present the Great Patty Taste Off: pitting three of the most popular brands in Cayman against one another.
The competitors
For those who don’t know, a Jamaican patty is a savoury pastry with a golden-yellow crust and a spiced filling – traditionally beef, but sometimes chicken, vegetable or something more remarkable, such as lobster.
Juici Patties was founded in Clarendon, Jamaica in 1980. Nowadays, Juici Patties offers more than 50 products including patties, loaves, soups, and breakfast dishes. In 2001, the company branched out to Ontario, Canada, by purchasing a manufacturing plant there. The company employs more than 1,500 people. Juici Patties were introduced to Cayman in 2008 courtesy of the Island Taste Patty Shop.
Tastee was established in Kingston, Jamaica, more than 40 years ago. Its menu features patties, sandwiches, fried chicken, soups and breakfast dishes. With locations all over Jamaica, the company has targeted other Caribbean destinations, such as Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago and Cayman. Since 1994, Tortuga Rum Company has been the exclusive distributor for Tastee in Cayman.
Island Taste has been a hometown favourite since it opened in 1975, originally located on the waterfront where the Hard Rock Cafe now stands. In addition to patties and pastries, Island Taste has a menu of rotating lunch items, including Cayman style beef, Cayman style fish and stewed conch. In addition to its in-restaurant food buffet, Island Taste also caters.
The judges
A panel of illustrious patty sages was handpicked from the staff of Cayman Free Press during a rigorous selection process consisting of at least two emails. All with deep local roots, the judges have been critiquing patties informally for most of their lives. The judges’ names are being withheld to protect their identities and to spare them from heated arguments in supermarket aisles with those who disagree with their determinations.
Judge A has 37 years’ experience eating patties in Cayman. During those nearly two score years, Judge A has grown quite philosophical about patties and the strategies of eating them. “Crust is very important,” he muses. The patty crust should be crisp and flaky, differentiating itself texturally from the moist filling. Judge A notes that there are two basic types of patty-eaters, those who bravely dive teeth-first into the steaming hot patty centre, defying second-degree burns; and those who gradually eat around the circumference of the crust, giving the patty time to cool as they work their way toward the middle. “I’m definitely more of a nibbler,” Judge A confesses.
Judge B demurred against saying how long she’s been eating patties, but knowing Bodden Towners, it’s probably been since her parents introduced her. During the competition, Judge B sampled the patties with the delicate assuredness of a sommelier testing a wine pairing. Her commentary was brief and to the point, consisting of judgments such as “nice”, “tasteless”, “spicy” and “yuck”.
Judge C is a self-described “patty aficionado for over 25 years”, having the opportunity to sample offerings in all three Islands, Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean. His favourite meal is Pepsi and a patty: “The breakfast of champions”, he says.
The competition
The brands competing were Juici, Tastee and Island Taste. The categories were beef, chicken and vegetable. (Note: Unfortunately, the Juici vegetable patty could not be located in time for the contest.) Each patty was assigned a score from 1-5 (5 being the best) for the following criteria: filling, dough, spiciness, and overall taste. The patties were all obtained within an hour of consumption, in order to retain as much heat as possible. The identities of the brands of patties were kept secret from the judges.
The results
The big winner of the Great Patty Taste Off will come as little surprise to long-time Caymanian residents. While the Jamaican patties have a rich and savoury heritage of their own, Juici and Tastee could not overcome Island Taste’s home-field advantage. Perhaps the judges’ taste buds were trained to respond to the familiarity of the Caymanian patties. Whatever the reason, Island Taste walked away (if patties could walk) with the highest total score in each of the three varieties of patties – beef, chicken and vegetable.
Juici and Tastee, although, did acquit themselves nicely among the individual judges. For example, Juici garnered top chicken honours from Judge A. Tastee was Judge C’s runaway winner in the beef and chicken categories.
But Juici and Tastee couldn’t overcome the consistent marks posted by Island Taste, which was uniformly lauded for its dough and spiciness. So the next time you feel like eating a patty, try an Island Taste, or a Juici, or a Tastee. They’re all good. And while you’re at it, don’t be afraid to grab some coco bread and make a sandwich.
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