The Dutch Pot

The Dutch Pot Jamaican Restaurant located at 418 Madison Ave, Albany, NY opened its door for business on July 11th, 2012. Dutch pot is Jamaican slang for a Dutch oven (a large, heavy, cast iron saucepan with a close fitting lid used for cooking meat, soups and just about everything). A Dutch oven was originally a cooking chamber of tin-plate suspended in front of a fire, and used chiefly for roasting meat. The term later came to describe a large, heavy, saucepan with a close-fitting lid used for braising meat, making soup and similar dishes. Now almost obsolete in Britain, they are still widely used on a day-to-day basis in Jamaica and possibly other Caribbean cultures, where they are known as 'Dutch Pot' or ' Dutchie'. The Dutch Pot specializes in Jerk Chicken and does make the genuine product as is done in Jamaica. Jerk Chicken is believed to have been conceived when the Maroons introduced African meat cooking techniques to Jamaica which were combined with native Jamaican ingredients and seasonings used by the Arawak. The method of smoking meat for a long period of time served two practical purposes, keeping insects away from the raw meat and preserving it for longer once it has been cooked. This process also introduces a strong smoky flavor to the meat.
There are two commonly held theories regarding how the name "Jerk" came to be used. One is that it originates from the Spanish word "Charqui", used to describe dried meat. Over time this term evolved from "Charqui" to "Jerky" to "Jerk". Another theory is that the name derives from the practice of jerking (poking) holes in the meat to fill with spices prior to cooking. Nowadays, the word "Jerk" is used as a noun to describe the seasoning applied to jerked food and as a verb to describe the process of cooking used.