Power Salad, as this vegetable-based treat is dubbed, is high in nutritional value as it includes callaloo, ripe plantains (chopped), carrots, tomatoes and avocados (chopped) all of which are uncooked. - photos by Sheena Gayle
Western Bureau:
The unrealised delight of raw food was ignited through a scrumptious Raw Food Festival held in Montego Bay on Sunday. It was hosted by the master raw food chef Earl Chong.
The thought of eating our national fruit, ackee, in its raw state may not have whetted the taste buds of many food lovers before this festival. However, upon first taste of that soft, thick mass of ackee blended together with onion, ginger, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper and liquid amino, ackee dip became an instant hit among patrons.
Pure, uncooked meals
Hosted at Island Juices in Rose Hall, Montego Bay, the celebration of how raw fruits, nuts and vegetables can be consumed, saw scores of curious individuals experimenting with the delicious treat of pure, uncooked meals.
One such individual was security officer Kenroy Facey who is not a vegetarian but admitted that he would consider a diet of raw food similar to what was on display.
"This will be my first time eating food such as ackee in its raw state, and to be honest, I like it. It is not as bad as I first thought it would be, it has exceeded my expectations so I would definitely try this preparation at home and from what I understand it is even better than cooked foods", an enthused Facey revealed as he snacked on a vegetable wrap.
Among other delectable and well-flavoured treats were the power salad made of plantains, avocados, tomatoes, callaloo, cucumbers and carrots. In addition the piquant, almond cheese and cashew cheese dips offered an interesting spin on how cheese can be prepared while offering high contents of nutrients.
Eating foods such as vegetables, nuts, beans and fruits in their uncooked state is rather simple according to raw food expert Earl Chong.
"The body is mostly made up of cells and most of us support the body and not the cells. Cooked foods are dead cells and it cannot support living cells in our bodies. The way to healthy eating is to eat food that will regenerate the cells in our bodies", he affirmed.
Chong has successfully recovered from cancer and other incurable diseases through his transformation from a diet of cooked food to raw food. He has successfully maintained that diet for 16 years and he eats only natural, unrefined, plant-based foods (no meat or animal products). In addition to his diet he consumes BarleyMax (an all-natural supplement) as well as vegetable juices and pure water.
The Raw Food Festival in Montego Bay last weekend, provided an eye-opening experience to food lovers in western Jamaica and this delicious almond cheese made of almond nuts was one of many raw dishes prepared.
Cashew cheese made of actual cashew nuts is an intriguing protein-enriched treat.
Ackee patties at the Raw Food Festival in Montego Bay on Sunday.
This delicious and unconventional method of preparing our national fruit, ackee, offered a new approach to eating it in a raw state. This ackee dip consists of onion, ginger, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper and liquid amino which was all grounded in a food processor.