They say reggae is the heartbeat of the Jamaican people. This is absolutely correct as the sounds mirror the sensuality of our great people. Each corner of the globe rocks to our indigenous music. Tonight Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest kicks off in earnest, gaining momentum tomorrow night and ending in a superb climax in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The premier reggae festival of the year, I never miss it when I am in Jamaica. This music festival is special to me as one of my businesses is in Montego Bay. We have supported it from inception. Thank you so much, organisers, for bringing the international flavour, fantastic music, buzzing energy and the great food stalls. Montego Bay is culturally richer for this fabulous showpiece.

In honour of this great music festival, today’s recipes will follow a reggae theme. When I was asked to do something around this subject, I must admit I was a bit daunted. During brainstorming what struck me about Sumfest was the delicious vegetarian food. Many people in the world associate reggae music with Bob Marley and Rastafarianism. Many of my Rasta brethren and sistren are vegetarians. It also hit me that I always eat vegetarian when I attend the event. Ital stew, yatties (vegetarian patties), soups, tofu, peanut punch, and carrot juice are my mainstays. When I do decide to have an alcoholic beverage, it is always a refreshing and cool Red Stripe in my hand when swaying to the sweet reggae music.