Why is jerk chicken famous in jamaica?

Jerk refers to a style of cooking in which the main ingredient—which most often is chicken but may also be beef, pork, goat, boar, seafood, or vegetables— is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a hot mixture of spices called Jerk Spice and placed over an open grill, indigenously called a “jerk pan.”

It's alleged that the cuisine had its origins with the Taino, who developed the jerk method and later taught it to African slaves, Who in turn adapted it in creating jerk chicken. The word jerk reportedly stems from the Spanish charqui, meaning dried strips of meat similar to the modern-day jerky.

In Jamaica, jerk chicken is famous for its pungent marinade, marked by allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers, which are similar to habanero chili peppers. (Holes are usually poked into the meat to enable the marinade to spread.)

As with many ethnic foods from around the world, Jamaican Jerk Chicken really started taking a place in the global food culture when Jamaicans started migrating to places like the United States, Canada and England. With them they brought the indigenous flavors of the island and opened up restaurants and “cook shops” around their new home towns and cities to replicate the feel of home and make a living.

Also, visitors to the island who go out into the small towns and cities to experience authentic Jamaican every day life, sample Jerk offerings from street vendors and small restaurants, opening up to the cuisine in its truest form. These visitors then take their experiences home and spread the word.