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Ethnic diversity has endowed the island of Jamaica with a multifaceted cultural mosaic that has enriched her cultural expression.  It is what makes a visit to Jamaica unlike a visit to any other place on earth.  From music and dance to theatre, film and the fine arts; whether you're looking to retrace roots or just take in something new and different, you'll find more to learn about and lots more to love in Jamaica, long considered the cultural capital of the Caribbean.

Jamaica's history is told by the food Jamaican's eat. Rich and spicy as the pepper pot soup that originated with the Taino Indians, Jamaican cooking is a culinary melting pot that combines a hint of Spanish, a dash of English and a heaping teaspoon of Indian and Chinese with a cup or two of African ingredients to serve up the Caribbean's most creative cuisine.

Jamaica's history is told by the food Jamaicans eat.  The cassava the Arawaks grew is used today as "bammie," a toasted flat cake eaten with fried fish.  The Maroons, always on the run, devised a way of spicing and slow cooking pork that they called "jerking", today's visitor tastes jerk chicken and fish as well.  To feed the slaves cheaply and well, the ackee fruit was brought from Africa, as were breadfruit and a variety of yams and root vegetables.

The Africans carried their own culinary secrets with them, including duckunoo, a steamed pudding made of green bananas and coconut. Breadfruit arrived on the island courtesy of Captain William Bligh, of Bounty fame. And the ubiquitous meat patties sold by roadside vendors are a direct, but much spicier, descendent of English meat pasties.

Curried goat, a popular island dish often served with rice and peas, dates to 1845 when -- following the abolition of slavery -- plantation owners began importing indentured laborers from India and later China; the new arrivals quickly added their own contributions, including curry and other spices, to the island's expanding palette of exotic flavors.  In addition to indigenous vegetables like cho-cho, which tastes a little like squash.

Jamaica's pop music, reggae, has become known and loved around the world, made famous by the legendary Bob Marley, and much of Jamaica's culture and heritage revolves around its extraordinary accomplishments in the world music arena.

The native pimento tree, the source of allspice, adds itself to numerous Jamaican dishes.  So do ginger, garlic, nutmeg and Scotch Bonnet peppers, considered the hottest on earth. These may or not be a key ingredient of the island's famous Pickapeppa Sauce -- the recipe is a closely guarded secret -- but they're essential when it comes to making the mouth-searing jerked pork, chicken and fish for which Jamaica is equally famous.

A technique thought to originate with the Maroons, descendents of slaves who escaped from their Spanish masters to the island's most remote mountain areas, "jerked" meat is marinated for hours in an incendiary mixture of peppers, pimento seeds, scallion, thyme and nutmeg, then cooked over an outdoor pit lined with pimento wood.  The low heat allows the meat to cook slowly, so it loses little of its natural juices while becoming saturated with the flavor of the wood.

Jerk stands can be found all over the island. Rastafarian I-tal, or vegetarian, meals abound in Negril.  In the Middle Quarters area of the South Coast, dried peppered shrimp are sold by the bag.  Delicacies like Stamp and Go (saltfish cakes eaten as appetizers) and mackerel Run-Down (whole salted mackerel simmered in coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, scallions, thyme and hot peppers, and served with boiled green bananas or yams) can be enjoyed island-wide.

Music - Musical events are many and varied in Jamaica, from jazz and gospel to reggae and even oldies.  If you're planning a visit, it's a good idea to find out what's going on on-island in terms of musical entertainment, from intimate concerts to major productions.

Biking - Rusty's X-Cellent Adventures, located in Negril, offers local bicycle rides to fit the needs of people with all levels of skill and stamina, with names such as "Little Bay", "Iron Shore", and "Hog Heaven".  Whether you want to ride through sugar cane fields and emerald countryside to a river filled with waterfalls in the mountains, or explore a group of ancient caves, Rusty 's will create a bike tour that fits your interest.  For those feeling "x-tra" adventurous, you can even ride your bicycle down the waterfalls or off a cliff right into the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Bicycles and mopeds are also for rent at some resort properties and at bike rental companies, which also rent motorcycles of various cc's.

Birding Tours - Birding in Jamaica is enhanced by the unique richness and variety of the landscape and the beautiful tropical climate.  Rich in bird life, there are 25 species and 21 sub-species of birds that are found nowhere else on earth and the total number of different species is over 256.

Deep Sea Fishing - Most major hotels offer full- or half-day charters that include boat, captain, crew and equipment. Blue marlin is the prize, but wahoo and tuna are well worth the fight.

Safari Tours - Jeep Safari Tours takes you into the wilds above Ocho Rios, Jamaica, in a region known for lush vegetation, mountainous slopes, cold, clear streams and pristine waterfalls.  The tour - aboard eight-passenger English Range Rovers with zebra stripes - takes you to hidden waterfalls where you can swim in secluded water holes with hummingbirds and bougainvillea as your only companions.  After a quick cool-off, you'll explore Jamaica's history to visit the ruins of an 18th-Century plantation destroyed in the famous slave rebellions.  After you've worked up a sweat again you'll be taken to a bubbling stream for a relaxing inner-tube ride down some calm but swift waters, where a jerk chicken lunch -- picnic style -- awaits. 

Mountain Climbing and Hiking - Our Blue Mountains reach above 7,000 feet. And our quiet country roads lead to misty forests, mountain trails and bird songs you've never heard before.  Experience the lush beauty of the Rio Grande Valley with the eco-award winning Valley Hikes, which offers treks of varying difficulty throughout the John Crow Mountains.  The paths parallel bubbling streams and bamboo forests, scale the sides of mountains, meander through the fern-laden valley floor where one eventually can find respite with a refreshing dip in a hidden waterfall or explore a tucked-away cave.

Along the way, guides will educate their hikers on the uses and preparation of indigenous plants and herbs and stop to pluck a fresh paw-paw (papaya) to snack on. This tour provides an opportunity for Jamaicans as well as visitors from abroad to get a better appreciation of the Valley's nature, culture and rich heritage.  Valley Hikes works closely with the first non-governmental environmental group in Jamaica, the Portland Environment Protection Association (PEPA), which operates PEP clubs - educational programs for youths in the Portland Parish.