Coco bread is a Jamaican bread eaten on the island and in other areas of the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. The

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

contains

coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

and is soft and slightly sweet in taste. It is made to be split in half, and is often stuffed with a Jamaican patty or other fillings to form a

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

. It is usually found in school cafeterias and bakeries.

History

''Coco bread'' originated in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, however its exact roots are unclear. It is believed to have been born out of scarcity. However, it is likely to have been developed during the colonial era, by enslaved Africans and indentured labourers from China and India, who worked on sugar

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

s. ''Coco bread'' is a variation of Jamaican hard dough bread, and it bears similarities to other sweet breads and ''soft dough'' breads introduced to the island by Chinese indentured labourers, and European colonizers. Since then, it has been popular within Caribbean communities throughout the region, and in areas where Jamaican immigrants have settled.

Preparation

Ingredients include flour, butter or oil, yeast, sugar, and milk or coconut milk, which are combined to form a soft dough. After rising, the dough is separated into portions which are rolled out, coated with butter or oil, and folded into half-moon shaped buns (to make an easy-to-split cleft), before baking. ''Coco bread'' is dense, moist and soft in consistency, and slightly sweet in taste.

Usage

The bread has been a standard offering in school cafeterias as an inexpensive and filling lunch item. In Jamaica, ''coco bread'' is usually paired with patties or other fillings to form sandwiches. It is commonly served to-go in bakeries and pastry shops across the island, and is eaten by all social classes. It may be served for dipping or as part of a bread basket.

Variations and similar breads

Jamaican ''coconut bread'' which is small, round and soft is a variation of ''coco bread''. Hard dough bread from which ''coco bread'' is derived, and other dense, soft and slightly sweet breads like Jamaican ''cornbread'' are also similar. In coastal

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, which experienced Antillean migration, especially from Jamaica, between the 17th and 20th centuries, variations of ''coco bread'' can be found— like Honduran ''pan de coco'', also made in coastal

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

and San Andrés (not to be confused with Filipino pan de coco), and ''Creole bread'' made in

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

. Also, Japanese milk bread, French

brioche Brioche (, also , , ) is a bread of French origin whose high egg and butter content gives it a rich and tender crumb. Chef Joël Robuchon described it as "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and e ...

and Chinese mantou share similarities with ''coco bread''.

References

Jamaican cuisine Caribbean cuisine Foods containing coconut Jamaican breads {{Bread-stub

History

Preparation

Usage

Variations and similar breads

See also

References