Breadfruit roasted whole over the flame until the skin blackens, and bammy, a flat griddle cake of grated and pressed cassava. Two robust starchy breads that keep and are eaten on the go.

Why this dish? A son of Nine Mile, Marley grew up with breadfruit roasted on the coals and bammy, a cassava flatbread from ancient times. Easy to carry and keep, these starches sustained long days away from home, on the roads from Trench Town to Harare.

Back in Nine Mile, we would put the breadfruit right on the embers, and wait until the skin was all black — inside, it's soft like warm bread. Bammy is the bread of our ancestors, cassava that we grate, press to remove the water, and cook on a hot stone. You take it on the road, it doesn't spoil. When the belly is full of earth's food, a man can walk far and sing loud.

How it was made : Bammy descends from the cassava bread of the Taíno, indigenous people of Jamaica: bitter cassava must be grated and pressed to remove its toxic juice before cooking. Breadfruit, introduced in the 18th century, was roasted on embers by rural communities. Two preserving starches, perfect for travel.

The contemporary twist : Cut roasted breadfruit into thick fries and serve bammy as mini patties: a "street food platter" of Jamaican roots.

Bob Marley · Charactorium