What Jamaican appetizer, whose name means “stop and go,” is a salt-cod fritter?

Stamp and go is a Jamaican salt-cod fritter whose name is commonly explained as meaning “stop and go.”

The fritter is made from salted cod mixed with a seasoned batter, typically including flour, scallions, onion, thyme, and hot pepper. Spoonfuls of the mixture are fried until crisp outside and tender inside. Stamp and go is commonly served as a breakfast item, snack, or party appetizer.

Salt cod became widespread in Caribbean cooking because salting and drying made fish durable before modern refrigeration. It was imported through Atlantic trade networks and became part of many island cuisines, where it was combined with local seasonings and starches.

The name is sometimes written with capital letters as “Stamp and Go,” but it refers to the same Jamaican dish. It should not be confused with festival, which is a sweetish fried cornmeal bread, or bammy, a cassava flatbread.