Bob Marley's Favorite Post-Show Meal Featured Many Traditional Ital Foods

Rastafarians view untouched, pure nature as the source of good health and energy. Their plant-based diet grew in popularity in Jamaican communities in the 1930s, with the goal of eating foods that weren't processed or refined. This way of eating became known as ital, a derivative of the word vital, as practitioners sought to eat plant-based, organic foods that would help keep the mind sharp and energy levels high.

Legendary singer Bob Marley was so committed to this way of life that he brought his own chef with him on his musical tours. His cook, Antonio Gilbert "Gilly" would make big meals of rice and kidney beans for the singer and his band to eat after performances. Many Iital recipes were cooked in coconut milk and seasoned with thyme. Since Marley avoided salt, Gilly used fresh herbs and spices to flavor dishes, instead, and packed gungo peas, butter beans, cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots into filling stews.  Fried plantains were also aplenty.

While avoiding coffee and alcohol is part of the set guidelines for those following a strict ital diet, some Rastafarians choose to drink in moderation, enjoying just enough alcohol while staying alert. (The idea is that if you drink to the point of inebriation, your livity, or life source, becomes depleted). Instead of serving Marley and his bandmates alcohol or fancy cocktails, Gilly would make fresh juices from seasonal fruit. Ginger beer was also frequently served. 

Marley was also known to enjoy some of Gilly's other drink recipes, such as fresh limeade and Irish Moss, a thick concoction made with condensed milk, seaweed, and sweetened with cinnamon. While we can't comment on how such a drink might impact musical performances, with such nutritious meals served on the regular, Marley and his companions were sure to have the energy needed to sustain — and recover from — long nights of jamming, dancing, and travel.