You can probably imagine some of the headlines I mulled over for a Friday Food Fight about jerk chicken. But after pitching a couple to the RTB team … let’s just say that taste prevailed.

Why, you may wonder, is it called “jerk” chicken? Most historical accounts agree that it derives from a Spanish term, “Charqui,” imported from Peru, that means dried strips of meat. Jerk cooking dates back to the 1600s, when runaway African slaves in Jamaica, called Maroons, mixed with the island’s indigenous Arawak Indians and adopted their spices and cooking style. Obviously, jerk has evolved over the years.

I always enjoy my Food Fights that pit Tampa Bay vs. another city. This one came about because Bonnie and I spent 10 days in Athens, Ga. helping care for my precocious 2.5-year-old granddaughter.

Child-care logistics caused me to opt for takeout at Kelly’s Authentic Jamaican Food, so I did the same at Ti Bamboo Caribbean Restaurant and Lounge in far northeastern St. Pete.

Kelly’s Authentic Jamaican Food

Despite its yellow paint job, this place was easy to miss. It’s set back from Lumpkin Street in the Five Points section of Athens, across the parking lot from the most beaten-down Subway shop I’ve ever seen.

I popped in on a Wednesday around 7:30, the only customer, and approached the cafeteria line. Everywhere I looked there were images of Bob Marley. I get that he’s a legend and an important Jamaican signifier, but how about sprinkling in a little Marcus Garvey, or even Usain Bolt as a change of pace?

A dour woman took my order — large jerk chicken with rice & peas (actually red kidney beans) and spicy cabbage ($16) — and shoveled mass quantities into a classic three-compartment styrofoam container. I could’ve done some curls with it on the way back to the car if I didn’t know it would spill out on the parking lot.

Appearance

Back at the FFF Satellite Lab, I opened the container, which was fit to burst, and scooped out healthy portions. Everything looked moist and tasty. The vegetables were cooked down to mush, which is standard for Jamaican fare. The skin of the chicken had the requisite dark char.

Texture and Taste

The chicken fell apart at the jab of a fork. A good sign. Took a small bite. Moist, tender, but then it came on. Heat. Serious spicy heat. I paused to consider: Would I be able to enjoy this? The answer came up a guarded yes, although I knew it would be a test. At least the spicy heat did not obliterate the taste of the chicken.

I sampled the cabbage. Oddly sweet at first, but then the heat came on hard, about double that of the chicken. I took a couple more bites for due diligence, then tapped out on the stuff. The moderately spicy rice & peas provided a counterbalance, and I included some with every bite. It was the best part of the meal.

It took a good 30 minutes for my mouth to “cool off.”

Ti Bamboo

This small, cute building on a large lot at MLK Street and 93rd Avenue North features a mural of … you guessed it: a smiling Bob Marley (eye roll).

The interior was tidy and comfortable, with a few Jamaican totems, but not to the point of overkill. If there were more Marley images, I don’t recall them.

It was about 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and I was the only patron. Candice, the counter person, exuded an amiable Island charm. I ordered the Jerk Chicken entree ($11) — which includes rice & peas and cabbage — and chatted with her while I waited a short while for the packed (but not bursting) styrofoam container to arrive.

Appearance

Virtually identical to the Kelly’s takeout box, except not as stuffed and thus more kempt. One thing jumped out: The chicken was coated in a dark brown jerk sauce, something that Kelly’s didn’t have.

Hungry, I hustled back to the FFF Lab.

Texture and Taste

For starters: less heat. Way less, but enough. Eating this meal was no sweat.

The outer char on the chicken was more pronounced than that of Kelly’s, which made for some enjoyably chewy moments. Our dog Niko liked what he saw so much that he photo-bombed and begged for a piece. (I gave him two.)

Some of the white meat had a chalky feel, so the dark was preferable The rice & peas were fine, if a tad on the dry side. The cabbage, though, was exemplary, combining subtle sweetness and piquancy.

Candice threw in a small plastic container of sauce, which I put to good use for dipping. It was more sweet than spicy, and had a hint of vinegar.

And the Winner of the Jerk Chicken Taste-Off Is …

Ti Bamboo.

I suspect that the Kelly’s version was more authentically Jamaican, but Ti Bamboo gets the W based on sheer eatability. And at 11 bucks, Ti Bamboo’s jerk chicken meal is a terrific value. There was enough in that container to split.