Trinidad and Tobago cuisine
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Trinidad and Tobago has a unique history and its food is influenced by Indian-South Asian, West African, Creole, European, American, Chinese, Amerindian, and Latin American culinary styles. Trinidadian and Tobagonian food is dominated by a wide selection of dishes, most notably, doubles, roti, pelau, callaloo and curried crab and dumplings. Trinidad and Tobago is also known for its prepared provisions, such as dasheen (taro root), sweet potato, eddoes, cassava, yam, soups and stews, also known as blue food across the country. Corresponding to the Blue Food Day event held annually in Trinidad and Tobago.[citation needed]
Main meals
Breakfast dishes
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Popular breakfast foods include
A traditional Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian breakfast consists of sada
Fried bake (a fried unleavened bread) is usually served with fried shark, saltfish (dried and salted cod), buljol (saltfish with fresh sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and sometimes boiled eggs), sardines, herring (smoked, salted, and dried fish), bacon, fried plantain, brown stew chicken, or corned beef with onions and tomatoes.
Coconut bake (coconut bread) is usually served with fried accra (saltfish fritters), buljol, black pudding, butter, cheese paste (a mixture of cheese, butter, mustard, grated onion, mayonnaise and green seasoning) or stewed meat, like chicken.
Other breakfast foods include tannia cakes (fried
.Common hot drinks consumed for breakfast include cocoa tea (hot chocolate) made from homemade cocoa balls, cornmeal porridge and farine (an amerindian treat).
Lunch and dinner
A very popular and nationally well known dish with distinctly African roots is
This callaloo dish is not the same as Jamaican callaloo which is made with amaranth leaves, onions, garlic and tomatoes.
Trinidad and Tobago dishes are often
and seasonal cascadura.One of the most popular Trinidadian dishes is curried duck served with either roti or rice. Local curried duck cooking competitions are often held with multiple variations being created. A simple dish to make, but difficult to master, curried Muscovy is regarded as a delicacy which can be served at all times.
A popular Trini dish is macaroni pie, a macaroni pasta bake, with eggs and cheese, and a variety of other potential ingredients that can change according to the recipe being used.
Tobagonian food is dominated by a wide selection of seafood dishes, most notably, curried crab and
Another local dish is the rare delicacy cascadu (
Condiments
Trinidadians accompany their meals with various condiments; these can include pepper sauces, chutneys and pickles and are often homemade.
Pepper sauces are made by using
Green seasoning is extremely popular, a cold sauce based on culantro or chadon beni, pureed with green onions, garlic, pimento, vinegar, and other herbs, which can be used as a table condiment or marinade.
Street foods
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Popular freshly prepared street foods include:
- Hindu holidays. Debein South Trinidad is a popular destination for these foods.
- Maracas Beachalong the north coast of Trinidad) is a fried dish that is topped with fresh fruit like pineapple; vegetables like cucumber and salad; and a variety of sauces and seasonings.
- Souse is made from pig, cow or chicken feet or cucumbers and seasoned with onion, garlic, salt, pimento, scotch bonnet peppers, lemon and chadon beni. It is served warm (mostly) or slightly chilled (room temperature). It is also rumoured to be a cure to hangovers.
Other common street foods include
When in season, roast and boiled corn on the cob can be found any time day or night.
On festive occasions (Carnival, Borough Day and most public holidays), street foods also include wild meat such as deer,
, to name a few. These are prepared either as a creole or curry dish, and served with a wide choice of local pepper sauces.On hot days, locals enjoy ice cream, snow cones (served in various colours, flavours and shapes, often sweetened with condensed milk), ice pops, kulfi, freezies, sucker bag, coconut slushies, coconut water, and fresh coconut jelly.
Festival foods
Special
.Traditional
Special
Sweets
The popular local desserts are usually extremely sweet. Local snacks include cassava or coconut pone and stewed
Beverages
There are many different popular beverages in Trinidad. These include, various sweet drinks [sodas] (
Carib and Stag beers are very popular local lager beers. There is also Carib Light and Carib Shandys, which come in Sorrel, Ginger, and Lime flavours.
Coconut water can be found throughout the island. Rum was invented in the Caribbean, therefore Trinidad and Tobago boasts rum shops all over the island, serving local favourites such as ponche-de-crème, puncheon rum, and home-made wines from local fruits. Homemade alcohol is popular also. Bitters (especially the one made by House of Angostura) is also popular.
Pacro water is a seafood-based beverage made from boiling various chiton mollusks, such as chiton tuberculatus[10] but also has other culinary uses, such as in broths for soup.[11] The beverage has a reputation as an aphrodisiac, as well as having other therapeutic properties.[12] Pacro water can sometimes be found at festivals or public celebrations.[13]
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Fruits
Fruits available in Trinidad include mangoes (e.g. Axe, Bread, Bastapool, Button, Belly-bef, Calabash, Cedar, Cutlass, Doudouce, Egg, Graham,
Many fruits available in Trinidad and Tobago are commonly used in a savory and usually spicy delicacy broadly referred to as "chow". The main ingredients of chow are usually: the fruit of choice,
The fruits are "seasoned" by the rest of the base ingredients and larger fruits (like mango and pineapple) are usually cut up into bite-sized pieces.[15]
See also
References
- ^ "Trinidad Sada Roti (Plain)". 18 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- ^ "Festival of the GIRMITIYAS Arrival Day | Indo American News". Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ "Traditional Tomato Choka Recipe". Zen Health. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "Cornmeal Coo-Coo II". Simply Trini Cooking. 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ISBN 0-19-866152-5. Google Book Search. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
- ^ Mohan, Neki (June 28, 2015). "Street food of Trinidad, Tobago gains popularity in South Florida". WPLG. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
- ^ "Food in true Trini style". Barbados Today. September 2, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
- ^ "Divali: Destination Trinidad and Tobago | Tours, Holidays, Vacations and Travel Guide".
- ^ Vanished UK drink is toast of Caribbean, an April 2007 article from the BBC website
- ISBN 9780773576070.
- ISBN 9781405386746.
- ISBN 9789766401450.
- ^ "Playing the right tune". Trinidad Express Newspapers. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ "Trade Winds Fruit Picture Index". Tradewindsfruit.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ "Mango Chow Recipes - Food Network Canada". Foodnetwork.ca. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
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