Trinidad and Tobago Doubles: A Taste of the Islands The first time I tasted Doubles, it wasn’t in a fancy restaurant, but from a street vendor in Trinidad, the warm Caribbean air thick with the scent of spices. The vendor, a woman with a smile as bright as the midday sun, handed me the paper-wrapped … Read more
The Taste of Home: Mastering Trinidadian Coconut Bake Coconut Bake. Just the words conjure up memories of Sunday mornings in my grandmother’s kitchen, the air thick with the sweet scent of toasted coconut and warm dough. She’d be humming a calypso tune, her hands moving with practiced ease as she transformed simple ingredients into this … Read more
The Ultimate Shark and Bake: A Taste of Trinidad The first time I sank my teeth into a Shark and Bake, I was standing on the sun-drenched shores of Maracas Bay, the rhythmic pulse of soca music in the air. The aroma of fried dough and spiced fish mingled with the salty sea breeze, creating … Read more
Pelau: A Taste of Trinidadian Comfort The aroma of pelau, with its complex blend of spices and subtly burnt sugar, instantly transports me back to my grandmother’s kitchen in Port of Spain. I can almost see her now, meticulously layering the ingredients in her well-worn cast iron pot, the savory scent of chicken and pigeon … Read more
Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges: A Taste of the Caribbean Sun The scent of grilling sweet potatoes always takes me back to lazy summer evenings in Trinidad. My grandmother, a culinary wizard with a knack for coaxing flavor from the simplest ingredients, would often prepare these wedges as a side dish for our family barbecues. The … Read more
Trinidad and Tobago Garlic Sauce: A Fiery Kiss from the Caribbean The first time I tasted this garlic sauce, I was standing on Maracas Beach in Trinidad, the sun beating down on my shoulders, the salty air whipping through my hair. A vendor, his cart overflowing with freshly fried bake and crispy shark, drizzled this … Read more
Sweet & Tangy Sunshine: Crafting Oven-Dried Preserved Star Fruit The first time I encountered star fruit, or “five finger” as my grandmother called it, was during a scorching summer trip to Trinidad. I remember her bustling around the kitchen, the air thick with the scent of simmering spices. She pulled me close, handing me a … Read more
Trinidad & Tobago Coconut Bread: A Taste of Island Paradise The scent of toasted coconut always takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen in Port of Spain. Every Sunday, after church, the aroma would waft through the open windows, a promise of warm, sweet indulgence. This Coconut Bread, a staple in Trinidadian households, was her … Read more
Sawine: A Sweet Taste of Trinidadian Eid The aroma of cinnamon and warm milk always transports me back to my childhood. Though I didn’t grow up with Sawine specifically, that comforting blend of spices evokes memories of my grandmother’s kitchen, where she’d simmer pots of rice pudding, perfuming the air with similar sweet and inviting … Read more
Healthy Pelau: A Taste of Home The scent of caramelized sugar clinging to chicken always transports me back to my grandmother’s kitchen. I can almost feel the humid Caribbean air and hear the soca music playing softly on the radio. Pelau was her signature dish, a comforting one-pot wonder she seemed to effortlessly conjure up. … Read more
Toolum: A Taste of Trinidadian Tradition The clatter of dominoes, the lilting strains of soca music, the sweet, spicy aroma hanging heavy in the Caribbean air – these are the memories that flood back to me with the mere mention of toolum. My grandmother, a vibrant Trinidadian woman with a smile as warm as the … Read more
Mango Chow: A Taste of Trinidadian Sunshine The scent of green mangoes always transports me back to my grandmother’s garden in Trinidad. As a child, I would climb the mango tree, my small hands sticky with sap, carefully picking the unripe fruits with their vibrant green skins. My grandmother, with her knowing smile, would then … Read more
Caribbean Curry Crab: A Taste of Island Life The aroma alone transports me back to lazy afternoons in Trinidad, the sun warming my face as I sat on my grandmother’s porch. She would be in the kitchen, a whirlwind of motion, expertly coaxing flavors from the simplest ingredients. The star, without fail, would be her … Read more
Spicy Crabs With Coconut Dumplings: A Taste of Tobago The first time I tasted Spicy Crabs with Coconut Dumplings, I was standing on a sun-drenched beach in Tobago, the warm Caribbean breeze whipping through my hair. The aroma alone, a tantalizing blend of curry, coconut, and the sea, was enough to transport me. But the … Read more
Lime Pepper Amchar: A Taste of the Caribbean Sun The first time I tasted Amchar, it was from a roadside vendor in Tobago. The vibrant yellow-green hue, the sharp tang of lime, and the fiery kick of Scotch bonnet peppers were an explosion of flavors I’d never experienced before. I remember sitting on a sun-drenched … Read more
Sweet Potato Cookies: A Taste of Trinidad & Tobago Growing up, my grandmother, a fierce and wonderful cook, always seemed to have a sweet treat tucked away in her pantry. While her repertoire was vast, there was one particular cookie that always stood out: her sweet potato cookies. They weren’t the prettiest, perhaps, a little … Read more