This entry is part 1 of 9 in the series Trinidad and Tobago Carnival This post was originally published on January 24, 2007. It has been updated three times since then. With only a few days it is high time that I shine a spotlight on Trinidad’s largest cultural festival, Carnival. Indeed, I even got a little ‘bouff’ today via email for failing to cover it yet! In my defense this... 

Oxtail stew (or ‘stew oxtail’ as it is more commonly called in local parlance) is a sentimental favourite of many Trinbagonians. While writing this post I even had a Twitter follower tell me that it’s the first thing she insists on having upon returning home! In the US stew oxtail is more closely identified with Jamaican fare, but I do believe that each island is equally proud of... 

Transcription: Wayside market in Bridgetown, Barbados. (Photo/Barbados Tourist Board) Back In Time Barbados Style This post was originally published October 7, 2010. It has been updated once since then. AKPC_IDS += "5363,"; Read More →

This dish of pigeon peas and rice was the perfect accompaniment to the Crispy Lemon Chicken that I made earlier this year. The rice and peas are cooked together in a rich combination of fresh thyme and coconut milk with wedges of tomatoes and (if desired) a scotch bonnet pepper. The final result is quite similar to the scent and flavour of Jamaican peas and rice, a sentimental fave of mine, and should... 

Caption: President of the Santa Rosa Carib Community, Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez singes a banana leaf over a fireside, as he prepares to make pastelles at the Carib Community Centre in Arima yesterday. The community prepares dozens of pastelles annually for sale. PHOTO BY AZLAN MOHAMMED This image and caption appeared on the front page of the Newsday Newspaper (December 20, 2006). Sadly, the website... 

Are you as much of a Food Television junkie as I am? It’s bad, I tell you. This year has been particularly bad with the nonstop flow of competitive reality shows and the launch of Cooking Channel! I’ve even taken to live tweeting and following the chatter on the various Twitter channels that accompany the airing of my favourite shows. Before you write me off as a neurotic techno-addict,... 

Kurma is one of my favourite Trinidadian snacks. Fried mouthfuls of spiced dough in a sugary glaze, they can be found and purchased throughout the island at school ‘tuck shops’, pharmacies, supermarkets and corner shops. East Indian in origin they are also a staple treat at many Hindu and Moslem functions. Little did I realize however (until doing some research for this post) that the... 

So funny the things we take for granted sometimes. Growing up around plantains all my life it never occurred to me, until recently, that this fruit is almost completely unknown in many parts of the world! It was only through various conversations with people, primarily from Europe, and an episode of the recently concluded MasterChef US, that I realized that it was high time to shed a little light... 

Malta Carib has been a staple in my home since I was a child. Growing up I felt like quite a ‘big woman’ drinking it from the bottle (I had no idea it was non-alcoholic ). During the 80′s it was promoted not just as an energy booster, but also as an aid for students preparing for exams! From CaribBeer.com Malta Carib is a full-bodied, refreshing non-alcoholic malt beverage that... 

As previously mentioned, Malta Carib was actually posited as an integral ‘educational aid’ I don’t know if it ever helped me in my exams, but I certainly loved (and still love) the taste. Yum! Please visit my earlier post for more information on Malta Carib. Amazon.com Widgets This post was originally published October 3, 2009. It has been updated once since then. AKPC_IDS... 

It’s been two years+ since I joined Twitter and in that time I’ve found it to be an extremely valuable way to meet and connect with foodbloggers (local, regional, and international) as well as readers. These connections have grown and developed in ways that I would never have imagined! One thing that I really enjoy as well is hearing from readers. Your questions and feedback continually... 

Carib Brewery, Eastern Main Road, Champs Fleurs Ask any Trinidadian to complete the following phrase. A beer is a … and you’ll instantly hear a loud uproarious ‘Carib’. For over 50 years the Carib Brewery has been producing Carib beer to the delight of Trinis both at home and abroad. I know that for myself seeing a Carib sign in a pub or a bar abroad was enough to make me... 

Top 5 Recipes Featuring Lemons (and Limes!) on TriniGourmet.com 1. Crisp Lemon Chicken (recipe) Distinct herbal and citrus flavours make this roast a standout! 2. Sarina’s Sparkling Ginger-Lime Shandy (recipe) Bubbly and sweet with a slight tang of lemon and beer. An unusual refreshment that is sure to garner raves! 3. Pasta with Basil, Tomatoes and Lemon Zest (recipe) It... 

Call it nostalgia but it’s hard to convince me that the local commercials of the 80′s and 90′s didn’t have a certain ‘something’ that the current set lacks. There was something very magnetic about the hooks and taglines back then. Lion’s Baking Powder had a long running advertising campaign that really drilled home that not only would they make your breads... 

Top 5 Fish Recipes on TriniGourmet.com 1. Trinidad Saltfish Accra (recipe) Puffy fried dough balls, made of a highly seasoned dough into which shredded saltfish has been mixed. 2. Fried Bake ‘n Fish (recipe) Fied dough and highly seasoned fried fish. That probably does not sound all that amazing or innovative but it really is all in the execution, and of course the accroutements! 3.... 

Transcription: Caribbean cuisine is so varied it is difficult to consider it a single cuisine. During the trading of slaves, food crops of all kinds were also interchanged between territories. As. a result, food and produce are similar throughout the Caribbean, but methods of cooking vary according to original influences. The Arawak Indians, the original Caribbeanites, are responsible for ‘the... 

Transcription: Pepper pot soup as served at the Barbados Hilton (photo/William Alleyne) The “Hilton Barbados” Today (is any form of the above elaborate pepperpot display still in existence? ) p.s. Is it just me or does the Caribbean map in the above video depict Tobago as located below Trinidad?! AKPC_IDS += "5310,"; Read More →

Top 5 Recipes Featuring Eggplant on TriniGourmet.com 1. Eggplant Ragout with Tomatoes, Peppers and Ground Beef (recipe) This dish is redolent with the flavours of the Middle East and is a personal favourite of mine. 2. Fried Eggplant (recipe) Slivers of seasoned eggplant (or melongene as it is more commonly called here in Trinidad) are floured and breaded before being pan fried. The... 

Trinidad Macaroni Pie is the #1 pie recipe here on Trinigourmet.com Is it a pie? Is it a tart? The answer may more lie in the recipe’s country of origin and it’s final presentation, than in the ingredients and composition themselves. From Baking911.com A pie is American in design and can be both sweet or savory and is served directly from its pan. Most pies are usually baked with a layer... 

Transcription: Caribbean Kitchen Magic A Food and Drink How-to Join us for a mini-culinary tour of the Caribbean Kitchen – via its fruits and vegetables, its weekday staples, its holiday feasts, its beverages and even some hand-me-down remedies. Discover the likes of stamp-an-go, foo-foo, asopao, brandied lobster. Delight in visions of paw paw, mangos, honey berries and succulent avocados waiting...