The Naparima Girls’ High School Cookbook
Wow how would one describe the Naparima Girls’ Cookbook? This book has become -the- defacto Trinidadian cookbookfor Trinis both locally and abroad. It’s given to brides and to students preparing to go overseas (that’s how I got mine). In fact it’s such an institution that it’s easy to forget that it only began in 1987! Conceived as a fundraising tool for the Naparima Girls’ High School the Naparima Cookbook recently underwent considerable revision. Gone is the practical ‘copybook’ size and compact printing of yore (that’s my well-loved and worn copy above). Instead gloss and high saturation colours were introduced. I don’t care for the new large elongated size but I appreciate that many of the recipes have been updated to reflect modern health-conscious preferences. I also enjoy the ample use of color photography. However there’s something no-nonsense and utilitarian about the original that I adore.
The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & the Caribbean brings together a collection of recipes reflecting the tastes and cultures of the diverse ethnic groups of Trinidad & Tobago. This revised and improved edition includes more than 500 recipes and 32 colored photographs. Thousands of copies of the Diamond Jubilee edition have been sold and we are pleased to know that this book is being used by individuals, families, schools and caterers throughout the world. Many people have referred to the book as a complete one, with great recipes, simple methods and excellent results.
Many of the recipes have been handed down from generation to generation.
For several years now people in the US and Canada were able to purchase the Naparima Girls’ Cookbook on Amazon.com via a local online distributor. I’ve noticed however that that arrangement seems to have ended though, and second hand prices on Amazon have skyrocketed to the insane $148.50 US!
I spent some time the other day looking to see what other alternatives I may be able to offer to people interested in purchasing this book. I was happy to find the following site, calling itself NaparimaGirlsCookbook.com (appears to be Canadian) that promises to have the book in stock at the MUCH more reasonable ($38 CAD). TriniFood.com is also offering the book to US, UK, and Canadian customers for $45US. I have no affiliation with, or first-hand experience of, either operation, so do your due diligence, and if you have any problems feel free to let me know so that I can alert others.
Either way, I consider the Naparima Girls’ Cookbook the best publication for anybody who is interested in learning more about Trinidadian cuisine. You won’t get many stories or context, for that you’ll have to turn to Ramin Ganeshram’s Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago
Update: 01/03/07
I have been alerted that the Canadian site NaparimaGirlsCookbook.com wanted $90CAD for shipping and handling!
Update: 01/09/07
Valerie at NaparimaGirlsCookBook.com responds! I have combined her replies, you can see them in their original format in the below comment thread.
.
“Naparima Girl?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Cookbook New Edition is available on our website,www.naparimagirlscookbook.com. The price is $38.00 CAN. excluding shipping costs. Also available are hard covers that retail for $50.00 CAN. Regarding the comment made about shipping charges of $90.00 Can. for the Naparima Girl?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Cookbook, this shipping charge was quoted to us by the Shipping Company to England. This is not our cost, it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s the shipping company?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s cost. The customer can choose a shipper. This was an expedited order.”
.
.
You can read the original customer’s reply to Valerie and all subsequent comments here.
Update: 01/10/05
As promised, the Naparima Girls’ High School Cookbook is now available for purchase on TriniGourmet.com at the flat rate of $45 USD (includes shipping and handling). Click here for more details.
I went UWI with someone who years later went away…AND NOBODY GAVE HIM THIS COOKBOOOK!!!
I was shocked! Family? Friends? I immediately rectified the situation.
My copy from my trips abroad is now in Saudi with my brother and his wife because he misplaced his or something when he came home…I don’t know the whole story…just that my bookpapered copy is off! off! off! far away!
I do like the fact that it has an index now (a better one? I’m not sure…haven’t spent much time with it.) But I don’t mind the curry stains and water stains on my copy but…it might bug me to get it on this one…
Wow the Naparima cookbook in Saudi Arabia
that is wild!!!!
Hahaha the index in the original -is- pretty jacked up isn’t it hahaha. I hardly ever rely on it anymore cos you never know what recipe it will really send you to, hahaha.
Yes this version is too pretty to spill anything on. So shiiiny!
A friend says the new version which she has now in Scotland, doesn’t have some recipes she remembers from when we were in Barbados…but I guess there had to be some sacrifices. Makes the old one that much more valuable, and not just as a historical artifact
Yes Chennette! I had originally written that I was under the impression that some recipes were missing, but then when I looked up the book it said everything was still there so I deleted that sentence. But like me and yuh friend was right. DEY LIE!!!
I saw the same offer of the book at $38 and didn’t believe it. Presumably there is a new edition planned to coincide with the centenary anniversary in 2012, but that’s rather a long time to wait in my life. So I’ll get my dad to order a copy from Trinifood.com, because Aliyyah won’t let me have her copy.
P.S. Do you get a lot of proposals over the web?
Lolz
Yes it’s worth it to get it now … 2012 .. oh my who could wait that long??? 
I’m gonna use my Trini maco “busybody” skills to figure out who this Aliyyah is without actually asking you directly
Also curious as to why you are called Trig 
Hahaha web-based proposals. I got one today actually!
Wish they were as plentiful offline 
The original Naps Cookbook is great for TRINIS because we know what the dishes are supposed to look and taste like. I think it lapsed in terms of photos and proper descriptions but it serves a purpose for many TRINIS.
The new one is not to my fancy, even though there are lots of photos. I find it’s like a textbook. Honestly, I hate cookbooks with calorie counters and all that, I find it a bit patronising but I guess they think they’re appeasing a bug section of the market. I think the book needs more context and more oomph…
Oh yeah, I hear it costs ?Ǭ£19. Which is a bit much in my opinion.
Trinifood – I figured maybe these calorie counters were appealing to the gym posses and the foreigners. I found they cluttered the page. But then again this season I got a lot of hits for ‘how many calories in pastelles’ … which I thought was insane! That’s when you’ve been away too long
Maybe we’ll have to wait til 2012 to see if they strike a balance between aesthetics and content 
sarina! i love “old” cookbooks and yours certainly looks very well used. i would be interested to see a table of contents for that one
thanks for including me in your blogroll. glad i found your site; tons of interesting things to go through!
the happiest of new year’s greetings sent to you from snowy & cold canada
Hi Burekaboy!
A Happy New Year to you too 
Oh I have TON of old cookbooks, much older than this one 
Sometimes they are a little scary and of course they are always vague… things like
“eggs
butter
flour
bake until done”
hahahha
Anyway, here’s the table of Contents from the original version. Not sure how it’s changed in the new version as I’ve only bought it for others
1. Appetizers
2. Soups
3. Salads, Dressing and Sauces
4. Fish and Seafood
5. Meats – Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Mutton and Pork
6. Indian Dishes
7. Chinese Dishes
8. Dishes of other countries
9. Vegetable and Vegetarian Dishes
10. Rice and Pasta
11. Desserts – Fruits, Gelatins, Custards, Ice-creams, Pastry
12. Cakes, Squares, Frosting and Fillings
13. Batters and Doughs – Muffins, Biscuits, Cookies and Breads
14. Beverages
15. Candies, Jams, Jellies and Preserves
16. Diet
17. Microwave Recipes
18. Miscellaneous
Hope you’ll be back
wow, sarina — thank you for that detailed reply to my comment. i’m sure there must be some good recipes in there judging from all the reprints of the book (and positive comments upthread). somehow the older copies of books always seem more appealing to me than the newer reprints.
btw, i love your blog! ;p so, yes, i’ll be back to visit you!
It turned out that the Canadian wanted $38 for the book but $90 for the postage! We cancelled the order and got a refund. Aliyyah will be getting me a copy of the original book from Trinidad in February. I look forward to it.
Oh that’s INSANE Trig! I’ll update the post to reflect that point. Thanks for updating me
You should be coming down for Carnival too 
i reside in maryland, USA and when i heard there was a cookbook of trini recipes and favorites i just begged my brother to get me one, since he told me that there is a recipe for sorrel liquer and i have been looking and asking around if anyone knew how to make it for years. i didn’t let up till he sent it up with a friend of the family. my girlfriend who is from guyana has one and she is so excited about the different recipes.
if anyone could help me out i would like to know what is the name of the fruit/spice that is at the bottom right of the cover (it looks like a pommecetae seed) waiting to hear the answere.
thank you i finally have the liquer recipe.
hi Mary
So glad you were able to get a locally obtained copy of the Naparima Girls Cookbook! You know I have never noticed that fruit on the cover before. I am looking around to see what the answer is, and if I don’t get it today I’ll make a post about it tomorrow so more readers can chime in … thanks for asking 
Hope you’ll be back!
Mary, ‘boo’ one of TriniGourmet’s visitors was able to help me out
It is achiote, it is used to make a coloring … you can read more about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achiote
i learnt something new! thanks so much
thanks for that information. i too have learnt something new.
thanks again
Hello there,
I am delurking, sort of as I had recently posted a comment on Life of a Chennette’s blog. Anyway, regarding the book from the website naprimagirlscookbook.com. Fortunately for me, I live very close to the address given on the website and have asked about the cost of shipping by mail or if the book can be picked up. Apparently, they would deliver to me for free or I can pick up. I read Trig’s comment about the $90 shipping charge and I find this to be ridiculous. Maybe she should email them to find out why the mail out cost is so much.
I will keep you posted once I get the book.
Helen – Hi there! I am grateful for your ‘delurk’
Do let me know how you find the book! Are you of Trini/Caribbean heritage? 
Unfortunately that website is not the only one to have astronomical charges for shipping, there is demand for the book, and well I figure with the costs they have to ship it to them, and then to ship it out again, then adding profit.. maybe that’s why… I would like to think it is not just greed. That is why I am offering it to people for $45USD flat, including shipping and handling. I am in Trinidad already so I only have one shipping cost to think about… I look forward to hearing about your adventures with the book and hope you’ll stick around 
I am a Trini but I have been living in Canada since I was fourteen and I have been here a long time. I won’t reveal my age…lol…Anyway, I also have seen the enormous shipping charges on other websites. This is what had stopped me from purchasing it online. Since naparimagirlscookbook.com was so close to me, I thought I would check out the legitimacy of the business because the shipping charges of $90. still concerns me. So, I might go to the address stated on the website to purchase the book.
I will keep you updated on my adventure to get this book.
Helen – Thanks for keeping me/us updated. It’s almost like a mystery novel!
LOL…I’m going over in a few hours to pick up the books (ordered 2). I will ask her about the ridiculous shipping charges and quickly discuss with her about how this is a deterrent to her potential customers.
The mystery will soon be solved. :~)
Helen – Woo!
Naparima Girl’s Cookbook New Edition is available on our website,
http://www.naparimagirlscookbook.com. The price is $38.00 CAN. excluding shipping costs. Also available are hard covers that retail for $50.00 CAN.
Regarding the comment made about shipping charges of $90.00 Can. for the Naparima Girl’s Cookbook, this shipping charge was quoted to us by the Shipping Company to England. This is not our cost, it’s the shipping company’s cost. The customer can choose a shipper. This was an expedited order.
Valerie – thank you for your responses. I will post them as an update as it is good for everyone to know the options that are available to them. Best Wishes!
Valerie – I wasn’t questioning your integrity, just the cost of getting the book to the UK.
When my dad tried to order the book the shipper was given as UPS and he did not ask for anything other than the standard delivery because we are not in any hurry to receive the book. There was no mention of the shipping charge before the purchase, but in fairness you were very good and refunded the purchase fee immediately on request.
If you want to sell copies of the book over here you need to find a cheaper deliverer because $90 to deliver a $40 book is obviously silly. My brother’s girlfriend is getting a copy brought back from carnival next month.
Regards
Trig.
Wow, Valerie beat me to it.
I see the mystery regarding the shipping charges has been solved as Valerie has now posted her comments directly.
I personally spoke to her about it and like she commented, the customer can choose their method of shipment. Their usual method of shipping is by UPS. However, if you wish to pay a lower shipping fee they will ship by regular Canada Post or any other method you do so choose. Valerie said this request can be done by simply emailing her.
Anyway, Valerie was really nice when I asked her about the questionable $90 shipping cost. Overall, she was really nice and pleasant to speak to.
I can now say I have finally acquired this hot little property after my 2 year search for it. Yayyyyyy!!
Wow, did I ever come out in a big way from delurking.
Hi Helen
Thanks so much for taking part in clearing up this matter. It is muchly appreciated. And yes what a prolific way to delurk 
When you gonna start using the book? 
It colourful ent? 
Hopefully they will be clearer about the option to ship via regular Canada Post, seems odd for it not to be the first choice though. Upgrades should be optional, not downgrades 
I’m glad she was helpful though, and I’m also glad that she came here and presented her side 
Now don’t go back into hiding now, y’hear?
As the search for this book (at a reasonable cost) was quite frustrating for me, I felt like I had to do something to clarify the situation. Hopefully, more people will now find it easier to obtain a copy.
I promise, I will not go back into hiding but I will continue to post here and there.
Yes, the book is colourful and quite large and thick. This was unexpected. I have already tested some recipes from this book. I think I got them from the Trindad library after a google search. This was a while back so my memory of this is vague. I did make notes while testing them and I have already tweaked them.
Bye for now and it was a lot of fun commenting on your blog.
Hi Sarina
This is Chennette and Lilandra’s Mom
The fruit that is Annato/ Achiote on the new Naparima Cookbook is also known by the common name of Okhcoo( hope I spelt it correctly). It is used to make/give the red colouring which many trini cooks of long ago could not make stewed fish without. And by my Mom always in her salted fish with ochroes and conrmeal dumplings steamed in coconut milk.
It is a big tree and usually when the pods are ready if they are not harvested on time there would be a red spotted carpet of dirt or grass under the tree. Our neighbours had one a while back where I now live.
Take care and all the best on your site
Hi ‘Mom’!
Wow so thrilled that you passed by and left a comment!! Okhcoo. Wow 
Your mom’s fish stew sounds AMAZING! I’m gonna have to give that combination a try *mouth waters* 
I am fascinated that it was used in fish stew as well. I wonder why this went out of favour? 
Thanks for passing by 
Feel free to not be a stranger and to comment away 
You and your daughters bring tons of smiles 
Trig: I bought a copy of the book once and sent it to a friend in London. I shipped it with TTPost (probably Expedited because it was so heavy that the first class mailing rate was almost the same as the EMS rate). I think the shipping for the book was about the same as the cost of the book.
If I recall correctly the price of the book was about TT$120 (or less)? And the shipping might have been TT$145 or something like that. I don’t remember anymore exactly but I guess I spent something like TT$250-TT$300 to get the book to London.
Sarina…Mom told me she left a comment
wow – Sarina, you are getting exposes and thing on the site man – even my mother contributing to your information gathering
Mom keeps a Chubby bottle of oocoo (that’s how it sounds to me) in the fridge to add to things that need some reddish colour. For the life of me I can’t remember what she uses it for though…I remember her sister used it for some pepper shrimp when she was cooking by us, to give it a nice red colour.
Lilandra – all yuh is trouble
Chennette – ah bussin’ FILEZ!
this oocoo thing makin’ me feel left out …. 
how do i get some? make it? 
Hi Sarina
We use to make the liquid but after our neighbours tree dried down by Caroni aeial spraying , I started purchasing it in small chubby bottles at Chaguanas market from the people who bring things from Grenada and St Vincent. On one of my trips to Miami by my sister in law I discovered the powdered Annato/Achiote in Publix Food Markets as it is used in Mexican Cooking. I was told so by my relative and confirmed by one of her Mexican friends.
Take care and all the best
Mom – ooo thanks for the information
I will check to see if they have it in the Port of Spain market then 
Chubby bottles! I’ll be lookin’! I’ve heard that annato is like a staple additive in latin american cuisine so that makes perfect sense 
I can see where your daughters got there love of food from 
Hi Sarina
I just checked my bottle of Annato and it is made by Badia Spices. We do get that brand in Pricesmart and other groceries but I have not really seen Annato/Achiote. It is labelled as such on the bottle and there is also a recipe on how to make it using the pulp and seeds on the bottle.
Hope you find it, it is great for Pepper shrimp as Chennette mentioned
All the best
Mom – me no eat shrimp but me will def. try in a fish steeeeew
I just asked my mom and she knows what you talkin’ about and will pick it up at the market. I can’t wait 
She said in the small islands they call it roocoo 
so similar!
Pepper CHicken? Pepper Fish? Pepper Veggies?
I was just giving info for Trig because US$90 is waaaay much.
Lilandra – I like you giving info
Info is good 
I wish someone would give me $90 USD right about now 
I could pepper anything? 
Yay! mango yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I could contribute to my camera fund
I’ve published a piece on annatto in my herbs and spices section but I must hang my head in shame because I said “Annatto is sometimes used as a food dye but not often as a spice and I have never used it.” Now I’ve read about it on your site from Chennette and Lilandra?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s mum I will update my article.
Trig – I bookmarked your piece
I’m gonna do an entry on it in the near future (esp. after mom brings back the oil and I try it out). I’ll make sure to link to your piece in it as well 
I’ve heard about the book alot, but I’m wondering if you can tell me which recipes have been deleted from the new edition…I luv Trini food and would hate it if I was deprived of any recipes!!!
Also, I live in New York, and does anyone know if the book may be available somewhere here?
I,ve heard about it and would like to own a copy.
I,ve also tasted some of the delicious recipes!
Incredible!
I Love this book, it really did inspire me 2 become a chef even more, i was currently a student of Carapichaima Senior Comprehensive In Central Trinidad. I used this book to help me in my SBA’s and it was Truly a Great help.And i signed up For Hotel School in Chagaramus im hope i get through with it!! Thanks alot For the Naparima Cook-book!!! One Love
I had that recipe book when i was doing food and nutrition in school,lent it to a friend and never got it back.I was so suprised when i saw my neighbour with one ,luv this new version i have to get my self a copy.
[...] And a time like this calls for recipes. Though I’m a pround Hilarian, I have to give credit where it’s due. The Naparima Girls Cookbook is the, hands down BEST cookbook for Trinidadian meals. All true Trinis living foreign have this on their bookshelf. But the real tribute to its greatness it that locals have it on their shelf too. It’s been re-released with a brand new design, which you can see here. [...]
EverythingTrini.com current Naparima Cookbook prices:
Soft cover without shipping – US$45
Hard cover without shipping – US$60
Soft cover w. flat ship fee to US only – US$51 total
Soft cover w. flat ship fee to Canada only – US$52 total
Soft cover w. flat ship fee to any int’l location – US$57 total
We ship out of Highland Park, NJ
<a href="http://www.everythingtrini.com/commerce/search.php?mode=search&by_title=Y&by_shortdescr=Y&by_fulldescr=Y&including=all&substring=naparima"ALL NAPS COOKBOOKS
Hey, bbz. I can’t remember if there’s calorie information with the recipes, though. Wish I could cook. Sarina keeps spoiling me with her delicious cooking, though
Now President Obama has one!
Marsha´s last blog ..Fail 2
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