The Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago, The Caribbean & Beyond!
![Chi Chi Dango Mochi [RECIPE]](https://i2.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_1670-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C550&ssl=1)
![Chocolate & Banana “Nice Cream” [RECIPE]](https://i2.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_7589-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C550&ssl=1)
![Slow Cook Spiced Carrot Cake [RECIPE]](https://i0.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_8301-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C550&ssl=1)
![Coconut-Creamed Corn and Grains [RECIPE]](https://i2.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_1594-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C550&ssl=1)
![Stuffed Eggplant [RECIPE]](https://i1.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_2002-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
Whether you call it melongene, baigan, eggplant, aubergine or garden egg, you’re referring to one of my favorite ingredients. And when you are talking about Stuffed Eggplant you are definitely referring to one of my favorite dishes. It’s such a favorite that from a child, …
Creamy and spicy Paneer Butter Masala is a fave Indian dish of mine and it’s even better when made with homemade paneer!
Wow! I never expected to be gone from this site for so long! It shows you how fragile and uncertain life really is. Shortly after my last post in late December, my mother and I “suddenly” sold the home we’d lived in for most of …
![Chi Chi Dango Mochi [RECIPE]](https://i2.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_1670-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
Is it just me or is the year speeding up ridiculously all of a sudden? I made these vegan and gluten-free Japanese Chi Chi Dango Mochi Cakes back in April on my Twitch stream but it already feels like years ago! This was my first …
![Chocolate & Banana “Nice Cream” [RECIPE]](https://i2.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_7589-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
A delicious treat, this Chocolate & Banana “Nice Cream” uses only three vegan ingredients for its base. Add in all the mix-ins and toppings you want! When I made this on-stream last month, I polled my chat as to what mix-ins they wanted. I just …
![Slow Cook Spiced Carrot Cake [RECIPE]](https://i0.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_8301-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
It’s the end of another work week! Let’s wrap it up again with a lil sumting SWEET! I made this Slow Cook Spiced Carrot Cake on my Twitch stream a few weeks ago and it came out brilliantly! The slow cooker setting on my Instant …
![Coconut-Creamed Corn and Grains [RECIPE]](https://i2.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_1594-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
I made this Bon Appetit recipe for Coconut-Creamed Corn and Grains, on my Twitch stream, way back in April! I used brown jasmine rice for the grain and fried up my own onion rings (not pictured). They definitely add a much needed savory “bite” …
![Potato Tahdig [RECIPE]](https://i2.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_8999_jpg-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
Last week on my Twitch stream I made a Potato Tahdig for the first time and it was DELICIOUS! Tahdig is a Persian rice dish that refers to cooking fluffy long-grain rice until the base forms a crunchy and delicious crust, what we Trinis fondly …
![Instant Pot Ice Cream Bread [RECIPE]](https://i0.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_7873-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
We’ve made it to the end of the week! Let’s celebrate with some Instant Pot Ice Cream Bread! If you’re asking yourself “What on earth is Ice Cream Bread?” don’t worry! You’re not alone! I had never heard of this concoction before a month or …
Join me today from 11AM EST on Twitch! On The Menu: Lime Pepper Sauce Red Curry Pumpkin Soup
![Korean-Style Flank Steak [RECIPE]](https://i1.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_8654_jpg-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
How many of y’all reading this remember the OG days of The Food Network? I remember how excited I was when it first came to Trinidad screens. It really elevated my love and passion for culinary exploration, and keeping a blog to share that …
![Mango Chow [RECIPE]](https://i1.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_8290-1-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
Hand a Trini some slightly under-ripe (or tart) fruit and many’s first thought will be “Time to make a chow!”. Light and spicy, chow consists of marinating fruit in a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic and (essential) chadon beni/bandhania/culantro. It’s a great quencher and quite …
![Skillet Potatoes & Green Beans [RECIPE]](https://i1.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_8640-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
This recipe for Skillet Potatoes & Green Beans comes from Budget Bytes and, even though the final result is richly flavored, it couldn’t be simpler to bring together. Don’t worry if everyone thinks you had to slave over a stove to get these results. It …
![Quick & Easy Flan [RECIPE]](https://i0.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_7066-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
OK! Not being biased but I think that this “Quick & Easy Flan” is the best flan I’ve -ever- made! Okay, it’s also the -only- flan I’ve ever made but let’s not dwell on such little details! This recipe for “Quick & Easy Flan” …
Join me today from 11AM EST on Twitch! On The Menu: Korean-Style Flank Steak Marinated Mushrooms Skillet Potatoes & Green Beans
![Cuban Chicken Fricassee [RECIPE]](https://i0.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8245-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
Have you ever had Cuban Chicken Fricassee? This family recipe came my way several months ago from a member of my Twitch community and I am so grateful to him for trusting me and helping me with my questions when I made it on-stream …
![Trinidad Independence Day Menu [MENU PLAN]](https://i0.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/republicday.jpg?resize=640%2C400&ssl=1)
Happy Independence Day T&T! This year’s Trinidad Independence Day menu is a trifecta of the new, the old, and a twist on an old favourite 🙂 What will yours be this year? Of course, this year, like last year, celebrations will be mostly virtual and …
![Rosemary Pepper Drop Biscuits [RECIPE]](https://i2.wp.com/www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8212_jpg-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
If you’re a fan of KFC’s or Popeye’s biscuits, you’re going to love these Rosemary Pepper Drop biscuits from Budget Bytes! Light, sweet and buttery, they perfectly balance the final accent hints of herbal brightness and dark warmth. I prepared them for the first time …
Whether you call it melongene, baigan, eggplant, aubergine or garden egg, you’re referring to one of my favorite ingredients. And when you are talking about Stuffed Eggplant you are definitely referring to one of my favorite dishes. It’s such a favorite that from a child, …
What is Parang? Well Parang is the soundtrack to Christmas here in Trinidad. More than that however Parang is also a culture, a way of life that sweeps through my island after the lights of Eid and Divali have been put away.
The What is Parang? webpage has a wonderful overview of the history and features of Trinidad Parang.
‘Parang’ is the present Trinidadian interpretation of the Spanish word, parranda . Parranda is the action of merrymaking and also refers to the group of carousers who serenade their friends throughout the year. The word parranda in general Spanish is used mainly in the expression andar de parranda, which in the modern Trinidadian vernacular is ‘to go paranging,’ akin to the Venezuelan parrandear, meaning not only merrymaking in the original sense, but also ‘liming’ or enjoying oneself, with or without music, moving from place to place with no time limit in mind. (Moodie-Kublalsingh 1994, 65-66).
Los Alumnos de San Juan Parang Group (credit unknown)
Growing up parang meant two women in particular, Daisy Voisin and Sharlene Flores. Daisy Voisin was the Grande Dame of Parang and no one will ever touch or claim her crown, I think all would agree. Her voice and passion for the music have not been matched and it really is a shame that more has not been done to document her life, her performances, and her artistic legacy. I am really glad to be in possession of one of the last CDs she made before her death in 1991. Fortunately through the magic of YouTube we never have to be without her voice or image 🙂
For more on Daisy Voisin:
• Alexandra “Daisy” Voisin – de Queen of Parang (TnT Island)
• Daisy Voisin (Wikipedia)
Unlike Daisy, Sharlene Flores was the ambassadress of a new musical hybrid ‘parang soca’. Distinguished by English lyrics and a more secular message she put a fresh young face onto the art form. I haven’t really heard her much from her since the 80’s, and those songs from my childhood still remain her most popular, becoming local standards.
For more on Sharlene Flores:
• Sharlene Flores (Wikipedia)
In the past 2 decades the lines between carnival soca and parang soca have become increasingly blurred. The parang soca of Sharlene Flores’ day seems downright languid compared to the faster rhythms of today’s fete joints. first by melding calypso rhythms to become parang soca, and most recently by incorporating classical Indian rhythms and tonalties to form ‘chutney parang soca’. Much like our cuisine, the possibilities for musical fusion seem endless!
The current Queen of Parang Soca for the past decade or more has definitely been Marcia Miranda! This song brings to mind the roving bands of parang singers (parangderos) that used to be very popular criss-crossing the country. You’d welcome them into your home and they would sing in exchange for food and drink. Pretty similar to Christmas carollers I suppose. I haven’t seen them as much in recent years, but I know that they are still going strong in many communities around the country. Unfortunately however, as the below video demonstrates, it seems Marcia’s vistors left with a whole lot more! 😆
So far I have been focusing on the ladies of parang and you would be forgiven if you thought there were no men. The fact is that the men in recent years have not been as prominent, however for many decades the Lara Brothers ruled as Parang’s Kings (alongside Daisy’s Queen).
The men of parang today are much more likely to be found in its more lucrative hybrids. Parang soca is pretty much owned by Scrunter.
And of course you know there would also be chutney parang! 🙂
Wikipedia has a pretty exhaustive entry on the parang genre.
So, there we have it. Christmas as Parang. It could only happen in Trinidad!
Over the following days I will be sharing the following with you (links will automatically update as each post goes live 🙂 ) …
TriniGourmet’s Official Christmas Recipe Round-Up!
• Trinidad Black Cake
• Sorrel
• Sorrel Rum Punch
• Ginger Beer
• Ginger Beer (quick)
• Pastelles
• Paime
• Punch de Creme/Punch a Creme/Ponch de Crema
