As my friends in the northern climates start to hunker down for the winter, and temperatures start to cool here as well (albeit only at night), I thought it would be good to share some local-styled “stew dishes”. Hearty and warm, they’re sure to…
Friday, October 19th found me at the Trinidad Hilton’s Grand Ballroom, for a Dewar’s Whisky Tasting with their Global Brand Ambassador Fraser Campbell. Although I consider myself a neophyte to the world of spirits, I’m not that much in the dark that I don’t know…
Hyatt Trinidad has added several new items to their sushi menu. Here are some of the new (and not so new) ones I tried recently! First up was drinks. I normally am a fan of the Toco Boi (Angostura 1919 rum, mint leaves, fresh coconut…
Hey everyone! Are you ready to Cook Holiday Glam? I know I am! That’s why I’m so happy to announce that I’m running an E-Cookbook Special Offer on my Patreon page, just in time for the holiday season! I took these books off the site in…
![Coconut Sweetbread [Recipe] + Only 6 Days Left in my Special Patreon Famalay Offer!](https://www.trinigourmet.com/nts/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_7902-760x400.jpg)
A while back on my Instagram/Facebook Stories I asked which recipes I should post next. Coconut sweetbread was a popular choice! What a great excuse to get flour back on my hands, which is exactly what I did to prepare this loaf for my most…
Man oh man it feels so good to be back in the kitchen again! I haven’t baked in ages, definitely not for the year, so I thought that it would be fun to try my hand , last month, at a cake for my monthly…
See this woman right here? (No, not me! lol!). This “little” lady is Chef Cheryl-Ann Shortt-Charles and I consider her one of the unsung GIANTS of the local culinary scene. A multiple medal-winning pastry chef, I first got to know her during my winning stint…
Follow me on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/TriniGourmet I’d love to know what your weekly cooking schedule is like. Are you a menu planner? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants based on what you have on hand?
Follow me on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/TriniGourmet 1) They are a 2018 Academy of Chocolate Bronze winner! 2) They are made from local Single Origin Gran Couva beans 3) Flavours include 82% Dark Chocolate, 65% Dark Chocolate with Blue Mountain Coffee and Malted Milk Chocolate with Almond…
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…
I can’t believe that this is my first blog post of 2019. If you follow me on social media (links below) you will realize that after a 6 month+ hiatus I started to post regularly again in September. But in the online world that is…
Punch de Creme, is another of Trinidad’s traditional Christmas drinks. One thing that I really like about punch de creme (as opposed to traditional eggnog) is the use of citrus flavors like lime and Angostura bitters (which has orange extract). This gives the ‘nog’ a…
As promised, here is a recipe for Paime (pron. PAY-me)! Paime is basically a sweet version of the savoury pastelle. I only recently discovered that Paime is also a traditional Xmas dish. Well that explains why it seemed I never could find it lol! No…
One of Trinidad’s seasonal delights, pastelles are a steamed cornmeal pie wrapped in banana leaves and filled with stewed meat, olives, and raisins. I’ve been told that they are very similar to Latin American tamales, and indeed Venezualan foodblogger Tomasnomas has a link to the…
Well you know how Trinis like how to do everything las’ minute? 🙂 If you don’t have enough time to try my mother’s ginger beer recipe, here is a quick recipe from Epicurious.com that needs only 24 hours fermentation. Best of luck! 😀 Click here…
My mom’s Jamaican Ginger Beer brewing in the sun 😀 The above scene and bottle feel as though they have always been with me, they occur with such comforting regularity. Ginger beer is something that is enjoyed by both Trinis and Jamaicans however in my…
When I first made this in 2006 it was my first time using a pack of dried sorrel for a recipe. I was pleasantly surprised. If you allow it to steep overnight the results are pretty damn good. The below recipe is my…
Christmas in Trinidad is a diverse multicultural affair. Not just for the Christian population, but also through the secular participation of the nation at large through the enjoyment of our local christmas songs (called parang) and especially the creation and consumption of our traditional Christmas…
Like sorrel, Black Cake in Trinidad is a Christmas institution. Made predominantly of alcohol drenched prunes, currants and raisins, variations abound (and I love taste testing when we make the visiting rounds). Still, the best black cake is always the recipe that one grew up…
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
