The Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago, The Caribbean & Beyond!
After the frenzied crescendo of Carnival Tuesday all merriment and debauchery ends (or is supposed to end) with the ushering in of Ash Wednesday and the start of the Roman Catholic observance of Lent. My father tells me that ‘back in the day’ all sound …
I was talking to a Brazilian friend a few years ago and she was surprised at some of the differences between our Carnival and theirs. You see it was a few weeks prior when she decided to look and see what costume/band she should …
J’ouvert (joo-VAY) is the start to the Carnival celebrations. It begins in the pre-dawn hours of Carnival Monday and lasts until daybreak. J’ouvert (which is a Creole corruption of the French Jour Ouvert – day opening) is also known as ‘dirty mas’. It seems …
Dimanche Gras takes place on the Sunday night before Ash Wednesday. Here the Calypso Monarch is chosen (after competition) and prize money and a vehicle bestowed. Also the King and Queen of the bands are crowned, where each band to parade costumes for the next …
If you are getting the sense that Carnival is one big long party you are right! So it only makes sense that one big long party would be made of many many big long parties as well. These parties in Trinidad are called fetes and …
It seems that every time a North American program wants to denote the ‘tropics’ you will hear the sound of a steelpan. It doesn’t even to seem to matter if the ‘tropics’ are in the Caribbean on a cruise ship or in Hawaii! If you …
It is hard to imagine Carnival without music. And the definitive music of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is soca. So what is Soca Music? Well, why not let Soca Superstar Machel Montano say it in his own words? From Caribbean Music 101 (the original link …
With only a few days before ‘High Mas’ it is time again to shine a spotlight on Trinidad & Tobago’s largest cultural festival, Carnival. Where did the word “carnival” come from? Hundred and hundreds of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in …
Purim Menu 2011 • East Indian Chickpea Salad • Hummus • Pasta Puttanesca • Broccoli Gratin • Haman’s Ears/Orejas de Haman • Sarina’s Rum and Raisin Hamantsachen It always tickles me how close Purim and Carnival fall most years. I especially enjoy Purim because it’s …
“Best Ever Lentil Soup” (link to recipe, below) On a semi-regular basis I like to check what keywords are driving people to this site. Without fail “lentil soup” in one form or another is on the list. This surprises me as I often think that …
As promised, here is the recipe for the Iced Ginger Lemon Tea which was the beverage component of my submission to the 40th installment of Happy Sorceress’ Blog Party series. This drink is wonderfully refreshing and has a soft muted tone, thanks to the use …
Feast your eyes (and hopefully more) on the following Top Ten Chocolate Recipes on Trinigourmet 🙂 I can definitely vouch that you will want to make them again and again 🙂 1. Espresso Cake (recipe) Light, moist and incredibly intense in flavour this recipe for …
Since 2009 I have actively incorporated more raw and vegan dishes into my regular diet and have found the benefits to be multifold. For one my body hasn’t succumbed to flus the way it regularly did in the past and I have found that many …
