Curry, Callaloo & Calypso - Macmillan Caribbean

Introduction
We are a nation in love with our foods and never is the time not right to enjoy a good pot
of pelau, hot doubles, a spicy roti and curry, or a hot shark and bake. The idea for a ‘T & T’
cookbook came to me a few years ago when I realized that globalization and foreign influences
might dilute our local cuisine – or that was my opinion at the time. I envisaged a book that
would showcase all our indigenous foods, by way of old and new recipes, for present and future
generations! When I actually started to collect the recipes I realized that much is still cooking in
our home kitchens, and as a result of globalization we have in fact embraced many more recipes
into our lives. There is even a renewed interest in cooking local sparked by the Internet and
cooking programmes on both cable and local TV.
Growing up in the sixties in the town of San Fernando (it’s now a city), local food was not
celebrated as it is today. Indian and Creole foods were mainly cooked in people’s homes, by
either hired cooks or the head of the household. The only Indian food for sale was found in a
wrap roti from roti shops and doubles at the street corner doubles vendor. Creole foods were
hardly ever served up outside. School lunches brought from home were rarely shared between
friends! Snacks then included pepper mango and chilli bibbi, and the occasional aloo pie from
the school snackette. Eating out was only for special occasions and the choices were slim: Chinese
food at Marsang’s restaurant in San Fernando, where they wokked up some of the tastiest
Cantonese dishes I have ever tasted, and, when we were in Port of Spain, Ling Nam restaurant
on Charlotte Street. Steak dinners were enjoyed at Chaconia Inn or Bel Air Restaurant, Piarco,
and these were just for the grown-ups. Usually, for any celebration, the entertaining was done at
home.
Fast forward to the twenty-first century: industrialization, education, travel, migration to
urban areas, inter-racial marriages and technological advancement have all worked in favour of
knocking down racial divides and bringing together our ethnicities. This unity of our races is no
more apparent than in our cuisine. Today, the foods reflecting the rich culinary heritage of our
forefathers are enjoyed by everyone, so much so that our cuisine has transcended itself, marking
out a permanent place on our cultural landscape and on the world culinary map. Our 50:40:10
per cent ethnic make-up of African:Indian:European and Chinese respectively is shown in a
cuisine that is bold, explosive in flavour, eclectic and addictive.
Opposite: Nariva Swamp meets the sea. Above: Port of Spain
9780230038578.indd 7 25/07/2011 13:08
7