Trinidad and Tobago cuisine is varied if it is anything. Numerous cultures make up the social fabric of this small, Caribbean nation, and much like the culture, the dining scene here blends influences from Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, Indians, and the Chinese. Creole and Lebanese influences are prevalent as well when it comes to the food of Trinidad and Tobago, so you’ll virtually be treated to a world tour in cuisine when dining here.
One of the country’s Creole dishes bears similarity to a Spanish paella, and some of the country’s preferred desserts owe their influence to India, for example. Pelau is the rice-based dish that is akin to paella, and in addition to rice, it features peas and meat, with pork, beef, and chicken being the most commonly used meats. As for Indian desserts, you might try some gulab jamun. Galub jamun is made of dough balls that consist mostly of milk solids, cream, and flour. These doughy spheres are cooked in a sugar syrup, and saffron, cardamom seeds, and rosewater are often used to add flavor. When it comes to the Creole food of Trinidad and Tobago, chicken and red beans is a main staple. Callaloo and macaroni pie are other Creole favorites, the former being an okra based dish, while the latter is mostly comprised of, well, macaroni. Callaloo is usually made with okra, chili peppers, coconut milk, crab, and sometimes various meats. Garlic and chopped onions are usually added, and the mix is simmered until it basically becomes a soup or stew. Interestingly enough, callaloo is often served with a macaroni pie, which is essentially baked macaroni with cheese and eggs mixed in. Different ingredients can be added, so macaroni pies tend to vary a bit depending on personal recipes.
As one might expect in an island nation, seafood dominates Trinidad and Tobago cuisine. Lobster, king fish, crab, and even shark are often on the menu. When seeing what Trinidad food has to offer, seafood lovers will want to try bake and shark at some point. Maracas Bay is one of the best places to try bake and shark, which is fast becoming a sensation when it comes to unique Trinidad food. A bake and shark is essentially a sandwich that is comprised of deep fried shark pieces, fried dough bread, and a list of possible condiments, such as pineapple, oyster sauce, ketchup, and pepper sauce. Speaking of pepper sauce, it is also a favorite when it comes to Trinidad food. Pepper sauce is pretty much what it sounds like, and since it is a sauce that is made from peppers, you can bet that it is often quite spicy. Other signature dishes in Trinidad include souse, which is a dish featuring boiled chicken feet or pig trotter, and fruit chows, which are a staple that consists of fruit that is chopped and mixed with salt, pepper, lime juice, cilantro, and sometimes even garlic. After boiling the meat for souse, which is served cold, a briny sauce is added, as are hints of lime, pepper, cucumber, and onion.
The cuisine of Tobago mimics the cuisine of Trinidad, for the most part, and at the resorts on Tobago’s southern end, you can enjoy fresh, inspired menu creations from talented chefs. You’ll find an array of restaurants at the Tobago resorts that specialize in both international cuisine and Trinidad and Tobago cuisine. The capital of Scarborough is not far from the island’s resorts, and you will find a good concentration of restaurants there as well. Curried crab is a top dish on the island of Tobago, and if you like crab, then you’ll also want to try some dumplings that are made with crab. These Tobago crab dumplings are simmered in a rich coconut sauce, and they are as delicious as they sound. As for coconuts, when it comes to a national drink, one could effectively nominate coconut water, which is found throughout the country. When visiting the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain, you will most certainly see vendors selling coconut water, so you might try it there when exploring the country’s capital. As for alcohol-based drinks, rum steals the show in Trinidad and Tobago.
A cuisine that is as varied as that which is found in Trinidad and Tobago is hard to summarize. Suffice it to say that you taste buds will be in for a range of delectable experiences. Whether you are visiting one of the restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago or are just grabbing something quick from a shop or vendor.
Creole Food
When African slaves came to Trinidad, they brought their robust stews and one-pot comfort foods. Over generations, these have been refined to create signature Trinidad dishes like pelau, macaroni pie and callaloo. Just about any meat or legume can be stewed Trini-style, but the favourites are chicken and red beans.Rich, hearty and delicious soups are also part of the Creole tradition with island favourites like oxtail soup, beef soup and cowheel soup combining melt-in-your-mouth chunks of meat with.
East Indian Food
Curry is a well-loved spice in Trinidad.
As is the case with Creole stews, just about any meat can be curried but the preferences are chicken, goat and duck. Curried duck is part of a larger social experience for Trinis, especially those of East Indian descent. It is key to the popular "river lime," where food is cooked on a riverbank in iron pots over an open flame.
Although south Trinidad is considered the home of East Indian food, there are two hallmarks of this cuisine that can be found anywhere on the island – roti and doubles. Roti (a stovetop roasted flatbread served with curried meat and vegetables such as potato, pumpkin and bodi) is an East Indian staple. There are many Trini varieties such as paratha, dosti, dhalpourie (made with yellow lentils) and aloopourie (made with potato. Doubles is the unofficial national breakfast, with many Trinidadians starting their day with two or three of these palm-size flour and split peas (yellow lentils) patties filled with spicy channa (chickpeas) and topped with different relishes.Chokas, which are roasted and pounded vegetables, are another well-liked choice for breakfast. The popular chokas of tomato and eggplant are usually eaten with sada roti, similar to naan bread.
Indian delicacies and sweets are also a mainstay. Penal, a town in south Trinidad is famous for its main street lined with huts where vendors sell favourites like aloo pies (fried potato pies), pholourie (fried balls of ground split peas served with chutney), barfi (coconut fudge), goolab jamoom (milk balls in sweet syrup).
Chinese Food
Chinese restaurants abound everywhere, from small towns to the capital city. Some busy city streets boast as many as three or four Chinese restaurants. While the style is predominantly Cantonese, local spices and ingredients add a distinctive flavour.Be sure to try dasheen pork, a Chinese-inspired delicacy that originated in Trinidad. The highly seasoned combination of dasheen (a ground tuber) and pork can be ordered at most Chinese restaurants.
Gourmet Cuisine
With the increasing global popularity of Caribbean food, one of the exciting movements in local cuisine is the emergence of haute cuisine where traditional, even grassroots, dishes are done gourmet-style. In Trinidad's burgeoning gourmet food industry, you will find casual dining restaurants, steakhouses and some international cuisine.You will also find a fusion of fine dining restaurants boasting French, Italian, Indian, Japanese, Spanish and Thai food. These are primarily located in Port-of-Spain on Ariapita Avenue or "restaurant strip" as it is commonly known, Woodbrook, St Clair and around the Queen's Park Savannah.
A street vendor will serve some of the most memorable and unique foods you will eat on the island. If you think the vendor looks a little dodgy, you can politely ask for a food handlers badge but if there's a line-up of locals, you've picked the right spot. St James, on the western edge of Port of Spain, is the place for nightlife and street cuisine. In the wee hours of the morning the town is abuzz with vendors selling barbecue and jerk meats, roti, homemade ice cream, Creole corn soup, ital (vegetarian) food, fruit punch (not the hotel variety) and much more.
Around the Queen's Park Savannah, you can treat yourself to coconut water and coconut jelly (scooped from a freshly cut coconut), boiled or roasted corn, Indian delicacies or oysters, served in a glass with a dash of lime and spicy cocktail sauce. Another popular street fare is the snow cone (shaved ice topped with syrup and condensed milk), great for beating the tropical heat.Food Festivals
In Trinidad, people say if you want to raise money, hold a barbecue or a curry-que. The point being that if you involve food in the event, you are sure to make money. This fact has led to the growth in the number of food festivals held on the island. Some are done for charitable purposes while others aim to showcase the island's diverse cuisine.Trinidad's biggest food festival is the annual Taste T&T, which brings together top local restaurants and purveyors of traditional foods for two nights of culinary heaven. Two other popular food festivals include the fundraisers Chefs Royal and Dining with the Saints.
Unusual Cuisine
Bake and shark, now synonymous with Maracas Bay, is the flagship of Trinidad's unusual cuisine. Deep-fried pieces of shark are nestled between two slices of fried bake (fried dough) and topped with your choice of condiments and relishes. You can choose from tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple, ketchup, mustard, tartar sauce, tamarind sauce, garlic sauce, oyster sauce and pepper sauce.
Pepper sauce (hot peppers blended with vinegar and herbs) for most Trinidadians goes with everything! Expect everything you eat on the island to be a little spicy and don't be surprised if pepper sauce is offered with your meal. For the safety of your taste buds, always ask how hot the sauce is, and proceed with caution.
Fruit chows are part of every Trinidadian childhood. They are usually made with seasonal fruit such as mango, plums and pineapple. The half ripe or ripe fruit is cut up and mixed with limejuice, garlic, pepper, cilantro, oil, salt and black pepper. Chow can be used as a relish or dip but mostly it is eaten as a snack on its own.Souse, is usually made with pig trotters or chicken feet. The meat is boiled and served cold in a salty brine seasoned with lime, cucumber, pepper, and onion slices.
Chip-chip is a tiny shellfish similar in taste to clams. It is usually curried or used in a spicy cocktail.
Conch is a dark, edible marine snail, usually served curried or in souse.
Cascadura or cascadoo, as it is commonly known, is a rare freshwater fish covered with large plates of bony, dark scales. Usually curried, it holds a special place in local folklore. According to legend, once you eat cascadura, you will always return to Trinidad.
Wild meat is highly sought after during hunting season (October 1st to the end of February). Locals stew or curry agouti, iguana, manicou (opossum), lappe, quenk (wild hogs) and tatoo (armadillo).
