Food of the West Indies

Growing up in an inter-racial family, I got to experience a different culture first hand. This Christmas, I am going to go and visit my relatives down in Trinidad and Tobago, and experience how they celebrate Christmas. While I am down in Trinidad, I will get to eat some of my favorite West Indian foods. They are, Doubles, Pelau, Roti and Sweet bread.

• Doubles – this food is a common Street Food. It is made with  2  slices of bara  (fried flat bread), which is why it is called Doubles. It is filled with chick peas or garbonzo beans, which is known as channa and with different types of spices, which are called chutney. Some commonly used spices are mango, cucumber or coconut. Doubles are a very popular late night snack.

 

• Pelau – which is also know as “Cook up” where it’s ingredients vary with each family. It usually consists of a type of meat – chicken, beef or pigtail, vegetables, rice and pigeon peas. My family loves to eat this any time, this dish is really fast and easy to make. We usually like to eat this at lunch or when we are at the beach.

 

 

• Roti – means bread in Hindu. It is basically made with wheat flour, baking soda, salt and water. It resembles a tortilla. It is cooked on a large concave griddle. There are many kinds of roti and they are eaten with vegetables, curry chicken or on it’s own.  I enjoy eating my roti plain or the Dhalpuri roti. This roti has ground yellow split peas, cumin, garlic and pepper.
• Sweet bread – is a dessert mainly eaten at christmas or at special occasions. It contains coconut and a variety of different fruits.

Just thinking about all of these foods have made me very hungry!