by Russella Lucien

Created on: May 21, 2007   Last Updated: May 22, 2007

The cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago reflects its multicultural heritage. This island nation is located off the tip of Venezuela. The 1.3 million inhabitants comprise of African, East Indian, European and Chinese ethnic groups. To understand Trinidad's population, one must explore its food.

The national dish Callalloo may look like green sludge, but the flavor betrays its ugly appearance. Callalloo is prepared by cooking Dasheen, a green leafy vegetable or spinach. This mixture is pureed and coconut milk, thyme and onions are added. After cooling between 30-45 minutes, crab legs and okra are added and the mixture simmers until all the flavors combine. Callalloo is served as soup or a side dish with long grain white rice. The combination of the greens with the coconut milk elevates greens into a savory side dish. A good cook is judged by how well they can make callalloo.

Roti also takes it place with Callaloo as one of Trinidad's national dishes. This dish finds its roots in Trinidad's East Indian population. The two main forms are Dhalpurie and Paratha. Dhalpurie is made by creating white flour dough with baking powder and ground split peas. This is divided into small round balls and flattened in a circle approximately 30 cm/12 inch wide. Then it's cooked on an oiled hot flat iron stone. The second type Paratha is made without the split peas, but cooked and then torn into shreds. Roti is generally served with curried channa (chick peas), potatoes and either chicken, goat, beef or even curried shrimp. Toss the knife and fork out of the window to eat this meal.

The rice dish Pelau looks back to Trinidad's European roots. This rice dish echo's Spain's Paella with the use of cooking rice and meat in one pot. Pelau is prepared by browning chicken, beef or pork and then adding long grain white rice. After cooking the rice and meat together, fresh or canned pigeon peas are added with thyme and other seasonings. Pelau's appeal comes from its short preparation time and general availability of the ingredients.

Seafood dish Buljol involves the unique use of salted cod, cooking oil and vegetables. This simple yet flavorful meal is prepared by soaking the salted cod for a couple of hours and boiling in fresh water for 10-15 minutes. Then the fish is flaked off the bone and chopped tomatoes and onion are mixed with the fish. A cup of oil is heated and poured over the fish-vegetable mixture. The sweetness of the tomatoes balances out the saltiness of the fish while the oil slightly tames the onions. This meal is normally eaten at breakfast with fried bake.

Finally, Saheina also looks back to Trinidad's East Indian population. This appetizer is prepared with washed and trimmed Dasheen leaves spread with a mixture of split peas, garlic, salt and turmeric. The leaves are then layered on top of each other and rolled like a cigar. Then this roll is sliced into 2.5 cm/1 inch wide rounds and fried until golden brown.

These dishes highlight Trinidadians' interest in foods that utilize local ingredients while balancing the need of proving a filling meal in a short period of time. These savory dishes give a glimpse into the multi-ethnic population of Trinidad and Tobago.

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