Trini Sweet-hand

When it comes to Trinidad and Tobago they are known by most for two things; partying and FOOD!!!!. Caribbean food in itself is well known for being delicious but out of the whole West Indian chain of islands Trinidad stands out the most. Growing up in any household one is exposed to a collection of food as though the world was condensed into a single place. Trinidadians are known for their “sweet-hand,” a term that is the food equivalent to the Midas touche. In my household I would regularly eat curries and stews, roasts and BBQ, mashed potatoes and steak, things from all over the world. Recently Arabic food has exploded onto the scene and like everything else “Trini’s” will take every seasoning and make it work on every meat. The meats are also an interesting aspect of Trinidadian cuisine, we will have the conventional beef and chicken, fish and pork but it is not strange to find people having ‘lap,’ iguana, ‘agouti,’ goat, etc.

In Trinidadian cooking there is rarely a piece of meat that is spared….

A major aspect of Trinidadian cooking and its culture it the use of the ‘pot.’ There is often a gathering with one major pot that everyone will help prepare and serve himself or herself from, providing an immense sense of community. Many styles of cooking also involes one major pot that has t be tended to at all times, so you will often find food stall with an old lady (tanty) tending to the pot.

Foods one needs to try while in Trinidad include, shark and bake
View Southern Times in a larger map, corn soup, double, a roti, peleau, and the list goes on. Even KFC, very different style to the US, is the number one selling KFC in the world!