Interview with
Lifespan of a Chennette

Traveling Trini food enthusiast...

Chennette is a traveler; she's even been to the Hajj in Mecca, but most of all she's a self-professed Trini food enthusiast, and her blog is full of delicious East Indian, Indo-Trinidadian and traditional Trinidadian recipes, which you can make for yourself.

Trinidad at it's best is all about ethnic and cultural diversity. Sharing sawine with a Muslim friend at Eid, lighting diyas with a Hindu family at Diwali, enjoying Parang at Christmas time, experiencing Phagwa and Hosay, and of course the festivities surrounding Trinidad Carnival. Chennette's blog is a great resource, celebrating the cultural and ethnic diversity of Trinidad in a very personal and tasty way.

If you are planning a trip to Trinidad, you will find the suggestions she makes below, about which local dishes to try, extremely useful...

Chennette: It's the diversity. It's not just that we've had so many influences - African, Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern - but that these foods and techniques are so integrated into our cuisine that everyone cooks them.

We have a strong culture of home cooked Sunday lunch specialties like Callaloo, Stew Chicken, Macaroni Pie; but also street food like Corn Soup, and one-pot foods that are made for liming like Pelau. As a people, we love food and embrace this diversity.

Chennette: Mom. My Mom has always loved cooking. Her mother was of East Indian descent, her father was Syrian, and she grew up in a diverse area of Trinidad, so she had a varied inheritance in terms of food.

I grew up being a little server girl at my Mom's dinner parties - Mom is incapable of inviting less than 25 people over at a time. She always cooked with us in the kitchen, and she tried new things all the time. We helped bake cookies and pick seasoning.

Of course, I cannot leave out my father! Who, while not a great cook, is a true appreciator (and critic!) of food, any kind. His mother used to have us grand-kids in the kitchen when she made fry bake, and round aloo pies. My early memories of her are chunkaying dhal with lots of geera (cumin).

My interest in traditional Trinidad food began when I was away from home. First in Barbados, where homesickness led my Trini roommate and I to try our hand at Paratha Roti, Aloo Pie, Accra, Trini Chicken Pelau, and Macaroni Pie - all the things we missed.

I even began to make roti, despite insisting to my mother previously that I was a rice eater, and would not need to know how to make roti.

Then while in Edinburgh, living among a fairly international group of students, homesickness and patriotism made me want to make things I'd never cooked before. Fortunately, Mom was online, so I'd email her for recipes for like Halwa, Barfi, and Sweetbread etc.

Later, when my sister pushed me to start blogging, it was a natural step to showcase Trinidad food.

Chennette: Well, being Muslim, Eid is naturally the most important for me - Eid ul Fitr comes at the end of Ramadan (the month of fasting), and Eid ul Adha commemorates the sacrifice of Abraham.

For Eid ul Fitr, it seems like you spend the whole of Ramadan planning treats to celebrate the end of the fast. After Eid prayers, making the rounds to all the Muslim homes in the village, going house to house eating and trying out other people's specialties. Every household wants to offer the best - sweets, like Barfi, Halwa, Gulab Jamoon, Sawine; and savories, like Saheena, Baiganee etc. - not just in friendly rivalry, but also to treat the fasting people.

For Eid ul Adha you end up with a lot of meat, so in addition to sharing the meat itself with friends, family and the poor, you have to come up with fabulous beef, goat and mutton dishes as part of the celebration. And in true Trini style, many mosques and families cook Pelau. But since the majority of the Muslims in Trinidad and Tobago are of East Indian descent, it's natural that most of the foods associated with Eid are Indo-Trini specialties.

In our household, as Eid is a celebration, we cooked anything we considered celebratory, no matter the origin; including Kibbe, Baklava and Ma'moul to celebrate our Middle Eastern heritage and the things my mother grew up with.

In Trinidad, food is an easy way to share in different festivals. In the same way our non-Muslim neighbors enjoy Sawine at Eid, we enjoy being treated to Indian delicacies and Parsad at Diwali.

Chennette: Yes, I love Pelau. I can eat it anytime, and it is as distinctive as its maker. It's a complete balanced meal in one pot. Mmmm. Shark and Bake is more than just good food I suppose, it's the whole experience, the beach, the sand, the wind. Then there is Trini Doubles, the ultimate street food. But this is always a difficult question. I think visitors should try everything: Trinidad Chinese food, East Indian delicacies from Debe, Creole food at the malls, and of course Trinidad Roti.

When I was in Edinburgh, the 2 biggest hits were Stew Chicken, and Coconut Sweetbread (not together!). Stew chicken was a revelation to some people - the cooking method, the lovely rich taste - it is my favorite style of chicken. Good with almost everything.

Chennette: Whew, another tough one! I think everyone should try Sapodilla - it's like brown sugar in a fruit - and Governor Plums - the big red skin juicy ones. Then there's Soursop and Barbadine that make delicious milky sweet drinks.

Of course, if you want to try something different and it's in season, you can sample the small Lychee-like fruit, Chennette, after which my blog is named.

Chennette: Trinis love to lime, and food is always part of the equation. I remember a teacher from one of the other Caribbean islands bemoaning the fact that Trinis couldn't seem to organize anything without food.

One-pot meals like Oil Down, Pelau, and Fish Broth are well suited to these kinds of activities, as they can be easily stretched to accommodate everyone - including a lone stranger who might be wandering past the fire, or someone sitting next to you at the beach.

Chennette: Visit Maracas Beach of course, to pick up bake and shark, and see our beautiful North Coast. Hiking and bird watching at the Asa Wright Nature Center, it's beautiful and relaxing. Visiting the Caroni Swamp at sunset to see the Scarlet Ibis. Driving through the Manzanilla stretch with all the coconut trees lining the road, and shopping in Chaguanas. Just a few off the top of my head.

Chennette: Come with an empty belly - come hungry.

But seriously, Trinidad has a little of everything - rain forest covered mountains, beaches, wildlife, shopping, fetes, and of course good food. I have friends who want to visit Trinidad just for a food tour. And, although we might not be the most slick and professional at customer service, Trinis love to talk, so get into ah ol'talk with the people you meet and you'll be surprised at what you learn.

Tobago is quieter and maybe a little more what people expect a Caribbean island to be - but don't forget to try their Crab and Dumplings, Flying Fish, Benne Balls and other great eats.

Chennette, thanks for the interview.
Here's and old Irish blessing, Trini style: "May your blog grow from strength to strength, and your readers continue to be surprised with new, delicious and exciting Trini recipes."