Origin of Trinidad Doubles

Trinidad food at its most basic and best...

It's difficult to separate fact from fiction concerning the origin of Trinidad Doubles. Some say that Doubles is an adaptation of an East Indian dish called Chole-Bhature from the Punjab in Northern India, others that Doubles is a Trinidadian innovation...

 Trinidad Doubles History 

Many East Indian families in Trinidad trace their roots back to the Ganges valleys of Northern India, if not necessarily the Punjab region. However...

Chole-Bhature are usually sold pre-wrapped more like a Somoza, and are made with a variety of fillings including cream cheese. Still who is to say exactly what inspired the first channa vendors in Trinidad. So here's a story we heard, which is a likely scenario regarding the development, history and origin of Trinidad Doubles...

 Origin Trinidad Doubles 

After the first East Indian labors were released from their indenture many chose to stay in Trinidad rather than return to India.

To earn a living, some of these first East Indian entrepreneurs set up small stalls to sell whatever they could, including curried and fried channa in small paper cones. Many older Trinidadians can still recall buying channa in this way.

 Perfect Street Food 

The next development took place when a vendor in the Five-Rivers area discovered that if he added a barra (small East Indian fried bread), the channa and the barra together made a convenient meal.

As is always the case in Trinidad, other vendors began to copy the success of the vendor from Five-Rivers, and more and more channa was sold in combination with a barra. You can imagine that patrons soon began asking vendors to "double up" on the barra, a request that must have been shortened to "give meh ah doubles", adding an "s" in typical Trini fashion.

 Trinidad Doubles Men 

Later, a vendor from Princess Town, or so the story goes, possibly in an attempt to reduce the time and cost of making the small paper cones, decided to wrap his Doubles in waxed paper. In so doing he became the first modern Doubled man in Trinidad.

Knowing Trinidad and Trinidadians, the second explanation rings true, that Doubles is both a creation of the East Indian entrepreneurial spirit, and a uniquely Trinidadian dish of which all Trinidadians should be proud. But you make up your own mind.

This story takes nothing away from India being the inspiration, or origin of Trinidad Doubles, but rightly gives credit to the creativity of early entrepreneurs, Trinidadians by choice and birth, who, through their joint efforts, developed a unique, inexpensive, and delicious street food so suited to Trinidad and Tobago.