Trinidadian Street Food

Street Food. To me, it is the direct expression and manifestation of a culture and its people, second after music. I just love the concept of it. If I were to visit a new country, I'm not going to stay in a hotel and visit "tourist attractions". I'm going to head to the streets, the city centres, where the people live their day to day lives. There, I believe, is where one will find the tastiest cuisines tailored to each culture and its people.

Here in Trinidad, the pinacle of street food is "DOUBLES". This magical dish is a concoction of two fried barras (a kind of fried bread), channa (curried chick peas) and sauces such as "sweet sauce", pepper sauce, mango and cucumber chutneys. The two barras give way to the name "DOUBLES". Usually, a doubles vendor will not only sell doubles but also saheenas, pholourie, kachouries, baiganis and other delicacies we'll be getting into in detail later on. EVERY Trinidadian knows what a Doubles is and what it tastes like. And yes the singular and plural is Doubles.

You may find that these foods are heavily influenced by Indian roots and it is because they were influenced by the East Indian immigrants who came to Trinidad during British rule. Trinidad is known for its plethora of races, African, Indian, Chinese, Syrian, Portuguese and others. We are a rainbow country and subsequently the cuisine is diverse and if you love your belly, this is the place to be!

There are many doubles vendors around the country. It is safe to say that this phenomenon is quite ubiquitous, but there is one area that is considered to be the doubles capital. To the south of Trinidad, in the area of Penal, Debe, there exists a stretch of established doubles vendors, some of whom have been around for more than 5 decades! I call it the Debe Doubles Stretch. They are also known for their variety of Indian sweets which serve as dessert after a hearty meal.

The Famous Five

One: D' Blue Shed

First we stopped at "D' Blue Shed". They are situated to the far right of the stretch along the road. You'll notice that everyone typically sells the same delicacies in their glass cases, but the thing is, they each have their own iteration of said foods. It just depends on which you prefer. Me? ALL.

Two: Singh's Doubles

Singh's Doubles is one of the few places wherein there is seating with tables. The thing about doubles though is that its more of a "go" food, just buy and go, so seating is not really that important. The saheena here is really good as well.

Three: Hosein's

Hosein's is one of first ones on the Debe Doubles scene apparently being there for 108 years! Here is probably the only place you can get one of my favorites indian delicacies called Gulab Jamun.

I absolutely love that syrupy goodness and those soft balls of sweetness.

Four: Hassanali's D Green Shed

Hassanali's and their green shed are one of the more memorable of the sheds on the stretch. Their baigani is to die for and the customer service is second to none. They also have a nice range of Indian sweets!

Five: Krishna's Food Centre

Krishna's Food Centre is the last of the line. In addition to the fried foods, they boast the widest variety in Indian sweets as well as other Trinidadian delicacies.

The Food!

Now to the part you've all been waiting for, the FOOD! We decided to do some sampling of the different foods available. I hope you understand that not everything could be covered but just the important and most popular ones.

Saheena

Saheena is a fried delicacy made of rolled taro leaves (dasheen bush), held together by a batter made with flour, split peas and other ingredients. It can be eaten just as it is but most prefer it stuffed with channa (curried chic peas), pepper sauce, sweet sauce and mango chutney. When hot out of the pot, the exterior is crispy while the interior is a soft and savory delight. This is my favorite of all the other delicacies.

Someone's enjoying that tasty saheena with mango chutney and channa!

Aloo Pie

Aloo pies (potato pies) are fried pies stuffed with a wonderfully spiced and seasoned potato filling. You can also get it with channa just as in the photo above. I'm not too into the aloo pies mainly because I ate so much I got fed up of them but with channa, they are really good!

Kachourie

Kachouries are fried balls made of chic pea and split pea flour. They are normally eaten with channa and other sauces/ chutneys.

Kachouries should be gluten free if I'm not mistaken, as long as they are not made with flour. Some people add a little flour to the mix so just ask before eating if you are gluten sensitive.

Baigani

A baigani is made of fried batter that contains within it, baigan also known as eggplant or melongine. This is also one of my favourites and can be eaten with some channa as well as sauces and chutneys. Some people prefer them without anything but I love it with channa.

Doubles

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the reigning king of Trinidadian street food. The crowd favourite, loved by one and all, THE DOUBLES. That image above, the wrapped doubles, holds a special place in a Trinidadian's heart. If we had a choice, I bet it would be instated as the national emblem.

All jokes aside, the opening of a doubles wrapper to expose the coveted meal on the inside is an experience by itself. The way the double barras open to reveal the steaming channa on the inside. WOAH. This immediately makes your mouth water. Everyone has their own method of eating this, whether standing, sitting, in the car, at home or at work. The doubles is literally eaten and is suitable for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It truly is an integral part of Trinidadian culture and is the first thing recommended to tourists when they visit!

Culinary Bliss

If ever you decide to visit the island paradise of Trinidad and Tobago (check my other posts to see what I mean), then make sure the Debe Doubles Stretch is on your list of places to explore. With your tongue that is. You'll be sure to leave with a smile on your face and a satisfied feeling in the tummy. I hope you learnt a lot! Thanks for coming along on the food adventure with me. Feel free to upvote and leave a comment so we can get a little discussion going! Cheers!