Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago, 3rd edition. Ramin Ganeshram
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should help you understand the ingredients and terms needed to prepare the dishes in this cookbook. For the most part, these ingredients are readily available—now more than ever with online shopping. However, where ingredients are still not easy to come by I have offered suggestions for substitutions. Additionally, while I describe traditional cooking methods, I also give updated directions that make use of modern kitchen utensils and appliances. You’ll also find that this third edition features some new recipes and a new section—“Breakfasts.”
When a recipe calls for hot pepper sauce you can either use a bottled variety (try the Trinidadian Matouk’s or Chief brands)72 or make your own using the recipe on page 257.
Whenever curry powder is called for, it is Trinidad curry powder or at least Caribbean curry powder, not the East Indian kind. Island specific curry powders are more readily available in regular supermarkets these days and online. Or you can make your own using the recipe on page 253.
Green Seasoning is a fresh herb blend used in a large number of Trinidadian dishes. You can make a batch using the recipe on page 254 and keep it in your refrigerator for about 1 week.
Salt is always coarse or kosher salt.
When brown sugar is called for it is measured loosely—not packed.
For my chili peppers I use Scotch bonnet peppers as they are the Caribbean’s chili pepper of choice. Please be aware that they are a very hot variety, similar in heat to the more common habanero pepper but fruitier, but any hot red chili pepper will do, depending on how much heat you prefer and availability.
Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Population:
1,300,000 as of 2013
Languages:
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Major Cities:
Port of Spain (capital), San Fernando (south), Tunapuna (north), Chaguanas (central)
Major Religions:
Christianity, Hinduism, Islam
Currency:
Trinidad & Tobago dollar (usually hovers at an exchange rate of between 6 to 6.25 dollars to 1 US dollar.)
Entry/Exit Requirements:
A valid passport is required of U.S. citizens for entry to Trinidad & Tobago (A U.S. passport card alone is not accepted for entry to Trinidad & Tobago or for direct air travel from Trinidad & Tobago back to the U.S.) U.S. citizens do not need a visa for tourism or business-related visits of 90 days or less.
When leaving Trinidad & Tobago visitors are required (as of this writing) to pay a $200 TT, roughly a $30 US departure tax.
Notes to Travelers:
The U.S. Center for Disease Control continues to issue a recommendation of yellow fever vaccine for travelers to Trinidad & Tobago.
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Source For BOX: CIA World Fact Book; U.S. Department of State
In the years since it was first published, numerous readers, websites, bloggers, and guides have told me that they have used Sweet Hands as a cultural as well as culinary guidebook to Trinidad & Tobago. Because of that I thought it would be helpful to readers to have a crib sheet on getting to and around the twin islands.
By no means does this section intend to compete with or cover all the material of a comprehensive guidebook. Instead, it comprises practical information based on research and personal experience. My hope is that this basic travel section will serve as an introduction and quick resource to help plan your own culinary adventure in Trinidad & Tobago.
When to Go
The most popular tourist times to visit Trinidad & Tobago are for the country’s famous Carnival (Mardi Gras) which takes place annually the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and airfares reflect this, so book early. Christmas and summertime travel are popular among expats returning home and so airfares tend to be on the high side then as well. Travelers who can visit T&T during other times of the year will find that they may be lucky enough to find round-trip tickets at much lower prices.
Trinidad & Tobago is, happily, out of the hurricane belt and rarely do large storms hit the islands. Occasionally there are earthquakes, and local lore often correlates the seismic events to periods of uncharacteristic heat. Temperatures in Trinidad & Tobago do not fluctuate widely and tend to be around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, inching closer to 90 degrees during the summer. There is little seasonal change with the notable exception of the rainy season, which is June to December. The dry season from January to May is an ideal time to visit, but brushfires during this time of year are not uncommon.
Trinidad & Tobago is in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone (GMT–4) and is, therefore, in the same time zone as the East Coast of the United States during Eastern Daylight Time, and one hour behind the East Coast the rest of the year during Eastern Standard Time. It is three hours behind the West Coast of the United States during Pacific Daylight Time and four hours behind during Pacific Standard Time.
Getting There & Getting Around
Many major airlines from both America and Europe fly to Trinidad’s Piarco International Airport and Tobago’s Crown Point International Airport. Among them are American Airlines, British Airways, Liat, Caribbean Airlines, Delta, and Lufthansa. Discounted airfares are available from consolidators such as TravelSpan, though flight days and times are limited if you go that route.
Visitors to Tobago can either fly directly there or fly into Trinidad and either take a commuter plane to Tobago that takes under an hour or a high-speed ferry service that takes two and a half hours. Rates for the ferry vary but are generally between $10-$15 (US). Vehicles are allowed on ferries and the cost is roughly $75 (US) for a round trip fare. For up-to-date schedules and fares, contact the Port Authority of Trinidad & Tobago at www.patnt.com.
It’s best to arrange for transport to your hotel from the airport with your hotel as crimes against tourists by independent taxi drivers—from simply overcharging to actual robbery—have been on the increase. If you do take a taxi from the airport, the National Tourism Authority has established standard rates to hotels and other major stops. You can obtain a rate sheet from the board’s tourism site: www.discovertnt.com
Although you can rent a car in Trinidad & Tobago, American visitors should be forewarned that it is right-side driving and follows British traffic patterns. This can be confusing, particularly given the extreme traffic around the capital and winding, narrow roads through rural areas, particularly in higher elevations. If possible, visitors would do better to hire a driver, many of whom can be hired for the day for the same price as it costs to rent a car. Often, your hotel concierge or a reputable taxi service with proper offices can help with this.
Public or municipal buses run by the Public Transport Service Corporation are marked clearly with the corporation’s name and run service from the terminal in South Quay in Port of Spain to towns and villages all over both Trinidad and Tobago. Schedules can be found at www.ptsc.co.tt/.
Throughout the island minivans called Maxi Taxis serve as additional quasi-public transportation and service various routes throughout the island, noted by the color of