I’m embarassed to admit that this is only the second time that we’re featuring a Trinidadian artist in our Designer Desire series. The first was textile designer, Althea McNish – and that was way back in 2018!
Huggins is from a completely different generation to McNish, and their work and methods are poles apart. Huggins produces much of his work digitally on a computer using Adobe Illustrator.
I was introduced to Nicholas Huggins’ work not that long ago via a Global Voices article. I was struck by his bold use of colour and creativity in his hugely successful project that was part of 36daysoftype.
In it, he interpreted the vernacular architecture of the Caribbean in his own style, using all the letters of the alphabet and the numbers 0-9. He created a limited-edition print of the project which sold out within weeks.
The subjects of his illustrations are often subjects that are Trinidad & Tobago icons; rum, carnival, calypso, the beach, food & drink, folkloare and day to day views such as gas stations, parlours and roadside vendors.
The 36daysoftype illustrations are included at the top of our montage and below in a film where Nicholas talks about the project and the follow-up one.
Following on from last week’s pholourie recipe, here’s another of my favourite fried foods that hails from Trinidad – fried bakes (or fry-bake, if you’re a proper Trini!). ‘Fried bakes’ – a contradiction in terms!
My aunt sent me a recipe that she cut out of the TT Guardian – complete with a few of her personalisation notes!
It’s a very quick and simple recipe; a basic dough of flour, raising agent, fat and liquid – but the end product… wow!
Fried bakes are traditionally eaten with fried fish (the famous bake & shark eaten al fresco at the beach) or buljol, a spicy salted fish dish.
Here is a video of my aunt making fried bakes recently. This is what she advocates:
I decided that tapping the dough down into the oil, whilst turning it but by bit, results in it puffing up immediately.
As a vegetarian, I thought about what best to stuff them with. In the past, I’ve had them with extra mature cheddar, Branston pickle and salad. Perhaps smashed avocado or hummus with grated carrot. Instead, I went a step up and decided on fried bakes with grilled halloumi, salad and hot sauce.
These bakes are traditionally served with fried fish or buljol
Ingredients
260g/9oz plain flour
8g/¼oz butter/shortening
2 tsp baking powder
½tsp salt
½tsp brown sugar
190ml/6 fl oz water
vegetable oil for frying
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Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar
Rub in the butter/shortening until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
Add enough water to just about make a soft dough
Flour your work surface and knead for about 5 minutes
Cover the bowl with a tea towel and rest the dough for 30 minutes
Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and then divide each into 6 equal pieces (getting 12 in total). Or, weigh the entire ball of dough and divide into 12 equal weights; mine were about 40g/1⅖oz each
Rest the dough again for a further 5 minutes before rolling each piece into rounds about 7cm / 3" in diameter
In a heavy-bottomed, deep frying pan or saucepan, heat the vegetable oil and fry each bake making sure that it's covered in oil (my aunt recommends spooning oil over the top of the bake as it cooks, to help it puff up)
Carefully flip and fry the other side until fully ballooned or puffed
Remove and drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil
Slice in half horizontally and load with your chosen filling
Print
Adapted from Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
Adapted from Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/
This is the second in my roving reports from Trinidad. Last time, I checked out the street food on offer. This week, I’m taking a trip around the island visiting popular and less well known Trinidad beaches.
During the 3 weeks that I was over there, I was lucky enough to go to Chaguaramas, Maracas, Las Cuevas and Mayaro – only a tiny proportion of the beaches the country has to offer. I reached out to a bunch of old school friends and my aunt, who was visiting at the same time, for images of the rest of the coastline. The response was overwhelming so I’ve managed to assemble a fabulous collection of photos – over a hundred… it was a true group effort!
You’ll grasp the varied history of the island from the diverse names of the places that I mention. Trinidad – with its indigenous Amerindian people – was colonised by the French, Spanish and finally, the British.
I’ve put the photographs into some semblance of order, beginning at Maracas in the north and travelling clockwise around the coast. There are even a couple of short film clips to add some extra island flavour!
Maracas
Probably the most popular beach in Trinidad – especially at the weekend. There’s a huge car park, changing facilities and plenty of food and drinks places. Deckchairs can be hired and there are safety flags and lifeguards on duty.
A little, almost hidden away, beach between Maracas and Las Cuevas. Because of this, it’s always more chilled and less crowded. The sea water is also calmer in this spot; therefore suitable for children and less confident swimmers.
Las Cuevas (Spanish for ‘The Caves’) was a lot more developed than the last time I’d visited; granted, that was way back in the 1980s sometime. There’s now a large car park, changing rooms and lifeguards. We visited midweek – so there were few people there. We stayed about 3 hours, leaving around 2pm. One thing I remember from the 80s though, the sandflies come out in force at sundown – I doubt that’s changed – bring your insect repellent if you’re visiting later in the day.
The name derives from the French for ‘washerwoman’. You access Blanchisseuse either via the North Coast Road or driving north from Arima via a twisting & turning road which passes the Asa Wright Nature Centre, a destination I highly recommend. Head for L’Anse Martin Bay to the West, Marianne Beach and River to the East and 3 Pools and Avocat Waterfall an inland hike from the river.
The Grande Riviere river empties out into Grande Riviere Bay. The beach is renowned for the huge leather-back turtles that return year after year to lay their eggs in the sand. Because of this spectacular natural phenomenon, the area has developed into an eco-tourism destination.
Toco is the most north-easterly place in Trinidad and the closest point to sister island, Tobago. It’s a popular spot with surfers, being the windy, rocky confluence of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. At the end of the road stands Galera Point Lighthouse.
I filmed a few seconds our journey to Mayaro through the rear windscreen of the minibus on our way to our trip to Shangri-la Vacation Home. Mile upon mile of coconut tree-lined road hugging the Atlantic shore, in parts, a few narrow (and, at times, perilous) feet away.
Manzanilla, as I said, is located along the Atlantic coast. The sea can be rough and choppy with dangerous currents – especially at high tide.
The coast of Manzanilla meets Mayaro at the bump that is Point Radix, the location of the spectacular 300-acre Ben Deloraine Nature Reserve. I’m not going to lie, I went all the way down to Mayaro with family but didn’t go near the beach or the sea; I stayed liming round the Shangri-La pool.
The main reason was because of the sargassum. It’s not as serious as it was last year, but it’s still piled up along the tide line and floats around in the sea. Another justification for me not embarking on the less than 5-minute walk to the beach wasn’t because I was lazy. No, it’s because I was stung by a man o’war jellyfish as a child in the sea at Mayaro; an experience I’ll never forget. But don’t let me put you off – Mayaro is a beautiful place!
Moruga is a small fishing community with a number of claims to fame. It is said to be the spot where Christopher Columbus landed when he ‘discovered’ Trinidad. The La Ruffin Bridge at Moruga is the only suspension bridge in use in Trinidad. It was originally built to transport the cocoa from the nearby plantations to market. Its maintenance was lacking – and local fishermen used it to moor their boats – resulting, in 1993, in its collapse into the river as a van was travelling over it. Luckily, it is now on the Heritage Asset Register. The town is home to the Trinidad Moruga scorpion – the 2nd-hottest chilli in the world.
Icacos is the most south-westerly point of Trinidad and therefore the polar opposite of Toco. It’s a calm peninsula of sandy beach bordered by a parade of coconut trees, a stone’s throw across the Gulf of Paria from Venezuela. Head for Columbus Bay where you’ll spot the Three Sisters rock formations out at sea.
The sea around the capital city isn’t necessarily a place to go for a swim. Rather, it’s arguably one of the best places in the country to pull over in your car – perhaps with a bite to eat – to watch the stunning sunsets this part of the coast enjoys.
Chaguaramas is a stretch of coastline that lies just to the west of Port of Spain. This makes it a place where people go (especially Macqueripe), mid-week, for a ‘quick dip’ to unwind after a day at work. It’s very accessible; Western Main Road runs closely alongside. The area is where sailing types congregate; a number of boat yards and marinas exist such as Small Boats, Power Boats and the Sailing Association.
Or ‘Dung-de-Ayelans’! Not a ‘beach’ as such – and only accessible by boat – Down-the-Islands is a little collection of mostly uninhabited islands in the Bocas (Spanish for ‘mouth.). They are touching distance from Venezuela. The islands include Monos (Spanish for ‘monkey’), Gaspar Grande, Huevos (Spanish for ‘eggs’) and Chacachacare (its original Amerindian name); the last being a former leper colony.
I’ve just returned from 3 weeks in Trinidad – the place where I grew up – on a joint business and pleasure trip. When I visit the island, one of the main things I look forward to doing is indulging in the array of delicious street food that’s available.
All the images included here were taken either by me, my good friend, Simone or my aunt Coleen who was visiting at the same time – on holiday from Canada.
Doubles
Doubles are probably my favourite of all the street food you can buy in Trinidad – and they’re the messiest to eat! Doubles – an Indian dish – are two bara (hence the name ‘doubles’) with a spoonful of curry channa (chickpeas) in between. You have the option of a sprinkling of kuchela, amchar, tamarind chutney, chopped cucumber and/or pepper sauce. Ask for “no pepper”, “slight pepper” or “plenty pepper” depending on your tolerance for chilli!
Locals have them for breakfast – to set them up for the day – or in the wee hours following a late night out drinking and socialising.
Roti
Ask six people who makes the best roti and you’ll get half a dozen different answers! Roti is another Indian speciality eaten straight out of the wrapper with the hands. It’s a soft, slightly spiced bread – similar to a tortilla – that is stuffed with curried vegetables, meat (chicken, beef, goat, lamb) or seafood (shrimp, conch) and condiments such as curry mango and pepper sauce before being folded and wrapped ready for demolishing.
A couple of the best roti places are Hosein’s on Eastern Main Road, San Juan and Hott Shoppe on Mucurapo Road, St James. The one pictured below – a dhalpuri roti filled with channa, potato and pumpkin – (which was the best one I ate on my visit) was from The Roti Café, Upper Saddle Road, Cantaro, Santa Cruz. I sat down to eat at a table outside, washing my roti down with a Carib from the Roundabout Bar next door – it doesn’t get much better than that!
There are a few different forms of roti from which to choose; the aforementioned dhalpuri, sada, parata/buss-up-shut (busted up shirt) – they’re all good!
Ice cream
As well as doubles and roti, I was most looking forward to becoming reacquainted with B&M ice cream on Western Main Road in St James. The home-made ice cream is available in a variety of flavours – chocolate, coconut, rum & raisin, Guinness, cocopine, peanut, cherry vanilla, barbasop (barbadine and soursop) – and my own personal favourite – soursop (guanábana).
Coconut water
Nothing quenches the thirst in the midday tropical heat of Trinidad like coconut water. There are half a dozen or so coconut vendors to choose from around the Savannah in Port of Spain. Back in the day, they were sold out of the back of old wooden carts. Today, the vendors have fancy chariots sporting colourful wrought ironwork and advertising boards. To find them, head for the west side of the Savannah, opposite the ‘Magnificent Seven‘. When you’ve downed the water, don’t forget to hand the coconut back to the vendor to chop it into segments so you can eat the delicious jelly.
Snow cones
Snowcones comprise of a dome of shaved ice (about the size of a tennis ball); a few squirts of brightly coloured, sweet flavoured syrup and topped with (optional) condensed milk. To be honest, they’re not my favourite, but they’re very popular – especially with young kids!
Gyros
Not everyone is a vegetarian like me. There’s a lot of choice for the carnivore too! The number of gyros stands has exploded in Trinidad, helped by the rise in Syrian immigrants to the country. Ariapita Avenue, or simply ‘The Avenue’, in Woodbrook/St James is Gyros Central.
The Avenue is where many of the capital’s popular bars are located. Often, where you find people drinking alcohol, you’ll find people who crave a kebab (the nearest UK equivalent of a gyro). It’s not just drinkers though, people stop to buy gyros on their way back from work to eat them at home.
Jerk
Another meaty street food to be found in Trinidad is jerk. It arrived fairly recently from Jamaica, further up the Caribbean, and in becoming an increasingly popular choice. The meat – usually chicken – is marinaded in a jerk seasoning and cooked on a barbecue. It’s served with French fries with toppings such as BBQ sauce, tomato ketchup and the ubiquitous pepper sauce.
Bake and shark
Or should that be shark and bake? Whichever way you say it, it’s a must when you visit Maracas Beach. Maracas was the place my friends and I would drive to every Sunday to relax after a hectic weekend of partying.
The ‘bake’ part is a fried bread, the ‘shark’ component is self-explanatory – pan fried, seasoned shark. However, these days, other types of fish such as king fish, grouper and talapia are used as a substitute for shark – mainly due to environmental and availability reasons. The bread is topped with salads, condiments and sauces of all kinds. The bake and shark pictured below is from Uncle Sam & Sons on Maracas Beach.
There’s a lookout on the Lady Young Road and another on the North Coast Road en route to beaches at Maracas, Las Cuevas and Blanchisseuse. They’re places to stop the car to take in the stunning, panoramic views. The former overlooks the capital city, Port of Spain and the latter, the verdant coastline tumbling into the Caribbean Sea. Both boast a couple of large food stalls that offer sweet, savoury, salted and pickled snacks and treats to peckish travellers. I especially recommend trying the pineapple chow, salt prunes, red mango, tamarind (pronounced ‘tambran’) balls and sugar cake.
We pulled over, bought some snacks and took a few photos on our way to Las Cuevas.
Debe food strip
Simone drove me to Débé – a town in the South of Trinidad – that’s famous for it’s Indian food stalls. Indian fast food is my all-time favourite – and there’s a huge choice for vegetarians like me!
The photo above is what we bought:
1. Baiganee (aubergine) | 2. Saheena (dasheen and split peas) | 3. Kachourie (channa and/or split peas)
4. Khurma (sugar-coated flour) | 5. Aloo (potato) pie | 6. Baiganee (aubergine)
7. Doubles | 8. Ginger ale | 9. Solo Apple J
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© Simone De Silva-Gomes
