Trinidad Street Food: A Chana Doubles for only £2.00 at Trini Kitchen, Lower Marsh Market, London.

✓ Trinidadian "Doubles" is a very common street food in Trinidad and Tobago. It is a deliciously yummy snack made with two baras (Bara is fried flat bread very similar to Indian Puri or Punjabi Bhatura) it is then filled with curry channa (curried chickpeas).

We are pleasantly surprised by the many similarities between Trinidadian Food and Indian food, i.e. the names of the food and the similar spices used. But it all makes sense once you research and look a little bit deeper into the past history of the island.

There is a history of Indians coming to the Caribbean Island; these were people who were escaping poverty in India and seeking employment offered by the British for jobs either as indentured labourers, workers or educated servicemen, this occurred primarily between 1845 and 1917. The demand for Indian indentured labourers increased dramatically after the abolition of slavery in 1834. They were sent, sometimes in large numbers, to plantation colonies producing high value crops such as sugar in Africa and the Caribbean.

With the arrival of the Indians, they also bought their cuisine, culture and religion (Hinduism). Having bought along the foods and spices from back home; it was also possible to grow foodstuffs because the tropical temperature and climate was very similar to the Indian weather.

As you probably know by now, we absolutely love "discovering" secret places like this, a place serving delicious restaurant quality, home cooked food; but at very affordable street food prices!!! There is no secret to the recipe and preparation because the Chef Patron Mariana makes everything in full view of you.

Just some of the similarities of the foods:

Sada Roti = Tawa Roti or chapati
Paratha = Parantha
Doubles (Chickpea curry) = Chana Bhatura
Puri = Bara
Pelau Rice = Pilau Rice

The name of the stall is "Lagniappe - Trini Kitchen" and is located on Lower Marsh Market, London, SE1 7RG, U.K. (near Waterloo train station).

If you're planning a visit to especially taste some of the dishes seen, then please do contact them ahead to make sure they're on the menu on the day that you visit, you can message then via their social pages:

Facebook: @LagniappeFood

Twitter: @LagniappeFood

or you can call them on: 07810 274744

or email them: [email protected]

A very special thank you to Mariana, who warmly welcomed us, was very hospitable and graciously allowed us a privileged glimpse into her kitchen to do the videoing - it genuinely felt like we were at home in our sisters kitchen.

In case you're wondering, Lagniappe means a small gift and in Trinidad is sometimes used to refer to the child that came way after their siblings. Jokingly, Mariana says that being 8 years younger than her sister - she's the Lagniappe...........basically a nice way of saying 'mistake child'.

It's worth noting that Trinidadian food is hugely influenced by a "mish mash" of cultures such as Indian, Black, Portuguese, Syrian and Chinese........


Copyright free music used for the photos is:
Easy Jam by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

The mixed "taster" box I had (in the previous video) was absolutely delicious and consisted of:
Rice "n" Peas (Matter Bhat).
Tamarind Chutney (Amli Sauce).
Okra / Ochro dry Curry aka ladies fingers (Bhindi Shak).
Avacado.
Lettuce Salad.
Fried Plantain.
Spicy Mango Pickle.
Homemade Coleslaw (without Mayonnaise).
Cucumber Chutney.

I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (   / editor  )





(Video recorded on Wednesday 5th July 2017).