5-1-2014
Foods of Trinidad and
Tobago
This particular dish is
from our East Indian heritage.
Dhalpourhie – a type of
roti (flat bread made on a griddle type top made of cast iron and usually round
in shape) in which seasoned ground split peas (ground only after it was first
boiled with saffron (cumin), pepper and other seasonings) are used as a filling
in the dough. Balls of the split peas
are prepared and the dough wrapped around it, it is then rolled out (thus
creating even distribution of split peas inside of dough) and placed to cook on
a fire top baking stone or griddle known as a tawah (tawa or platin).
Many different fillings
are eaten with Roti. Today mine
consisted of curried aloo (potatoe) and channa (chick peas), pumpkin (with lots
of garlic), curried chicken, and that dark gooey stuff barely visible on the
plate is tamarind sauce (tamarind stewed down with sugar until it becomes a
gooey pulpy mess of deliciousness). To
wash it all down on the corner of my image is a glass of mauby (a bark of a
rhamnaceous tree, from which a bitter drink is drawn), embellished with aniseed
essence and sugar.
I am quite partial to food
and eating good, can you tell?
My plate was prepared at home. If you purchase roti from a shop here in Trinidad the filling is wrapped in the bread (roti) and quite delicious. You have the choice of pepper (hot or slight) that can be added as well. On the menu you will have a choice of various meats or veggies (for the vegetarians).
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