The Best Street Foods In Trinidad
Raise your hand if you love street food. (Raises hand.) Raise your hand if you love Trinidad. (Raises hand.) Now combine street food with Trinidad, and what do you get? An amazing foodie experience!
During my time in Trinidad, I had some cheap, delicious street food. In fact, my itinerary consisted mainly of where to eat and then what to do in between all of the eating. That's definitely my kind of itinerary!
But how did I know what to eat and where to eat it? Luckily I had several Trinidadians (called Trinis) show me where to find the best food on the street. Here are my favorite street foods in Trinidad — and exactly where to find them.
1. Doubles
What it is: One cannot talk of Trinidadian cuisine without talking about doubles. Arguably the most popular street food on the island, doubles consists of two fried flat breads calledbarra that are filled with seasoned chickpeas, known as channa. You can eat this hot and tasty snack as is or add several toppings, including tamarind, cucumber, mango, and extra pepper sauce.
Trinis also like to eat their doubles with flavored soft drinks, like Solo Apple J and Solo Banana. My first doubles was a "doubles slight," which means doubles with slight pepper. It's perfect for anyone who likes their food with a kick that's nottoo hot.
Where to eat it: My favorite doubles came from Sauce Doubles on the Southern Main Road, just before Curepe Junction. Let me tell you, that place was packed. I've never been to a street vendor that has orderly lines on one side and disorderly crowds on the other. The key is to work your way through the crowd and have your order ready to go. I ended up eating my doubles on the hood of a car, and it was more than worth it!
2. Roti
What it is: Depending on where you are, roti, a doughy bread-like food, can take on various forms. There's sada roti, paratha roti, and dhalpuri, to name a few. In Trinidad, the popular street food is dhalpuri wrapped around a curry of your choice. The dhalpuri is first made with split peas that have been boiled, ground, and seasoned, and it's then used as a wrap around the curried filling. Popular fillings include chicken, goat, beef, shrimp and potatoes.
Where to eat it: I got my curry chicken roti from the Hot & Tasty Bus Route Roti Shop in Arima. It was good! Not the best I've ever had, but still a very solid roti. Places I've heard sell great roti that I did not go to:Patraj Roti Shop, Highway Roti Shop, and Don's Roti Shop. If anyone makes it to one of these vendors, let me know how it is!