IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR TO MAKE OUR TRADITIONAL TRINBAGO PASTELLES

Pastelles are a popular favorite amongst many Trinbagonians around Christmas time. With respect to the introduction of Pastelles to Trinbago there are however, a lot of different versions to its history. Some historians claim that pastelles are believed to have been created by the indigenous people who once inhabited Trinidad. According to Wikipedia, it is believed that the pastelles were introduced by Spanish colonizers who ruled the island between the late 15th and early 18th centuries . Despite uncertainty of who introduced pastelles to our country , the making of pastelles at Christmas time is rooted in our culture and usually involves many family members assisting in the process.
In my home my brother Julius is responsible for picking the banana leaves from the banana trees going in our back yard and my sister in law Sangeeta and myself are in charge of actually making the pastelles. The pastelle press my mother bought a few years ago before she passed away in 2018 is still in use . So too is the steamer she bought on one of her Christmas shopping sprees. It is said a picture is worth a thousand words. But I believe that The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words. So hope you enjoy viewing these photos of our pastelle making process. One thing with my family they are always appreciative of our efforts and always says how delicious our home made pastelles are. (Source: Virtual Museum of Trinnidad & Tobago, Dec 4, 2023)