 Remember the days of crown corks ?
The crown cork was a very simple bottle cap we that were part of our daily lives. But how many of us "Ever wonder who thought of this idea of using cork inside a bottle cap and why? The crown cork was in fact the first form of bottle cap and was the brain child of William Painter in 1892 in Baltimore. It's design was quite simple and it was composed of normal metal with a knurled end in the form of an inverted crown, hence the name of crown cap. To effectively prevent leakage of liquid, the cap was covered with a thin cork disc, itself covered with a film sealing the contents of the bottle. This precaution avoided the direct contact between the liquid and the metal, which could have badly affected the taste of the beverage. The crown cap was widely used for many alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.This design remained relatively unchanged until the 1960s, when plastic discs – less prone to deterioration or contamination — superseded the old cork seals. Another fascinating historical fact is that the single-use crimped crown corks became one of the world’s first successful disposable products. When I began my teaching career the infant teachers collected these crown corks , drilled holes in the middle with a hammer and nails and then placed sets of ten on a thick piece of soft wire. This was used to teach infants counting from one to ten and to add numbers. For craft older students used corks to make zwills. (Source: Virtual Museum of Trinidad & Tobago, Jan 8, 2024)
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 IIIIa satisfying, sweet and savoury, one-pot meal that leaves everyone happy and makes clean up a breeze.
Plus, it's ready in under an hour! Check out the recipe from Easy Chicken Recipes below. Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 23 mins Ready in 38 mins Ingredients 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs 2 tablespoons oil divided ⅓ cup flour 1 medium red onion cut in chunks 1 red pepper cut in chunks 1 can pineapple chunks juice reserved ¾ cup brown sugar packed 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch ⅓ cup soy sauce 3 garlic cloves minced 2 teaspoons ground ginger ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 2 green onions thinly sliced 1 tablespoon sesame seeds Directions 1. Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. In a large bowl, toss chicken thighs with flour to coat. Brown chicken thighs for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove to plate. 2. Add ½ tablespoon oil to the same skillet and add red onion and red pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the juice from the canned pineapple, minced garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. 4. Add the sauce to the skillet and heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 2 minutes or until sauce has thickened. 5. Return chicken to the skillet and stir to coat with sauce. Cover skillet and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. 6. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds and serve with rice. (Source: the Loop, July 23, 2023) World-famous Trinitario makes a splash with Chinese customers: "It's a growing market," says director Ashley Parasram  Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company Trinidad, Ashley Parasram, holds a sample of Trinitario fine chocolate which is being sold in Shanghai and Hainan. Photo: Alina Doodnath From the hills of Trinidad and Tobago to the skyscrapers of Shanghai and the tropical shores of Hainan, the country's world-famous Trinitario chocolate, with its signature smooth yet complex range of flavours, has made its way to customers in China.
In an exclusive interview with Loop News, Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company, Ashley Parasram, said to date, four tonnes of these exquisitely crafted, fine chocolate products have been shipped to China. Parasram said the company has entered into a partnership with Orient International Shanghai Foreign Trade Co. Ltd. to distribute Trinidadian fine chocolate to Shanghai, as well as a partnership in Hainan. "We're looking at putting our chocolate into the Chinese market and coming up with innovative new products for the China market, and work with designers and packaging companies there, so it's a very exciting partnership." He said the company has signed another partnership to ship 12 more tonnes of Trinidadian fine chocolate to China. The company has previously had a partnership with Harrod's in the UK and is now going to work with their Shanghai location to create unique chocolate products made with Trinitario cocoa. "We participated at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai as part of the ExporTT stand, we've had a lot of support from ExporTT and InvesTT, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry in getting the products to China. "We've also had a lot of support from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Port of Spain and the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago to China in Beijing." "We're hoping that next year will be a very exciting year for our export." He said chocolate consumption is still a developing market and there is much room for Trinidadian companies to expand there, thanks in major part to China's focus on trade via the Belt and Road Initiative, of which Trinidad and Tobago is a member. "The Belt and Road Initiative is very key in terms of facilitating trade and there is definitely an appetite for interesting products into the China market. It's a huge market; 70 per cent of the population is online, they have very good, sophisticated platforms such as WeChat which can be used, so I think it's a market that is ready for products from Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, so it's very exciting in that regard." "From seeing our own company's experience, it's worth other companies taking a look at that market and exploring further trade opportunities." Parasram said there are plans for several other exciting products, for example blending Trinitario chocolates with China's famous baiju as well as the popular 'rum and chocolate' combination. There are also plans to incorporate quintessential Chinese ingredients such as tea. "Historically, chocolate is new to the Chinese market, but as we've seen with things like wine and whiskey, there is a growing market for that so the opportunity is there, definitely, so we think there are other products like rum, spices and peppers that can also be popular in the Chinese market." Customers in China will be able to order the chocolates online and have them delivered to their homes. Trinidad and Tobago is also the first Caribbean country to benefit from China's BRI with the launch of region's flagship project, the Phoenix Park Industrial Estate, in Point Lisas. The project will be commissioned in early 2024 but already one client, Summit Luggage, has completed its first container of branded luggage for export to North American markets. Trinidad and Tobago was the first country to sign on to the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018 - currently, eight of 15 CARICOM countries are signed on as members of the BRI. In 2019, Trinidad and Tobago became the first CARICOM country whose trade with China exceeded US$1 billion. For local customers, the T&T Fine Cocoa Company also has a range of fine chocolate with unique flavour combinations; for more information visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/trinitario.tt or their website at https://trinitario.tt/  In the heart of culinary passion lies Tyrelle Amanda Chase, the driving force behind TC’s Sweets&Treats. From her earliest memories in the kitchen at the age of seven, Chase's journey has been a tapestry woven with love, family, and a deep connection to food. Reflecting on her culinary evolution, Chase said, “I'd always go to the kitchen and watch, whether it’s my sisters or my father, whatever they may be doing. The first meal I cooked on my own was corned beef and spaghetti, and from then on, I thought I was ‘d boss’ of the kitchen. Her culinary ambitions deepened after losing her sister, fostering a shared love for food and laughter in the kitchen. “As I got older, I'd always watch Food Network with the iron chefs and the bake offs with one of my sisters who was also a foodie.” She passed away when I was 14, and I guess me going further into the culinary industry is partly because of her, aside from the fact that I grew to love the arts myself, but we would be in the kitchen and copy the recipes, (as best as possible), laugh about what came out bad, enjoyed what came out good, and I'd always be disappointed whenever I made something that wasn't really like up to par, but she would always comfort me, and remind me I'm still a child and that Rome wasn't built in a day. "She used to tell me that those people on television are trained professionals who had years of practice. Even today, at 22 years old, I still sit back and remember those times whenever I would start to beat myself up over something not coming out perfect, or close to perfect as possible. Everyone makes mistakes, we just have to learn from it and try a different technique.”  Officially becoming a YTEPP-certified pastry chef in April, Chase credits Montgomery Guy and her family for their instrumental roles. She expresses gratitude for the support that fuelled her journey into the hospitality industry, aiming to evolve into an executive chef.
Cooking, baking, and crafting food are Chase's expressions of love and warmth. "I love the satisfaction of seeing someone smile because of me. You never know who may be having a bad day." Chase's passion is rooted in creating joy for others, a sentiment she holds dear. Her business, currently online with aspirations for a physical location, offers an array of pastries, baked treats both sweet and savoury from puffs to pizzas, dinner rolls, éclairs, quiche, cheesecakes, black cakes, pone, cookies and more. Her Christmas cooking philosophy resonates with warmth and nostalgia, aiming to bring comfort and joy reminiscent of childhood traditions. She believes in spreading homemade comfort, especially in challenging times. The motto Chase lives by is a testament to resilience and perseverance: “Rome, nor the Great Wall of China, were built in a day. Take life one stride at a time, stumble, fumble, make mistakes, but don't give up.” She encourages others, especially those in the culinary field, to persist through challenges, reminding them that it's never too late to start anew. The recipe Chase generously shares is black cake Ingredients 250g (1 cup) brown sugar 2 tsps baking powder ¼ tsp salt 4 large eggs 1 tsp, vanilla extract (essence) 1 ½ tsp grated lime peel 2-3 dashes bitters Nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon powder ½-1 cup browning Fruit mix 250g (1 cup), seedless prunes 125g (½ cup) currants 250g (1 cup) sultanas and raisins 125g (½ cup) lemon peel 125g (½ cup) cherries and mixed fruits Directions For non-alcoholics Soak your fruits using 2-3 bottles of sorrel and ginger Shandy (you can use ginger beer) as well, along with ½ bottle of Malta, ¼ tsp baking powder and some clove (stir thoroughly). You need to ensure the liquid is just about one to two cms above the fruits as the fruits will soak the liquid and you would need to save some of that syrup to pour over the cakes (to keep them moist) when they are done baking, For those who consume alcohol Using the same measurement of fruits, replace the Shandy and Malta with cherry brandy and vodka, White Oak or puncheon rum. Remember to add enough liquid so fruits are completely submerged and liquid is one to two cms above fruits. Also, because you're using alcohol you don't need to add baking powder. Soak fruits for three to four days before using. Preheat oven to 250°F (125°C) Line cake pan with paper (baking/wax) Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon Cream the butter and sugar (until light and fluffy) Add eggs, one at a time and beat until well combined Mix in, vanilla, lime peel, nutmeg and bitters Fold the flour mixture gradually into the butter mixture (in three equal parts) Add fruits, and enough browning (for your desired colour) Stir well Pour mixture into lined baking pans to ¾ full and bake in your preheated oven at 250°F, for the first hour. Reduce heat to 200-225°F, for remaining 1 ½ hours or until tester comes out clean Prick hot cake with skewer, pour mixture of Shandy, Malta, or cherry brandy and rum Cover, set aside Remove from pan only when the cake is completely cooled and all liquid is absorbed.(Source: Newsday, Dec. 16, 2023)  Blog written by Patricia Bissessar
Many would agree that nothing tastes better than a cold glass of home made sorrel . Some folks also fancy the Shandy Sorrel drink. Growing up as a child of the 60s it was a Bissessaringh Tradition on Christmas Eve to prepare the traditional Trini Christmas Drinks. The only drinks bought were two cases of solo soft drinks in the wooden crate and a few bottles of peardrax. My parents loved their homemade ginger beer, sorrel which we picked from the yard to prepare the drink and Ponche de Crème. I remembered one year my mother experimenting with making pommerac wine , but although it was pleasant tasting but given the fact nobody drank alcoholic beverages in my home my father gave the two bottles of local pommerac wine to one of his friends. Although both parents are no longer in the land of the living my sister Annmarie and my sister in law Sangeeta continues the family traditions started so many years ago. Sorrel has always been an integral part of Caribbean food and culture, especially during the festive Christmas season. Made from the dried petals of the sorrel flower, sorrel makes a beautiful deep-red, delicious fruity-fragrant floral tea or infusion. Like many popular plants grown in the Caribbean region, sorrel has its origins in West Africa. It is also known as Roselle, or less widely recognized, by its scientific name ‘Hibiscus sabdariffa’. My task is to pick and remove the seeds from the sorrel for boiling while my sister in law responsibility is to prepare the delicious tasty sorrel drink. The juice is drawn by steeping the outer skin (sepals) of the fresh or dried red fruit in hot water and produces a rich, red liquid Angelo’s mom and my sister also makes sorrel jam which goes just right with baked turkey . The good ole traditional non-alcoholic, strongly flavoured Trini Ginger beer was my mother’s favourite Christmas Drink. Ginger Beer was first created in Yorkshire, England in the 1700s during the colonial spice trade. It is made by mixing the brew of boiled ginger with sugar and spices such as cinnamon and clove. The mixture is placed in glass bottles and left to ferment for a day or two .Most families in Trinidad, as well as the rest of the Caribbean, make their own ginger beer at home from fresh ginger rhizomes. It simply isn’t Christmas without these traditional festive drinks. So this year, why not add them into your own Christmas Tradition. Look out for next post: Trinidad Christmas foods! In these photos taken a few years ago Carmen , Angelo's mom ( now deceased) is seen picking the sorrel fruits from her garden . She even experimented with making sorrel jam. Other than normal sorrel drink does anyone use the sorrel fruit to make anything else? (Source: Angelo Bissessarsingh's Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, Dec 2, 2023)  Wendy Rahamut
With only two weeks to Christmas, I know most of you will be in frenzy mode. For me it’s the Christmas baking I like to get done ahead of time, especially my Christmas black cakes and cookies. Christmas cookies make delightful gifts and its one activity you can engage the whole family. I enjoy black cakes and enjoy making them, and I also am very fond of Dundee cakes, rich with fruits and nuts, this year I will be making my traditional black cakes but I’m promising myself a Dundee as well. Thumbprint cookies 1 cup unsalted butter ⅓ cup brown sugar ⅓ cup granulated sugar 2 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla extract 2½ cups all-purpose flour pinch salt 2 egg whites 1 cup finely chopped nuts, (peanuts, hazelnuts or almonds) 1 cup jam or jelly any type Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour baking trays. Cream butter until light. Beat in brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla, beat until blended. Combine flour and salt and add to batter. Stir until a dough like consistency is formed. Shape cookies into one-inch balls and place on a trays. Lightly beat egg whites in a shallow bowl. Place finely chopped nuts in another shallow dish. Roll each ball of cookie dough in egg white and then roll lightly in nuts. Place on prepared trays about one inch apart. Press centre of each cookie in slightly using your thumb or index finger. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Gently press the indentation again and cool cookies on racks. When cookies are cooled, spoon a little jam or jelly into the centres. Makes about 48 cookies Sugared fruit shortbread 1 cup dried fruit, raisins and currants 2 tsp aromatic bitters 1 cup unsalted butter ⅔ cup icing sugar, sifted 1½ tsp salt 2½ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup coarse-grained golden sugar Wash and dry fruit, place in a bowl and add bitters, stir. Let macerate for about one hour. Chop fruit finely in a food processor. Cream butter with icing sugar, add salt and flour. Mix well, add fruit and combine. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead to a uniform texture. Divide into 2 pieces. Roll each into a 7-inch log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350F. Place golden sugar into a plate. Slice cookies ¼ inch thick; roll in the sugar, covering the ends only. Place on cookie sheets one inch apart Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and cool on racks. Makes 24 Rich West Indian Dundee cake 1 lb butter ½ lb granulated sugar ½ lb brown sugar 8 eggs Zest of three limes 2 tbs vanilla essence 1 tsp almond essence 1¼ lb all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 oz ground almonds ½ cup rum (optional) 1 lb currants 1 lb sultanas ½ lb mixed peel ¼ lb cherries (red & green, cut) 3 ozs chopped Nuts Pre-heat oven to 325 F. Grease and line two nine inch by 3 inch cake tins. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well between additions. Add the lime zest, almond and vanilla essence. Sieve flour, baking powder and mix in the ground almonds and fold into the batter with the rum if using. Toss cherries, currants, sultanas, mixed peel and chopped nuts in some flour, coat evenly, shake off excess flour. Add to the batter and gently fold in. Bake for about 1½ hrs or until cake leaves the sides of the tin. Cool cake in tin before removing. Makes 2 nine inch cakes. [email protected] @wendyrahamut3881 youtube. (Source: Newsday, Dec 16, 2023)  Author :Angelo Bissessarsingh
Christmas just ain't Christmas without a good ham. In Trinidad of yesteryear, the precious leg of pork would be boiling in a pitch-oil tin for many hours before being baked, either in a coalpot tin oven or a beehive mud oven, to be served with other traditional fare like pastelles and fruit cake. Chances are the ham would be diminished long before the family could have a go at it, through the inroads of "moppers," otherwise known as village paranderos. The choices for ham lovers were not easy. Price was a major consideration as well as quality. In the countryside areas, the ham everyone knew was a salty, well-cured leg of pork hanging from the rafters of the Chinese shop. This would be an American ham, imported in barrels of sawdust with some of that still clinging to the surface. After boiling the skin would be stripped off before baking. The skin itself was kept until after Christmas, when money was scarce, and would be used to provide protein in a meal of rice or as the meat in a sandwich. It could also be fried crisp and eaten as a snack. The fat was used to leaven bakes. Even the ham bone did not go to waste. Broken up in pieces, it was used in soups, callaloo and oil-down. The lowest grade of ham was what was known as the "pitch ham." This was locally made and smoked. To preserve it, the pitch ham had a coating of asphalt on the outside, which made the skin inedible and imparted a mineral flavour to the meat which I am told was far from unpleasant-although one can imagine that it was not the healthiest food around. In the early 20th century, an American ham cost about $5, with the pitch ham selling for $2 less. This was no mean expenditure in an era when it was a decent monthly wage for a domestic servant, making the ham an indulgence. The ham most Trinis were familiar with was the York ham. The York ham is mildly flavoured, lightly smoked and dry-cured, which is saltier but milder in flavour than other European dry-cured ham. It has delicate pink meat and does not need further cooking before eating. It is traditionally served with Madeira sauce. Folklore has it that the oak used for construction for York Minster in England provided the fuel for smoking the meat. York hams were sold from most city groceries like Cannings and the Ice House and also department stores with provision departments, like Stephens. The famous Ice House Grocery on Marine (Independence) Square included a York ham in its famous $5 Christmas hampers. Packed chock-full of goodies like Muscatel wine, nuts, imported sweets and dried fruits for the famous rum cake, these hampers could be packed into a wooden box and forwarded by rail to customers deep in the countryside. Even though some prefer turkey, the hallmark of Christmas is still a ham. Photo 1. : Salt ham hanging at Sing Chong Supermarket on Charlotte Street, Port of-Spain. Photo Credit : BRIAN NG FATT. (Source: Angelo Bissessarsingh's Virtual Museum of Trinidad & Tobago, Nov 27, 2023) 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)  Source: Trinbago Golden Memories
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