​A US-based Trinidadian is disrupting the beverage industry with a universal non-alcoholic mixer influenced by one of his grandfather’s recipes.

Zurena offers a portfolio of simple and versatile Caribbean drink mixes made with lemons, limes, passion fruit, mango, and Caribbean spices. Packaged in a 750ML bottle, the all-natural, sodium-free, gluten-free, and fat-free mixes come in two flavors: Tropical and Ginger, each with 15 grams of sugar per serving.
Founder and owner Nigel Smith describes the product as “magic,” as it can be added to any dark or white spirit, beer, wine, bubbly, club soda, juice, or tea to create high-quality Caribbean cocktails in seconds, without the need for professional mixology skills.
Tasting Panel Magazine gave Zurena 89 points, making it the first non-alcoholic mixer to be graded by the magazine. Zurena is more than just a drink to Smith; it is about “Uplifting Spirits,” a term he has trademarked. As a sponsor at Audi Fields, Smith infuses Caribbean aesthetics into his marketing, with a campaign called Lucky Row, where groups of people are selected and given fedora hats, sunglasses, and mocktails made with Zurena, and encouraged to dance to soca music.
Smith is also honoring the legacy of his grandfather, Carlton Smith, a bartender and mixologist who entrusted secret recipes to his children and grandchildren. Zurena is available in bars and retailers in Washington DC, Maryland, Texas, and Grenada, and Smith is looking to expand to other Caribbean markets. (Source: The Caribbean Camera, March 21, 2023)

Rice, a staple at mealtimes is very nutritious, but of course it can get a little blaze if wnd garlic, adding some chicken or vegetable stock and simmering until cooked.
Different types of rice will give you different tastes as well; parboiled rice is great in sturdy meat and rice cook-ue don’t work with our rice to turn out appetising and delicious dishes.


Delicious rice dishes can be done in just minutes, by simply sautéing a few aromatics, like peppers, onions aps as well as in fried rice. White rice makes great rice puddings and basmati rice makes wonderful flavoured rice dishes. Brown rice, which is the most nutritious type of rice, has a flavour all its own and a rather chewy texture, but once you’ve become used to these characteristics you’ll love it as well.
Rice is an easy do-ahead dish, and tastes as good the next day. What’s even better is cooked rice freezes well too, so go ahead and enjoy your rice in all different flavours.
Remember also that brown rice can be substituted into all of the following recipes, simply adjust the liquid to suit the rice you are cooking. The package directions are usually good guidelines for the liquid to rice ratio.
Split pea kitcheree
½ cup yellow split peas, washed and picked over
1 cup parboiled rice
2 tbs vegetable. oil
1 2-inch stick cinnamon
2 sticks clove
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ tsp saffron powder, turmeric
2 ½ cups broth
salt to taste
Cook split peas in water for about 10 minutes, drain.
Heat oil in saucepan; add garlic, cinnamon, cloves, onion and ginger.
Add saffron and cook for a few minutes, add split peas and rice, stir and fry for a few minutes more.
Add broth, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and serve.
Serves 4
Hot and spicy pigeon pea pilaf
1 cup pigeon peas
1 cup parboiled rice
1 cup coconut milk
1½ cups broth or water
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped or to taste
1 pimento pepper, chopped
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs chadon beni or cilantro
Preheat a saute pan or saucepan, add oil and heat, add onion, garlic, and peppers, saute until fragrant.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Add the pigeon peas and stir, add the rice and toss to combine, add coconut milk and water or broth, stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until rice is tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with chadon beni
Serves 4 to 6
For a lighter side, omit coconut milk and add one half cup more broth.



Caribbean rice pilaf
1½ cups parboiled rice
1 clove garlic minced
2 tbs coconut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup raisins
2 large dried Chinese black mushrooms,
3 tbs chopped chives
Sauce:
2 ½ cups chicken stock
1 tbs rum, optional
2 tbs light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Chinese chili sauce
½ tsp salt
2 tsp grated orange peel
Soak black mushrooms in 2 cups warm water for 2 hours.
Remove the stems from the mushrooms and slice.
In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients and stir well.
Melt oil in saucepan; add garlic, peppers, and onion sauté until fragrant.
Add rice and stir to coat.
Add raisins and sauce, cover and simmer until cooked 18 to 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in chives.
Serves 4 to 6



Spiced rice pilaf with chick peas and pine nuts
1 ½ cups basmati rice
3 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp paprika
1 14-oz tin chick peas, drained and rinsed
⅓ cup toasted pine nuts
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
½ cup currants or raisins
Rinse basmati rice in lots of cool water until the water becomes clear, soak rice in more water for 20 minutes then place in a strainer and drain there for another 20 minutes.
Heat oil in a saucepan, add onions, and garlic, sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
Add cinnamon, turmeric and paprika, stir, now add the chickpeas.
Add pine nuts and combine.
Add rice and sauté with spices so that all the rice grains are coated.
Add chicken stock, stir well.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add raisins or currants, bring to a boil and cover and simmer until rice grains are tender.
Fluff with a fork.
Serves 4 to 6
(Source: Wendy Rahamut, Newsday, March 18, 2023

Several cocoa entrepreneurs will be able to take their businesses to the next level after being successfully matched with investors, said InvesTT.
In a statement the state agency said the Trinitario Cocoa Webinar Series, done in collaboration with the European Union, came to a conclusion on September 28, 2022.
The organisation said the grand finale of the three-part series, entitled “The Cocoa Pitch”, was designed as a ‘Shark Tank’ styled business pitch event.
Two youth start-ups and five medium-sized cocoa SMEs were given the opportunity to present a robust business pitch to investors, resource providers and key industry players with the aim of accessing technical, financial and capacity-building support and mentorship to start-up or scale their cocoa business operations.
EU Ambassador Peter Cavendish said the EU was proud to have been part of this venture.
“The Trinitario Cocoa Webinar Series has become a rich carnival, caravan tour of Trinidad and Tobago’s cocoa and chocolate producers. This heritage industry is moving forward to find and delight consumers worldwide with what every Trinbagonian knows, that the best chocolate is close to home – and the European Union has been proud to be a part of this dynamic.”
Trade Minister Paula Gopee Scoon said the sector is "a strategic commodity with the potential to generate foreign exchange and contribute to economic diversification.”
"The exports of primary and value added cocoa products increased by 31% over the period 2020 to 2021, from approximately TT$93 Million to over TT$122 Million. Of this increase, the European market accounted for 41%.”
“There is a clear demand for our products, however, what is needed are innovators to create new products and experiences, and entrepreneurs to ensure that these products are made available.” 
Sekou Alleyne, President, InvesTT said the venture will aid the local cocoa industry.
“The success of episodes 1 and 2 and the execution of The Cocoa Pitch event have enabled us [InvesTT] to fast forward the cocoa business agenda by facilitating investor matchmaking opportunities among European chocolatiers, investors and local cocoa stakeholders.”
Pramilla Ramdahani, Vice President, Investments, InvesTT also shared that the Series aimed to increase bean to bar opportunities and joint venture/FDI opportunities.
With 750 attendees in Episodes 1 and 2, and 244 attendees in Episode 3, representing over 32 countries worldwide inclusive of the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Singapore, Ghana and Jamaica, Mrs Ramdahani expressed confidence that the outcomes of the webinar series will contribute towards the development of a thriving and collaborative cocoa ecosystem.
The organisation said two youth start-ups;  GEM, owned by Giselle Mills and 19-year-old youth cocoa entrepreneur Oshun Matthews, owner of Tamana Mountain Chocolate both delivered strong business cases.
Three SMEs presented their pitches next; Ashley Parasram, founder of the Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company, Tobias Schulze Frenkling representing the Original Trinitario Cluster and Vanessa Moses, Director at Caribbean Roasters.
At the end of each pitch, the distinguished group of panelists comprising Crisen Maharaj, Manager of Capacity Building and Funding at ExporTT, Michael Mcquilkin, Manager, Investment Banking at Republic Bank, John Hadad, Group Co-Chief Executive Officer, HADCO Group, Sandy Roopchand, CEO/Managing Director at Royal Castle and Markus Mann, Producer-Artist-Entrepreneur, shared thoughtful comments and invaluable insights on how each entrepreneur/enterprise can advance their cocoa ventures through various grant funding programmes and partnership and/or mentorship opportunities.
The panellists also posed a series of questions to each pitch presenter which enabled presenters and the live virtual audience to gain firsthand insights into the requirements for a compelling, investment-ready business case.
Next on the agenda was a special presentation made by Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan, Director at the Cocoa Research Centre, UWI, where he highlighted the Chocolate Island initiative, a cocoa, carbon and community innovative project which seeks to attract Impact Investment into the cocoa sector in Trinidad and Tobago, and contribute towards building sustainable cocoa based supply chains.
All attendees were then given a sneak peek into a short film entitled “Trinitario – On The Edge”, produced by filmmaker Denise Speck, who joined from Europe to introduce the trailer video. The documentary explores the storyline of the world-famous Trinitario Cocoa, birthed right here in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Cocoa Accelerator Network was highlighted after, whereby the live virtual audience and all pitch presenters would have been edified on various opportunities to access resources and/or funding required for business growth, such as the Shaping the Future of Innovation project, the Linking Farmers Platform and Government’s Grand Fund Facility, the latter allowing individuals to access up to a maximum of TT250,000 to finance 50 per cent of the cost of acquiring new machinery and equipment.
Albada Beekham, Director of Research at the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to support cocoa agri-entrepreneurs through the Agriculture Finance Support Programme, among other initiatives.
All three episodes in the series were moderator by Jessie-May Ventour, a seasoned broadcaster and media professional who effortlessly managed the conversations and ensured a seamless, interactive, informative and enjoyable experience for all. (Source: The Loop, October 3, 2022)

Have you ever tried using alternative flour (root flour) to bake, and your cake or bread just didn’t come out right? You’re not alone. When using root flour, there are tricks to ensure your cakes, cookies or other baked goods and breads come out looking and tasting yummy.
Chef Susan Thomas, who was introduced to root flour in 2019, has the tips you need to make your perfect treats with root flour.
Last month, Thomas’ doubles made with cassava flour was a hit at the National Marketing Development Corporation’s (Namdevco) root crop demonstration at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain.
The great thing about root flour, Thomas said, is its diversity. “Root flour can be used for making baked products as well as drinks such as smoothies, punches, ice cream, etc. It maintains its nutritional value throughout. You can combine different types of root flours for the texture, layer or flavour to get your product to a particular outcome,” Thomas said.
Thomas has successfully made dumplings and saltfish, various breads, cookies, punches, ice cream, brownies, pone, various cakes, sweetbread and doubles, all using root flour. She said, “When you are using root flour, sift the flour at least six times to allow as much air to be trapped within the flour to allow your product to turn out lighter.
Once you follow Thomas’s advice, you will be baking like a root flour pro. Thomas explained, “Add a ­quarter-cup more liquid, eggs, etc, to the flour, and allow it to sit for a little while, about three to five minutes, to rehydrate and gain more moisture to facilitate a greater yield.”
She added, “Add a little more rising agent, whether it is baking powder or baking soda, to the root flour depending on what you are making because the root flour tends to be heavier,” Thomas said.
Thomas went on to explain the types of root flour and what they can be used for, specifically in baking. Cassava flour, she said, is a dense flour and tends to become gelatin-like when a dumpling is being boiled, but it makes a great fruit cake.
If you are opting to use breadfruit flour, then this alternative flour is light and fluffy, and works well in making cakes, pancakes, crepes, waffles and breads.
She said dasheen flour is a dense flour and is great for sweet bread or pone, and green banana flour has a dark, rich colour and is perfect for brownies or any chocolate-like dessert. It is also perfect for making smoothies, as one tablespoon will thicken your smoothie. It also produces great wraps and is very diverse.
She said sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, so one must be careful when using them to make traditional items like pone, sweet bread or brownies. This, she said, “is important, especially when producing items with recipes that call for sugar to be added”.
“You must reduce the amount of sugar by at least half a cup or the product will be overly sweet,” Thomas said.
The chef said root flour is a very interesting flour to work with. “The health benefits in comparison to our traditional all-purpose flour can hardly be argued against. I would advise people to experiment with these flours and have fun doing so. It is indeed exciting and provides a very clear understanding of the flour itself and its very wide-ranging applications in the field of cooking,” Thomas said.
Thomas said there are times when root flour must be mixed with regular all-purpose flour, but not to panic, because the nutrition content you are looking for will not be compromised.
About Susan Thomas:
Thomas obtained her degree in culinary management and trained to become a chef at the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI), commonly known as the Hotel School. She worked as a culinary arts teacher at SERVOL, then left to open her own catering business, Baked Home Style Caterers. She specialises in both local and international cuisine, as well as various traditional and non-traditional breads and cakes. She enjoys cooking and loves creating her own unique foods.
(Source: Express, July 8, 2022) 

I have to admit it is scary watching these young men push the coconut into the machines with their hands! 

Trinidad & Tobago may only be 7 miles off the coast of Venezuela but the country that's had an outsize influence on its food is India. Foodways historian Ramin Ganeshram explains how that came to be.
​The best part of the childhood summers I spent on my father's home island of Trinidad was trailing behind him on his visits to the market to shop for his older sisters. All around us, tables were laden with the riotous hues of red Scotch bonnet peppers, orange pumpkins and mangoes, yellow bananas, rich purple eggplant, green long beans—called by their Hindi name, bodi—bitter melon, spinach and other edible leaves. Sometimes the colors were so bright they hurt your eyes.
My favorite stop, though, was one particular spice stand—I've long forgot­ten the name, it was 40 years ago, after all—with its huge barrels of spices: carda­mom, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin. The owners, three brothers of East Indian de­scent, sold their wares with a singularly Trinidadian marketing technique—by freestyling calypsos (storytelling songs native to the island) about the superior­ity of their spices. In those days, many folks were still mixing their own curry— a key ingredient in much of the island's cuisine. The brothers had their own spe­cial blend, a recipe that had been a part of their family since their ancestors first arrived in Trinidad as indentured labor­ers in the 19th century. Their story is similar to my family's. At least three of my father's grand­parents traveled from Punjab, India, to Trinidad in the 1850s. As bonded field workers, they farmed sugar and cocoa fields for the English who, needing an­ other cheap source of labor following the end of slavery in their colonies, looked to other brown nations like India and China. Along with half a million others, theirs was a story of British imperial hegemony, which moved Indian people across the globe as indentured laborers to places like Trinidad and Guyana in the Western Hemisphere and Fiji and Mauritius in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Caribbean, my Indian ancestors took over where slavery left off.
My great­-grandparents' immigration was a forced one, the details of which are murky. Poverty, starvation, oppres­sion and deception all surely played a part. Once they arrived in Trinidad, they suffered the brutality of the plantation system. Still, they found ways to sustain their heritage by retaining their languages (which became pidginized in later generations), wearing native clothes and worshiping their gods.


India remained a distant memory kept alive by the foods they eked out despite desperate poverty. Curry be­came a stand-­in for Indian­ness at large. Ingredients like rice, turmeric, carda­mom, yogurt and ghee, along with typi­cal Indian cooking techniques, melded with local produce in new ways.
Today, nearly half of the population on the island claims Indian roots. In both its people and its cuisine, Trinidad is an organic fusion. Here, the flavors from the subcontinent have married with those from West Africa, China and Syria and of the Indigenous people. Curry is still a foundational flavor, and everything from fruits and vegetables to meat, fish and wild game gets equal opportunity in the curry pot.
For most Trinidadians, Indian culture is simply part and parcel of the nation. Colette Cyrus Burnett, a chef and CEO of Global Food Warrior, which strives to make local food systems more affordable and accessible, grew up in Chaguanas, an area in central Trinidad that is known for its strong Indian roots. Although largely Afro­Caribbean, she recognizes Trinidad­Indian food as core to the national identity. "We never saw any distinction in our kitchen. It was never 'East Indian' food to us," she says. "It is just home food, a part of our collective culture that warms our hearts and bellies." 
And so it is for me. When I cook a dish that I learned from my father, I'm transported back to those summers on Trinidad. The tangy tamarind sauce spooned over fish, the aroma of curry in doubles and the smoky flavor of roasted eggplant, all speak to this diverse nation's deliciously complex history.
(Source: Eating well, Ramin GaneshramFebruary 18, 2022)