Curry, Callaloo & Calypso: The Real Taste of Trinidad & Tobago

Merely to thumb through the pages of this cookbook is to experience a culinary delight in itself.

(Review of Wendy Rahamut’s Modern Caribbean Cuisine in the Trinidad Guardian)

When asked about the spontaneity of Caribbean cooks, Wendy Rahamut says: "We do not really cook from recipes, as such. Many cooks prepare recipes handed down from generations, and these are embedded in the memories of each cook."

Realising that globalisation and foreign influences could dilute her country’s local cuisine, Wendy’s latest culinary offering Curry, Callaloo and Calypso: The real taste of Trinidad & Tobago showcases her country’s indigenous foods ‘by way of old and new recipes for present and future generations’. In her introduction to the gastronomic delights that Wendy lays before us in the pages that follow, she includes a fascinating brief culinary history showing how Trinidad and Tobago’s Indian, African, European and Chinese population, came to reflect itself in a cuisine that is ‘bold, explosive in flavour, eclectic, and addictive’. The fusion of different culinary influences is matched by the musical fusion of the annual Carnival that ‘unites our people further’ and both are an expression and celebration of the people of the land of Calypso.

The book is divided into ten sections of recipes with helpful short explanations: Sweet and Savory Breads; Cakes, Pastries, Desserts and Ice Creams; Fish and Seafood; Snacks and Indian Delicacies; Rice, Coo Coo, Provisions and Dumplings; Meats, Soups, Souses, Salads and Vegetables; Chutneys and Peppersauces; Drinks; Confections, Jams and Jellies.

The dishes are beautifully illustrated in full-colour, and the book is also peppered by striking images of Trinidad and Tobago.

The book contains a glossary of weights and measures and a comprehensive index.