the Indo-Caribbean turmeric-gold curry of the Trinidadian indenture kitchen
Origin: Trinidad and Tobago
From the journey of Turmeric.
Trinidadian curry chicken is the national dish of the Indo-Trinidadian community, whose ancestors arrived as indentured labourers from Madras Presidency and the Gangetic Plain between 1845 and 1917. The Trinidadian curry tradition diverged from its South Indian origins over five generations into something entirely its own: the curry powder used is a proprietary local blend, heavier in turmeric and cumin than Indian masala, and the technique of burning the curry (toasting the curry powder dry in a hot iron pot before adding oil) is distinctively Trinidadian. The green seasoning (a herb paste of fresh chadon beni, thyme, garlic, and Scotch bonnet) is the other signature; it is rubbed into the chicken the day before cooking, a marinating step that has no equivalent in the original South Indian tradition.
Mapping Culinary History
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