Trini River lime

"Upar Gaar" is a traditional spicy choka that has been part of Trinidad culture for many years, it was thought up by the first East Indian settlers that came to Trinidad. One of the main dishes in a river lime is none other than "Upar Gaar" locally known as         " Murtani." This spicy choka is a mixture of roasted Bhaigan, Tomatoes and Ochro blended together with seasonings and of course the main ingredient hot peppers. How is it prepared? All veges are roasted until its starts to char on the outside, they need to be soft on the inside so it will be easy to mash together. In a bowl/basin combine all roasted ingredients and start mashing them together, you can mash them with a small pestle, rum bottle or any other kitchen tool of your choice that is easiest to mash this.  When all ingredients is mashed finely and combined nicely cut lime in half and squeeze juice in the veges. In a Kalchul or Lade...

In preparing for a river lime health and safety has always been a concern of the adult population , these measures have been learnt from tradition and experience and  handed down to generations of river limers. The river lime which appears to be non structured and scattered along the many river banks in the rural communities are in fact a well structured and possess many do's and don'ts, some are taught in schools but are not directly related to river liming. DO's & DON'Ts No diving in shallow waters No bathing if the river displays high velocity and high water levels as in the case of floods.  Bathing must be done in groups, isolated bathing is discouraged because of the location of most rivers. River limers must always be prepared with a rope and floating device which can be thrown to any individual facing difficulty in the water. No littering because it is not aesthetically pleasing and it pollutes the terrestrial and aquatic environments ,negati...

A holiday be it a day granted by the State in honor of an achievement, Tradition, Culture or Saturdays and Sundays when folks have no pressing commitments and the time to mingle. People choose different forms of entertainment including the river lime. The lime starts with people getting together either private single families, families and close friends. They collect the “fire cracker” three stones, four pieces of iron and fire wood, based on their desire. They purchase and put together the things they would be cooking, water, rice, flour, provisions yam, Cassava. Meat, the type depends on the composition of the party. They also put drinks together which range from nonalcoholic to alcoholic. They then journey to the river. These “river lime spaces” are located in clear spaces on the banks of river and tributaries. These spaces are situated on private lands, where there is an established “ pay per use”. Spaces on river banks which is owned by the State and maintained by the Sta...

Historically the people of Trinidad and Tobago can be traced to originate from the Caribs and Arawaks the Europeans, Africans, French, Dutch, Spanish Chinese and Indians to name a few, these occupations were related to specific times in its history, but despite the time and reason for the introduction of the different people, today the country bear the influences of the different peoples, in attempting to develop their future. The influence is in song, dance, food, recreation, among others. The river lime is one such activity which originated with the Caribs and Arawak’s. The river was used as a source of food where the fresh water fishes, that is, those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 0.05% e.g. the Cacadu and Cuscurub. These and others were  trapped using different methods of trapping which were know at the point in time.   The Carib and Arawak river lime started   as a...

Trinidad and Tobago is situated in the tropics, it experiences two types of season wet and dry. In the dry season water is low in the rivers creating pond like formations or maintaining a steady but shallow flow. The environment created is conducive to family gatherings. In  the rainy season however floods occur with the river overflowing its banks and flows in the buffer zones and surrounding areas. The rural community looks forward to the flood for it is these floods that  the river cat fish locally known as the "Crabesaw" chooses to swim from the sea up river and inland. The river cat fish uses the high volumes of water to reach great distances in land to feed on the terrestrial or sweet water crayfish. These crayfish are excellent sources of amino and fatty acids that are important for egg development. Rural folks usually in groups go to the river especially where the river crosses the road and place hooks on lines floating...

Interesting, unstimulating, bland and even boring some would agree are actually suitable adjectives that describe 'rice.' Rice however,forms one of the basic food of the population in the tropics. An Indian style of rice fondly referred to as ‘Gilaa Bhaat’ is one such form of rice that is sure to leave you wanting. ‘Gilaa Bhaat’ literally translate to ‘soft, sticky, rice.’ This rice can be easily cooked and compliments any other dish. It is however great with curry duck . Cook time is approximately thirty-forty minutes (30-40mins). There are many variations to its preparation but the simplest process is to boil the  ‘white rice,’  adding salt to taste.  As the water evaporates and the rice becomes very soft,shadow beni chipped   in small pieces almost as if it is blended  and a preferred amount of margarine(optional) is added to the mix giving it a duality of colours and a rich, creamy appearance.  This taste is a "repeat" among those who use it a...

Cooking a curry duck is an ultimate part of a "Trini river lime." You may be wondering why Curry duck? One of the most prominent reasons is because it couples well with almost anything on the menu and lets not deny it "Trini's love their curry." So how is curry duck prepared? The duck has to be seasoned with Trinidad's local herbs shadow beni, cilantro, onion ,garlic, pimentos, rose mary ,hot peppers and leaves of the Murraya Koenigii known locally as "karapolay."  There are different methods of cooking,one of the favorite is a good "Chunkay" which originated from the indentured labourers. A local recipe can look like this. Ingredients to cook 6 pimento peppers, chopped 1 hot pepper 1/2 onion, sliced 6 methi seeds (fenugreek) 1 tbsp curry 1/2 tbsp saffron (Turmeric) 1 tbsp amchar masala, divided water for curry mixture + water for cooking 1 hot pepper   2 cups coconut milk   2 tbsp oil While the ...