Windtraveler: Trini Doubles

“Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture."

- Mark Kurlansky

When people weren't warning us about the 'dangers' of traveling here, they were emphatically telling us that we simply had to eat "doubles", the unofficial culinary delight of Trinidad. When it comes to food (especially food that I don't have to cook) - we listen.

The other night Karly and Jason took us for an authentic Trini dining experience on the Savannah, which is reportedly the worlds largest roundabout. Covering 260 acres, the Savannah is Trinidad's largest public park and is popular with runners, cricketers, picnickers and (lucky us!) food vendors.

At night, the parking lot of the Savannah comes alive with ramshackle food stalls and trucks selling everything from roti to Buffalo wings, home-made soups to fresh-squeezed juices and, of course, doubles: the definitive Trinidadian tour-de-flavor.

A "double" is a something like a soft-shell taco made of two pieces of fried flat bread ('bara'), filled with curried chickpeas ('chanaa') and topped with chutney. To say they are delicious would be an understatement. They are a perfect blend of sweet and savory and oh-so-yummy. Doubles are typically eaten for breakfast (which is curious to me, being that the main ingredients are chickpeas and chutney), but are just as easily enjoyed as a late-night snack.

Eating them is a bit of an art but not unlike eating a runny soft-shell taco. You must gingerly grab the top piece of bread by two sides (making a sling of sorts) and try your best to keep the chanaa from spilling out. Shove it in your mouth, take a bite and enjoy! It's a messy ordeal, but as far as I'm concerned: the messier the food, the better it is. So dig in, get dirty and don't forget an extra napkin.