Hundreds of people turned out to the Bloody Bay Recreation Ground in Sunday for the annual Tobago Blue Food Festival.
During the past two years of the pandemic, a scaled-down version of the festival, one of the island's signature events, was held with curbside pick-ups and online activities. But this year, the event, which celebrates the versatility of the dasheen, again welcomed patrons from all over the world.
[caption id="attachment_981053" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Bon Accord resident Phil Williams, left, buys a black cake made from dasheen, from vendor Susan Harnandez, at Blue Food Festival, Sunday. - Photo by David Reid[/caption]
The Prime Minister, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, members of the THA and other specially invited guests sat in a VIP area.
"I really missed this event during the pandemic because I usually come every year," a woman from Barbados told Newsday. The woman said she enjoys eating the provision and wild meat, especially the iguana and tattoo.
[caption id="attachment_981054" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Sharlene John, left, serves a buss-up shut meal to a customer at Blue Food Festival on Sunday. - Photo by David Reid[/caption]
She said she also enjoys the fruit cake, ice cream, wine and pholourie.
A group of friends from Georgia, Atlanta was seen satisfying their palates with the local meals.
More than 30 cooks from Bloody Bay, L'Anse Fourmi and surrounding areas participated in the festival. But one of the more popular products on sale was Nedd's dasheen punch.
Alana Nedd told Newsday the punch was made with secret ingredients. "We have the dasheen, we have milk, the richest that you can find, and we have lots of spices and other secret ingredients in the punch.
"It is made with love so when you taste it, it is the best," she said with a chuckle. Pressed on why patrons are always making a beeline for the dasheen punch, Nedd said, "That is a secret and I cannot let out my secret. But when you taste it you will love it."
Nedd said she has been making the punch for the past five years. "Coming from a family that has always been involved in the Blue Food Festival and we have always been doing different things from the dasheen, I decided I will specialise in doing punch. So that is my area." Nedd said her parents prepare the dishes and ice cream while she does the punch.
[caption id="attachment_981055" align="alignnone" width="768"] Alana Nedd with her popular dasheen punch. - Photo by Corey Connelly[/caption]
Apart from the delicacies, drinks and indigenous craft market, members of the Wildlife Association of Tobago also put on a display for the patrons. Visitors got the opportunity to pet snakes, a caiman, monkeys and parrots. This delighted onlookers, many of whom took out their cellphones to capture the spectacle.
Organisers also gave away tickets for the highly anticipated Tobago, Music, Arts and Culture Festival concert on October 27 at the Plymouth Recreation Ground. The concert features Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy and a host of ot
