Trinidad and Tobago’s cuisine is diverse as our different ethnic groups and cultures allow for a variety of food to be available daily. From roti to pelau, doubles to bake and shark or corn soup to curry crab and dumplings anyone could find a type of food to satisfy their taste buds.
Despite TT’s variety in cuisine, some are still finding ways to create innovative dishes or delicacies.
Pholourie is a type of delicacy that has lost some popularity as it was once more accessible throughout the country. Doubles has taken over as the most sought-after street food over the last 20 years, but thanks to one woman and her family, pholourie is making a come back.
[caption id="attachment_1018050" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Stuffed pholourie topped with some of the creaitive sauces. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]
Sabrina’s Exotic Caribbean Fusion Ltd, operating on Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook over the past four months, is providing something new. Customers can taste stuffed pholourie with chicken, shrimp, crab, smoked salmon and cream cheese or steak and cheese. For those who like to keep it simple plain pholourie is also available.
People have already been rushing to the food outlet to sample it.
During a visit to the food truck, Sabrina Nicholls took time away from serving customers to explain the concept.
“We are really in existence for about 12 years, believe it or not. We would normally do pop up shows in different places. One question is what made us come up with this creation?”
[caption id="attachment_1018044" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Customers line up to try the gourmet stuffed pholourie at Sabrina's Exoctic Caribbean Fusion Ltd. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]
Nicholls is a fine dining chef who always admired TT’s indigenous foods including our street food.
“It could stand up to any French style dish, anything from Italy…I wanted to have a product that is a cross breed. Holding on to the indigenous flavours, but yet still showcasing it and serving it in an upscaled form or in a different form. (It is for) the person who really likes to hold on to the childhood food, like the pholourie or doubles, could still have some of that but still have some of the classy, fine dining taste that comes with it.
“We are really trying to showcase our local cuisine in a different light. One that could really stand up to any international dish that it has out there.”
[caption id="attachment_1018048" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The stuffed pholourie comes with chicken, shrimp, crab, smoked salmon and cream cheese or steak and cheese. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]
Speaking more about the goal of her business, she said, “It looks different, but trust me when you taste it it will remind you of the little Tanty that use to sell the kurma at the side of the road.”
Nicholls does her research and said when she watches the Food Network Channel people are experimenting in the food business. “There are no rules,” she said.
Nicholls has been delighted with the response.
[caption id="attachment_1018047" align="alignnon
