Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: Trinidad and Tobago (video)

For the longest while I’ve been watching Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods and wondering “Gee I wonder what he would think of Trinidad?”. Well, someone must have been listening to my brain waves because the next thing I know I was reading that a Trinidad and Tobago episode of Bizarre Foods aired last month! :shocked:

Fortunately some kind soul uploaded the episode to YouTube and it is my joy and pleasure to share it with everyone 🙂 What makes this episode especially refreshing for me is that unlike many of the articles and features that I have seen on Trinidad and Tobago, this one is refreshingly free of overly obnoxious cliches and misstatements. Sure there are the occasional errors here and there; a turn of phrase, an oversimplification, but I think to point them out in light of the larger picture would be silly. Trinis will be able to pick them out and non-Trinis experience no disservice by their inclusion. 🙂

(1) TOBAGO: Catching & Eating Iguana,

Iguana, agouti, lappe. These are just some of the wild meats that are eaten by more than a few here in T&T. I confess that I’ve never tasted (or even been offered) any of them. This clip was actually my first glimpse at the process from the chase of the hunt, to the final platter. I still don’t know if I have the ‘cajones’ to dive in, but Andrew seemed exhilirated! 😆

Yet another dish that I have never tried or seen being prepared live. I wasn’t even aware that conch was available in Tobago. You live and you learn! 🙂

(3) TRINIDAD: Eating Souse and Cow Skin Soup

I gotta be honest with you, souse scares me. Even if I ate pig it would scare me. The few times I’ve seen it the aroma made me want to pass out! Zimmern, who has eaten everything from entrails to rotting meat didn’t seem to be a huge fan of it either. And as for this Cow Skin Soup, I’ve never heard of this before. Anyone here a fan of it?

(4) TRINIDAD: Eating Roti and Doubles in St.James, Cow Heel Soup ’round de savannah’

There’s no way that one could have a food show on Trinidad that omitted roti or doubles. Zimmern really outdoes himself by including both! The only thing missing that I wish had been included was pelau and callaloo. He does touch on callaloo bush but never actually got to present the dish. Oh well I am sure they were working on limited time. Never had cow heel soup, like souse it scares me. Plenty people love it tho 😛

(5)TRINIDAD: Shopping at the San Juan Market, Eating Bake and Shark at Maracas Beach

Watching Andrew shopping in the San Juan Market only served to remind me that I still haven’t gotten around to posting my Market Day series 🙁 Don’t worry I will, at this rate the fruits and vegetables I took pictures of will probably be back in season anyway 😉 You also get to see (and learn) more about the infamous Maracas Beach Bake and Shark that I originally posted about, and provided a recipe for, here.

(6)TRINIDAD: Fishing ‘Down the Islands’

The show ends with Zimmern going ‘down the islands’ as well call it. This trip takes place off the north-western tip of the island, and at one point you can see the mountains of Venezuala on the horizon. It really is eerie at times to realize how close we are to the South American mainland 🙂 This segment was especially poignant for me cos it reminded me of trips I took down the islands with my dad in his boat when I was growing up. Those were the days! 🙂