Doubles is a common
street food
Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumpt ...
originating in
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
of
Indian origin. It is normally eaten during breakfast, but is also eaten occasionally during lunch or as a late night snack and popular hangover food for local Trinidadians.
Doubles is made with two ''
baras'' (flat fried dough) and filled with ''
curry
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in tradi ...
channa
''Channa'' is a genus of predatory fish in the family Channidae, commonly known as snakeheads, native to freshwater habitats in Asia. This genus contains about 50 scientifically described species. The genus has a wide natural distribution ext ...
'' (curried chickpeas) and various
chutney
A chutney is a spread in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sauce.
...
s.
Origins
Doubles as a dish was created in Princes Town, by Emamool Deen (a.k.a. Mamoodeen) and his wife Raheman Rasulan Deen in 1936.
[ ''Chole bhature'' is made by combining ''channa masala'' and ''bhature'' (''poori''), which is a fried bread made with ''maida'' flour, a common flour in Indian baking.][
Mamoodeen used to sell curried channa (chickpeas) over single baras (fried flatbread) with chutneys. When his customers began requesting to double the bara in their orders the name “doubles” was coined.][
]
Preparation
Doubles can be served spicy, sweet, or savory. Condiments include spicy pepper sauce, kuchela
Sudama (), also known as Kuchela (), is a childhood friend of the Hindu deity Krishna. The story of his visit to Dvaraka to meet his friend is featured in the Bhagavata Purana.
In their legend, Sudama and Krishna study together as children a ...
, or green mango, bandhaniya (also known as chadon beni or culantro
''Eryngium foetidum'' is a tropical perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro ( or ), recao, chadon beni (pronounced shadow benny), Mexican coriander, bhandhania, long coriander, sawtooth coriander, and ngò gai. It ...
), cucumber
Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.[coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or th ...]
, and tamarind
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae.
...
chutneys.[
]
Cultural significance
Given the diversity of Trinidad, doubles is credited with its ability to "define and maintain symbolic boundaries of identification", and is considered an authentic standard of Trinidadian cuisine.[ Doubles is a comfort food for displaced Trinidadians in major cities across the globe.][ Its consumption has been credited with developing a "deep psychological imprinting" among them, and as such is considered culturally significant for how it encapsulated Trinidadian identity into such a simple and unique snack.][
]
See also
* Cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago
References
External links
Doubles Recipe
{{Surinamese cuisine
Bread dishes
Chickpea dishes
Curry dishes
Deep fried foods
Indo-Caribbean cuisine
Street food
Trinidad and Tobago cuisine
Vegetarian sandwiches
Surinamese cuisine
Guyanese cuisine