Tea and Roti
"Tea" could be "coffee tea" "chocolate tea", "green tea" (which was usually balck tea), or "bush tea". In other words, tea usually referred to a hot or warm beverage consumed most often with breakfast. Coffee tea was the usual breakfast berverage at our home. The coffee was often boiled in a big iron pot. The water was brought to a rolling boil and the coffee added and allowed to boil for a while. The result was usually a coffee flavored drink which was then adulterated with large quantities of milk and sugar.
The next most popular "tea" was chocolate tea, which was prepared from cocoa beans, usually locally produced, and sweated, danced and dried, whch was the usual process of preparing the beans. The beans were then parched in a large iron pot and the thin outer shell removed. The beans were then ground, by hand, in a mill grinder. The soft pliable paste was then formed into elongated egg shapes and allowed to dry. The dried chocolate balls would then be grated into a coarse powder which would be boiled to make the tea, with the usual generous portions of milk and sugar. We did not have this beverage very often in our home as my stomach did not telerate this very rich chocolate well.
Bush tea was what we would now call an herbal tea. This usually prepared for medicinal or health purposes, or when nothing else was available. I recall from my childhood in the scarcity of the war years that my father would often come home with different ideas for tea, such as coconut root tea, cocoa leaf tea, in addtion to the tradtional "kozay maho", black sage, and hibiscus teas. These latter were all thought to have beneficial health effects. Again, the particular herb would be boiled and then dressed up with the usual milk and sugar
Roti, referred to above, is an tradtional Indian flat bread made from a baking powder dough. There are many varieties of roti in our Trinidad Indian repertoire, but they did not include tradtional India breads Naan and Chapatti. Of the tradtional paratha, dosti, dahl-pourri and saada roti, the latter was the most usual, as it ws the easiest to prepare. Flour, water a bit of salt and baking powder would be mixed into a dough, allowed to rise, made into small "loya", (small rounded lumps), and allowed to sit for a while before being rolled out as a pie crust. It woudl then be cooked on a flat round iron (tawa) roughly equivalent to a griddle, heated on a fire. After it was sufficiently cooked on both sides the edges were then cooked (sehkay). Durng this process the roti would become bloated and round, if the proess were successful. This would form a "pocket" in roti, which could be filled before eating.
"Tea and roti" referred to the usual breakfast that my siblings and I shared for most of the years of our growing up. Of course, we did not call the meal breakfast, but Tea. The tea would be in an enamel cup, or sometimes a tin cup with a handle that was attached by the tinsmith. The roti would be broken in small pieces and dunked before being eaten. Sometimes all the littel peices would be dropped into the tea at once and fished out and eaten after they had soaked in some of the tea. All of this, of course, was done with our fingers, although occasionally a spoon might be used to scoop up the soaked roti. This meal was usually eaten with each of us seeking a seat on floor in a corner, or sitting on the steps. It was much later in my experience that a table and chairs were introduced, together with table ware.
I don't know how many other families, if any, ate in a similar fashion, although I suspect that many did. Sitting at a table with china or corelle dishes and knives, forks and spoons is an acquired custom. Breakfast cereals and milk are a later import, too. Looking back, although those simple meals eaten in very humble homes seem primitive. The nutritional quality of the meal, I am sure, left much to be desired, although boxed cereal does not seem like much of an advance in that department. At the same time, those were warm and comfortable times to which my spirit returns with pleasure and satisfaction. How well I remember sharing this meal with my borthers and sisters! Tea and roti was so much more than just a meal. It was an experience in which relationships and memories for a lifetime were formed. My spirit often returns thither to be refreshed, even now.
The next most popular "tea" was chocolate tea, which was prepared from cocoa beans, usually locally produced, and sweated, danced and dried, whch was the usual process of preparing the beans. The beans were then parched in a large iron pot and the thin outer shell removed. The beans were then ground, by hand, in a mill grinder. The soft pliable paste was then formed into elongated egg shapes and allowed to dry. The dried chocolate balls would then be grated into a coarse powder which would be boiled to make the tea, with the usual generous portions of milk and sugar. We did not have this beverage very often in our home as my stomach did not telerate this very rich chocolate well.
Bush tea was what we would now call an herbal tea. This usually prepared for medicinal or health purposes, or when nothing else was available. I recall from my childhood in the scarcity of the war years that my father would often come home with different ideas for tea, such as coconut root tea, cocoa leaf tea, in addtion to the tradtional "kozay maho", black sage, and hibiscus teas. These latter were all thought to have beneficial health effects. Again, the particular herb would be boiled and then dressed up with the usual milk and sugar
Roti, referred to above, is an tradtional Indian flat bread made from a baking powder dough. There are many varieties of roti in our Trinidad Indian repertoire, but they did not include tradtional India breads Naan and Chapatti. Of the tradtional paratha, dosti, dahl-pourri and saada roti, the latter was the most usual, as it ws the easiest to prepare. Flour, water a bit of salt and baking powder would be mixed into a dough, allowed to rise, made into small "loya", (small rounded lumps), and allowed to sit for a while before being rolled out as a pie crust. It woudl then be cooked on a flat round iron (tawa) roughly equivalent to a griddle, heated on a fire. After it was sufficiently cooked on both sides the edges were then cooked (sehkay). Durng this process the roti would become bloated and round, if the proess were successful. This would form a "pocket" in roti, which could be filled before eating.
"Tea and roti" referred to the usual breakfast that my siblings and I shared for most of the years of our growing up. Of course, we did not call the meal breakfast, but Tea. The tea would be in an enamel cup, or sometimes a tin cup with a handle that was attached by the tinsmith. The roti would be broken in small pieces and dunked before being eaten. Sometimes all the littel peices would be dropped into the tea at once and fished out and eaten after they had soaked in some of the tea. All of this, of course, was done with our fingers, although occasionally a spoon might be used to scoop up the soaked roti. This meal was usually eaten with each of us seeking a seat on floor in a corner, or sitting on the steps. It was much later in my experience that a table and chairs were introduced, together with table ware.
I don't know how many other families, if any, ate in a similar fashion, although I suspect that many did. Sitting at a table with china or corelle dishes and knives, forks and spoons is an acquired custom. Breakfast cereals and milk are a later import, too. Looking back, although those simple meals eaten in very humble homes seem primitive. The nutritional quality of the meal, I am sure, left much to be desired, although boxed cereal does not seem like much of an advance in that department. At the same time, those were warm and comfortable times to which my spirit returns with pleasure and satisfaction. How well I remember sharing this meal with my borthers and sisters! Tea and roti was so much more than just a meal. It was an experience in which relationships and memories for a lifetime were formed. My spirit often returns thither to be refreshed, even now.
posted by cornelius @ 8:00 AM
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