Shado Beni growing in Trinidad

Shado Beni is the way we pronounce Chadon Beni (culantro) in Trinidad. And it grew everywhere. It is mostly used in East Indian dishes but it is a widely used seasoning. When I was younger my mother would always send me outside in the grass to go get shado beni. I always thought it was a weed because we never planted it, but there were at least five plants to choose from in the yard.

Trinidadian food has been influenced by many different cultures and this is directly related to its colonial past. Columbus arrived in Trinidad on behalf of Spain. Then we were largely settled by the French then the British. We have a large East Indian and African population largely due to slavery and indentured servitude. Most of the native peoples were wiped out and we have the Spanish to thank for that. We have Chinese and Syrian settlers which is why Trinidad refers to itself as the most cosmopolitan isle in the Caribbean.

All of these Europeans wanting a piece of Trinidad really influenced the food, and over the years it has evolved into what we now know as Trinidadian food. A tasty mix of many cultures. 

For years we exported sugar so it should be no surprise that we burn it to give meat some color. We would curry just about anything in Trinidad and eat it with rice or roti. Preferably by a river, lake or beach.

Growing up I must say my relationship with food was much different than it is now. My paternal grandparents were farmers. They had peacocks, goats, chicken, cows, bees and a few acres of land which they planted. They lived in the country and we visited them usually every weekend. As a kid going to visit my grandparents was always fun for me. It was like going to a zoo. We could play with the animals and sometimes we would get honey on the comb in a plate. Lots of fruit and vegetables too. My grandmother would always talk to me about food as medicine and when I was a teenager she gave me a book with natural remedies to certain ailments.

Because Trinidad is an island we tend to import a lot. Imported medicine was expensive so a lot of people sought out natural remedies.

I even remember complaining of headaches as a kid and being told to go sleep it off. I would chew ginger for a sore throat and on one occasion I even drank bush tea, which was given to me by an elderly neighbor when I had a fever. These remedies served their purpose and I miss those days. Now most remedies come in the form of a pill

I run a vegan restaurant because I still see food as medicine and buying local brings me closer to the unprocessed plant. I make everything from scratch and I try to stay away from processed stuff as much as I can.

When I was growing up we may have eaten that way out of necessity but it proved to be the healthier way to go for me.