Trinis savour chicha, a sweet Venezuelan milk drink

The arrival of Venezuelans to TT has brought with it a variety of gastronomic flavours that locals are beginning to like.

Alberto Ramón Piñero is a 52-year-old Venezuelan who has lived in TT for four years. He sells traditional drinks and foods from Venezuela at his stall on the Chaguanas Main Road.

Although he was born in San Fernando de Apure, a Venezuelan plain, Piñero lived in several cities in the east of his country, which led him to learn different ways of cooking.

He told Sunday Newsday, Venezuelans and Trinidadians patronise his small business every day to taste the "chicha", a traditional Venezuelan cereal-based drink that can be made with pasta or semolina of wheat, corn or rice, with milk, sugar and other ingredients.

He said other customers buy the "stuffed buns," a kind of pie stuffed with chicken and meat.

He also sells Venezuelan ice cream "bombs" of various flavours.

Piñero worked in Venezuela as an organiser of the government's food distribution system, but in 2016 he decided to come to TT with his wife and two children.

"I had political problems, I didn't want to continue working for the government and they started to persecute me, that's why I had to leave my country," he recalled. He and his family live in Chase Village, Chaguanas with two new additions to the family – two more daughters.

Prior to opening his business, he had worked cleaning streets, then did construction work, welding among other things.

A year and seven months ago, he made the decision to start his own food business at the Chase Village triangle.

"We were selling Venezuelan hamburgers and Trinidadian BBQ chicken, plus some sweets. It went very well, but we decided to look for another selling point and we arrived at the centre of Chaguanas six months ago," Piñero said.

“Ramón,” as his clients know him, settled on the Chaguanas Main Road, but this time with another menu: arepas, empanadas and the attraction, the "chicha."

"It is a traditional, refreshing and healthy drink full of vitamins," he said.

He sells in front of Xtra Foods from Thursday to Sunday.

"I would like to be every day because both Venezuelans and Trinidadians... await us every day, but the lack of permits to work on the streets of Chaguanas slows the business a bit," he explained.

Piñero has his food handling permit through the Chaguanas Borough Corporation, but he does not have permission to sell food on the streets.

"I rented a business inside the Chaguanas vendors mall, but sales are few, so I had to take my business to main road to increase sales," he said.

He acknowledged that having a business in TT, even if it is small, is positive.

"Here you get all the ingredients for any food business and that is important, besides Trinidadians like the Venezuelan flavour very much," he said.

Piñero, like many Venezuelans, is also learning about TT cooking.

"We Venezuelans also like Trinidadian food a lot, I am sure that many of us, upon returning to our country, will bring the cuisine of the island and open businesses with a Trinidadian flavour," he said.

Piñero wants locals to try his recipe for Chicha Venezolana, one of his drinks, to add to their limes at home.

Chicha Venezolana

Ingredients

1 cup milk

1 cup condensed milk

1 cup evaporated milk

½ tsp vanilla essence

½ cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 pinch salt

8 cups water

Directions

Wash the rice thoroughly and let it soak in two cups of water overnight.

Drain and cook the rice in medium heat along with the cinnamon stick and cups cups of water for approximately 35 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and let cool.

Once the rice has cooled transfer it to the blender along with the sugar, milk, salt and vanilla and blend. Check for taste and add sugar more sugar if desired.

Serve with crushed ice and garnish with powdered cinnamon. Cheers!