Dasheen cuisine, delights score at Blue Food Festival

Hundreds of people turned out to the Bloody Bay Recreation Ground in Sunday for the annual Tobago Blue Food Festival.

During the past two years of the pandemic, a scaled-down version of the festival, one of the island's signature events, was held with curbside pick-ups and online activities. But this year, the event, which celebrates the versatility of the dasheen, again welcomed patrons from all over the world.

The Prime Minister, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, members of the THA and other specially invited guests sat in a VIP area.

"I really missed this event during the pandemic because I usually come every year," a woman from Barbados told Newsday. The woman said she enjoys eating the provision and wild meat, especially the iguana and tattoo.

She said she also enjoys the fruit cake, ice cream, wine and pholourie.

A group of friends from Georgia, Atlanta was seen satisfying their palates with the local meals.

More than 30 cooks from Bloody Bay, L'Anse Fourmi and surrounding areas participated in the festival. But one of the more popular products on sale was Nedd's dasheen punch.

Alana Nedd told Newsday the punch was made with secret ingredients. "We have the dasheen, we have milk, the richest that you can find, and we have lots of spices and other secret ingredients in the punch.

"It is made with love so when you taste it, it is the best," she said with a chuckle. Pressed on why patrons are always making a beeline for the dasheen punch, Nedd said, "That is a secret and I cannot let out my secret. But when you taste it you will love it."

Nedd said she has been making the punch for the past five years. "Coming from a family that has always been involved in the Blue Food Festival and we have always been doing different things from the dasheen, I decided I will specialise in doing punch. So that is my area." Nedd said her parents prepare the dishes and ice cream while she does the punch.

Apart from the delicacies, drinks and indigenous craft market, members of the Wildlife Association of Tobago also put on a display for the patrons. Visitors got the opportunity to pet snakes, a caiman, monkeys and parrots. This delighted onlookers, many of whom took out their cellphones to capture the spectacle.

Organisers also gave away tickets for the highly anticipated Tobago, Music, Arts and Culture Festival concert on October 27 at the Plymouth Recreation Ground. The concert features Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy and a host of other local entertainers., including Kes The Band, Lyrikal and Nailah Blackman.

Another highlight of the Blue Food Festival was the lively entertainment, which featured several Tobago artistes and other local performers. A brief musical segment with several traditional characters, baby doll, minstrel, dame Lorraine, midnight robber, heralded the official entertainment. It included speech band pieces, calypso, reggae, soca and rhythm and blues.

Among those performing were former Road March winner Marvin Lewis, soca artiste Shurwayne Winchester, Tobago Heritage Monarch Shamika Denoon, calypsonian Leslie Ann Ellis, Keshorn Jack, Ray Charles, Super Power, L'Anse Fourmi Methodist Primary School and the United Nations-sponsored cultural performers among others.

The Chief Secretary, who is the representative for Speyside Parlatuvier L'Anse Fourmi, welcomed guests to the "nicest part of the island." He observed it was perhaps the first Blue Food Festival which had "hot, hot sun and no rain."

Augustine told patrons they must not simply visit Bloody Bay to attend the festival to purchase dasheen products. "Come on this side of the island every chance you get and support their businesses and their enterprise." He also urged them to be safe as the island's carnival approaches from October 28 to 30. "Carnival is in a few weeks. So whether you jump on the stage, in the sea, or you jump on the road, be safe. Tobago is the place to be right now." Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd CEO John Arnold also spoke.