Souse

Pudding and souse were handed down to us from the enslaved, who in turn learned to prepare these delicacies from their French masters. Upon their freedom, the slaves sold these prepared foods on the roadside, hence was born the street-side refreshment stand.

Souse is a pickling method of preparing meats and vegetables, originally the pigs' trotters were soused. First, they were cleaned and cooked and then soaked for many hours in fresh lime juice, pepper and onion. Since then we have added chicken feet, cow skin, lambie, cucumber, and green fig souse to our Trinidadian menu.

We enjoy souse at any lime. It’s the perfect Carnival food.

Chicken foot souse

2 lbs chicken feet

2 small cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1 hot pepper, thinly sliced with seeds

1 cup lime juice

2 cups water

1 cup finely chopped chadon beni

¼ cup finely chopped chives

Wash chicken feet; boil in lightly salted water until tender, about 30 minutes.

Drain and cool.

Place in a large glass bowl.

Add onions, pepper, lime juice, water and chadon beni and chives.

Stir well to cover with marinade.

Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3-4 hours, stirring to keep all pieces exposed to marinade.

(This recipe can also be used to souse other meats, like pig’s trotters, and cow skin).

Green fig souse

8 green bananas or green figs

¼ cup fresh lime juice

½ cup cool water

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 hot pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

salt an freshly ground black pepper

2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

Serves 8

Place green figs in a non-reactive heavy saucepan, add a little oil and boil for about 15 minutes until tender. Remove, cool and peel. Slice.

Place figs in a glass bowl, add all other ingredients except cucumber, pour on boiling water just to cover figs.

Cool and refrigerate overnight.

Fifteen minutes before serving add cucumber slices.

Serves 6

Cucumber souse

10 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

Juice of 3 limes

¼ cup white vinegar

1 hot pepper, minced

½ cup thinly sliced chives

2 onions, thinly sliced

¼ cup finely chopped chadon beni

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Place cucumbers in a glass bowl add all other ingredients, stir and cover.

Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Serves 10

Pickled carailli

1 small carailli

1 onion

1 hot pepper

1 carrot

2-4 cups white vinegar

Slice carailli and remove seeds.

Slice onion, thinly.

Place carailli and onion in a large bottle, peel carrot and slice.

Chop pepper, remove seeds, place in bottle as well.

Now pour vinegar to cover all vegetables well.

Add some salt.

Cover and let stand for about 2 to 3 days.

Refrigerate after opening.

Serve as a pickle alongside any entrée.