Argentinian chef finds joy in Trinidad and Tobago's cuisine

GREVIC ALVARADO

The world of food is full of differences and similarities and for Argentine chef Federico Aranega, Trinidad and Tobago has one of the best culinary cultures in the world.

Aranega, 34, arrived in TT in 2016 and since then he has dedicated himself to promoting the culinary art, cooking for important clients and conducting courses for students.

He remembers from a very young age he was interested in cooking.

“I was always curious about what my relatives were cooking, and in one way or another I asked the adults to let me participate, by mixing some ingredients or supervising some cooking process.

"My mother generally cooked from Monday-Friday and my father more on Saturdays and Sundays, as a kind of family arrangement, so there would always be homemade food all week.

"My maternal grandparents played a very important role in my childhood, since they also inspired me to love cooking.”

At 19, Aranega decided to leave home, in his native province of La Pampa, heading to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, with the intention of studying medicine.

“I tried medicine for two years and then sociology for two years, until my closest friends started telling me cuisine was my thing. They inspired me to pursue my passion and I decided to change my university major.”

Aranega began studying baking, from which he graduated, then took a chocolate course and another in sushi.

He is also interested in learning about new gastronomic cultures to expand the range of services he offers his clients.

“The learning continues, since I am currently studying the sommelier (wine expert who is responsible for providing advice to clients in bars and restaurants) degree online and if everything goes well I will be receiving my diploma in mid-2024 to continue entertaining my clients, this time from the beverage service.”

While studying, Aranega met his Trinidadian wife who brought him to TT for love.

“I came to TT for the first time in 2015 on vacation, stayed for a whole month and was fascinated by the diversity of the culture and dishes. Then things in life – love and work – brought me to live in these parts.”

He moved permanently to TT in 2016 and has familiarised himself with the country and its culinary traditions.

“I learn something new every day. At first the language was a barrier to entering the culture, but little by little I learned and enjoyed it more fully.”

In these seven years, Aranega has cooked in different parts of TT, trying local dishes such as pelau, doubles, macaroni pie, callaloo, fried chicken, roti, and crab and dumplings, wildmeat including, manicou, agouti, iguana, as well as pacro water.

“I feel (I am) part of the country and I want to continue growing and contributing knowledge to this nation from my space as a chef.”

That feeling has led him to study local cuisine in detail and to mark the differences from his native country.

“TT gastronomy requires a lot of preparation and a lot of seasoning: many spices and seasonings play a very important role.

"In Argentina the simplicity of the dishes is key: the simpler, purer and fresher the product, with a little salt and pepper, the better it will be accepted by Argentine people.”

Argentine cuisine is one of the tastiest in the world, due to the raw materials it uses, especially meat. The Argentine cuisine culture combines the flavours of European cuisines – especially Spanish and Italian – with those of creole and indigenous cuisine, and is known for its very high quality beef.

As for the similarities, Aranega highlights the love of meat.

“Both Argentina and TT have an obsession with each dish being full of meat, whether beef, chicken, pork, sheep or fish.

"Personally, I see a very close relationship between saheena and the spinach croquettes my grandmother cooked for me throughout my childhood. Every time I eat a saheena I automatically think of my grandmother.”

Aranega said he can cook any type of food.

“I cook everything. Especially this year, the companies and embassies I work for have put me to the test by asking me to cook dishes from remote places like Russia or Egypt.

"But my specialty is pasta and bread. My favourite dish is lasagne, because of its complexity of flavours, and on the other hand, bread is a must in my life. I cannot conceive a breakfast without a slice of sourdough bread with lots of butter, accompanied by coffee or mate, a popular drink in most South American countries and originally from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is made using leaves and small branches of the yerba mate plant.

"Something very Argentine like barbecue cannot be missing in my home.”

Aranega is also a collector of cookbooks, the gastronomy of different cultures and the history of foods and dishes.

“In my family the habit of reading has been cultivated from a very early age, and it is a legacy that remains for life. A good habit. I love buying new or used books, consulting them, smelling them and browsing through them for future recipes.

"Paper books have magic for me personally. In that sense I am very old school, I haven't got used to digital when it comes to reading.”

Aranega has around 700 books.

“From a very young age I was buying, reading and keeping books. I collect them for the magic they represent, for the learning in each page and as reference material for my profession.

"My advice is to use technology wisely, but also read about the past to learn what it was like before.”

Aranega can be contacted by e-mail at: fedeara1@hotmail.com. Follow him on Instagram: Fede Foodie.