Doubles

Doubles is a street food and is made of two baras and channa (chick peas) sold with toppings and wrapped in paper.  If you are eating it on the spot, the vendor gives it to you unwrapped and a napkin is placed under the paper.  The toppings varies from one doubles vendor to the other.  The variety of toppings ranges from cucumber, mango sauce, tamarind, coconut chutney, pepper sauce and chadon beni sauce. Vendors usually ask customers how much pepper, I recommend that you say 'slight', however, if you like very spicy food then you can request 'heavy pepper.'  The bara is relatively standard in that it could be described as a fried flat bread, the size ranges with each vendor, some offer very large baras and some vendors sell a smaller size.  I know of one doubles vendor who sells regular as well as wholewheat baras.  One can also request a triple and receive three baras as opposed to two.

Doubles are inexpensive and in the past, doubles was sold mainly in the morning time.  However, now doubles are sold throughout the day and at night time as well.  Some doubles vendors sell in a van and prepare the doubles on the spot and those doubles are most enjoyable as it is piping hot and fresh.  One usually eats doubles by picking up one of the baras and use it as a vessel to pick up some of the topping, i.e. channa and sauce, and eat the other bara and remainder of the toppings after.  The best doubles can be bought in Debe, South Trinidad and this area is known as the Capital of doubles.  When you take a trip to Debe, there are several vendors offering doubles, aloo pie, baiganee, saheena and pholourie.  You can normally find a coconut vendor next to a doubles vendor, ready to offer you a cold coconut water to quench your thirst after enjoying your doubles.