Pastelle, Sorrel and other Christmas Delights

Trinbagonians love the Christmas season.  It is a festive season with lots of food, drinks and music.  Months preceding Christmas, sweet parang music fills the air and home owners make their ginger beer and ponche de creme and store it in glass bottles to be served during the Christmas season.

Pastelle, which is made of cornmeal and minced meat and wrapped in banana leaf is made and stored in the freezer to be steamed when ready to be eaten.  This dish was brought to Trinidad by the Venezuelans and is on every menu at Christmas time.   

A Christmas meal in Trinidad and Tobago is not complete without a glass of sorrel juice. This beverage is made from the flower of the sorrel plant.  The seed is removed, the flower is seeped in hot water or boiled with spices, then cooled and sugar is added to taste.

Fruit cake also known as black cake is another favourite at Christmas time.  Months before Christmas, preparation of the fruits such as prunes, raisins and mixed peel are soaked in rum. This concoction is added to the cake mixture together with browning or brown sugar that has been caramelized.  This dense cake is then soaked in cherry brandy to keep it moist. It is time consuming to prepare but totally worth it. So, what is your favourite Christmas dish?