Pig and chicket foot souse in sweet T&T for Sweet TnT Magazine, Culturama Publishing Company, for news in Trinidad, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, with positive how to photography.

Souse! It’s not just a pork thing anymore

By Marissa Armoogam. Well, I find myself once again in familiar waters swimming in an ocean filled with yummy, delectable foods. My interest in food has once again led me to another of Trinbago’s finest dishes. In fact, it is such a tasty treat that when the famous food connoisseur of television Andrew Zimmerman, host of Bizarre Foods, visited Trinidad he showcased this most beloved food treasure. I am talking about souse! You can find a souse man anywhere at almost any time in Trinbago.

Souse in Arima
Photo: Joanna Hayde.

I know some people just smiled with pure heavenly delight while others squirmed, but of course to each his own preference. Now when I initially tasted this dish as a teenager I instantaneously fell in love with. Back then I was introduced to the one made using the pig’s feet. I have since then discovered several other types of the yummy spicy soup if I may call it that.

Sweet TnT West, Indian Recipes, chadon beni, 10 years, books, authors, publications

Sweet TnT 100 West Indian Recipes

Sweet TnT 100 West Indian Recipes is your kitchen guide to cooking in the Caribbean. Add flavour to your pot and put a smile on everyone’s faces with the right amount of seasonings, spices and stories about the foods you prepare. This cookbook contains 100 tantalising recipes and full colour photographs of home-cooked meals, street foods, treats and drinks that are known in the West Indies for having particular names, ingredients and preparations.

Recently, I was enjoying a delicious bowl of souse, a friend of mine was a bit sceptical about it, now for those of you who have never had it, please allow me to enlighten you to the marvellous flavours that simmer in this tasty dish. It starts off with a couple pounds of prepared pig’s feet – prepared meaning that your butcher would have burnt off any hairs from the feet, cut it up into about three-inch pieces and sold it to you fairly cleaned.

You can find a souse man anywhere

At home you thoroughly wash the meat and remove any hairs that may have been left behind, scrub, scrub and scrub them until you feel that it’s clean enough and then wash with freshly squeezed lime juice. The cleaned pig’s feet are then boiled in a fair amount of water until tender and the water is drained away.

A blended mixture of shadon beni, chives, garlic, celery and thyme is mixed in with the meat, salt and black pepper to taste and then boiled again. This time however the liquid is kept as it is used as the body of the souse.

Soup man in Arima
Photo: Joanna Hayde.

On the side peeled cucumbers and onions are thinly sliced, and some water cress sprouts are washed and chopped. These are kept on the side for serving. Once you are ready to enjoy some of the souse you simply add in the chopped ingredients, a couple drops of fresh lime juice and enjoy.

For those of you who are dribbling at this point but cannot partake in this pork dish, there is hope… yay! This recipe can be repeated and you just replace the pig’s feet with chicken feet.

12047064 1656605331252824 7611016634367278608 n

Take the stress out of mealtime.

HelloFresh

Freshen up your dinner routine with fresh, pre-measured, seasonal ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe cards, delivered to your door each week! Including meal plans with food preferences that suit your lifestyle, you can choose from 30+ new recipes every week.

It is just as scrumptious and delectable and can be enjoyed guilt free since there is not a pig in sight with this version. But what about my vegetarian friends who by this point are seriously contemplating the meat thing… lol… there’s a recipe for you too! As before the same recipe but the meat is replaced with green bananas and for someone like me who just loves her meat souse, I have to say it is totally delicious.

So the next time you’re in the mood for something light with a little punch to it why not take a drive to the nearest “souse man” or even try making it at home since it is so easy to make. It is a great appetiser as well to the start of a meal for a casual lime with friends and family.

October 2014 – Issue 12     www.sweettntmagazine.com

You may also like:

Green fig and beetroot punch recipes

6 Simple tips for healthy eating

6 Summer meals, snacks to help you beat the heat

Raisin Oat Bread recipe

Diabetic cake: Best recipe that’s rich in flavour

Sir Edmond Gin and Fenix Drinks bring Bourbon vanilla infused liquor to new horizons

Starting a kitchen garden at home

Aquaponics systems made for organic food, less bills

Raising broiler chickens: The complete guide for meat in 48+ days

Raising chickens: How to get started and save money

Every month in 2024 we will be giving away one PlayStation 5. To qualify join our Facebook group, TikTok and Subscribe to our Sweet TnT Magazine YouTube channel

When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn commission and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Check Also

Passion Fruit

Passion fruit pleasures: A journey into flavour, health and refreshment

In the vibrant world of tropical fruits, one gem stands out for its unique combination …

Healthy pizza

Healthy pizza recipes: Celebrate International Pizza Day

Pizza, the ultimate comfort food, a social gathering staple, and often viewed as the enemy …

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Sweet TnT Magazine

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading