African Emancipation Day in Tobago is not just about celebrating African culture through song, dance and music, it is also in the food.
As part of this year’s celebrations on the Scarborough Esplanade, traditional foods teacher Marva Leander-Warner reminded patrons of some traditional foods such as roku fish and the original saltfish buljol.
Noting that enslaved Africans working the estates in Tobago were resilient in every way, she said that, with some innovation, they used what they had to create dishes that sustained and replenished their bodies and souls.
One of these dishes is roku fish, a dish made with fresh fish steamed in a natural dye made from seeds.
“The seeds are inside. So you will take out the seeds, put it in some hot water, inside this brown cotton, you putting the seeds in this brown cotton, and then you put it in the hot water and leave it to boil. And that’s how you get your roku sauce.”
Fish seasoned with fresh herbs is then put into the boiling roku concoction with tomatoes to produce a delicious dish, especially when eaten with roasted breadfruit.
Roku fish has a smooth, buttery texture, and for the health-conscious, this dish does not contain any cooking oil or butter.
“The Roku fish have its own butter in it, right, the roku itself would have its own butter.”
Natural oil can be made from the roku sauce, similar to coconut oil, which is the secret to making saltfish buljol the traditional way.
Saltfish buljol is another one of the dishes developed by enslaved Africans.
While it remains a common local dish, its recipe has moved away from its origins. Instead of cooking the saltfish with tomatoes and seasonings in a pot on the fire, hot coconut oil is instead poured into the mixture.
“The coconut oil is what did the job. You don’t need to put any salt in this type when you are making it. This is the real saltfish buljol.”
Mrs Leander-Warner is passionate about the traditional way of preparing local food. She stated that if Tobagonians go back to the cooking methods used by their foreparents, there would be fewer health issues in society today.
“These dishes is what the people used to live on because there are many dishes I could tell you that they used to live on, and every one is healthy.”
The proof is definitely in the eating. Mrs Leander-Warner hopes to continue inspiring Tobagonians to elevate their cooking and embrace traditional culinary practices.