West Indies and Naparima Cookbook

To some people, food and drink are seen as nothing more than sustenance. For this blog, I wanted to share a recipe book that I hold close to my heart which is Naparima Girls High School Cookbook. This cookbook demonstrates exactly why food and drink are not just sustenance. 

As stated in “The Flavours of Modernity” the “human mouth is the ambiguous locus of two oralities: one articulates the voice, language; the other satisfies a need, the ingestion of food for survival first of all, but also for a pleasure that becomes juxtaposed with the value of nourishment” (3). This is certainly true, as food is absolutely central to the West Indian home, food is to be enjoyed and appreciated, not just eaten. This beautiful quote perfectly encapsulates the West Indian 'eater' although we need food to stay alive, this looks beyond food as object but rather food is life, love, motivation and easy gratification! From family gatherings to simple everyday dinners, eating delicious food with my family will always be a treasured memory.

To be honest, there are not many West Indian TV chefs (that I like)! However, much like “The ‘Best Way’ Book” written by “practical housewives” the Naparima cookbook is made of compiled recipes donated by local parents whose daughters went to Naparima Girls High School Cookbook. The variety of recipes in this cookbook reflects the variety of the West Indies, for instance the influence of other cultures, such as Chinese and African.


In the below image, the pink version is the oldest and original which is my Mum’s and mine on the right is one of the newest additions which includes much more refined, and improved recipes. I just love opening the pages of the original copy and seeing the faded colours, scribbles of measurements and little notes inside. 

In all honesty, we don’t use it as much nowadays, as my Mum knows most recipes by heart, however recipes such as do need exact measurements or a certain time to cook. 


I chose one of my favourite books – “Crick Crack Monkey” (1970) by Merle Hodge to illustrate some meanings of food in West Indian culture. The bildungsroman “Crick Crack Monkey” (1970) often uses food to depict class difference and culture. This could be seen when Tee goes to Canapo to see grandmother. While there, Tee describes her grandmother as having “spent a great part of the week stewing cashews, pommescytheres, cerises, making guava cheese and guava jelly, sugar cake, nut cake, bennay balls, toolum, shaddock-peel candy, chilibibi.” (15). This gives the reader an insight into the exotic, local folk culture of the West Indies, both the preparation and cooking of food seems extremely laidback, thus mimicking the enjoyable but slow pace of life.


To quote the foreword of Naparima Girls High School Cookbook, “culture is an expression of a way of life and has many components, food being one of the most important” (4). Having grown up in Trinidad from a young age, this book was an absolute staple in the West Indian household.