Doubles (food)

Origins

Doubles as a dish was created in Princes Town by Emamool "Mamoodeen" Deen and his wife Raheman Rasulan Deen in 1936. Deen used to sell curried chickpeas over single fried flatbread with chutneys. When his customers began asking him to double the bara in their orders the name "doubles" was coined.

It has been speculated that it was inspired by a northern Indian dish called chole bhature (or sometimes channa bhatura). Chole bhature is made by combining channa masala and bhature (poori), which is a fried bread made with all-purpose flour, also known as "maida" in Hindi.

Preparation

As a base for the curry, onions, garlic and curry powder or plain turmeric powder are fried briefly. Boiled and drained chickpeas are added together with some water and spices, primarily cumin. The curry is cooked until the chickpeas are tender. A dough is prepared, shaped into flattened circles and briefly deep fried. Doubles can be served spicy, sweet, or savory. Condiments include spicy pepper sauce, kuchela, or green mango, culantro, cucumber, coconut, and tamarind chutneys.

Cultural significance

Given the diversity of Trinidad, doubles is credited with its ability to "define and maintain symbolic boundaries of identification", and is considered an authentic standard of Trinidadian cuisine. Doubles is a comfort food for displaced Trinidadians in major cities across the globe. Its consumption has been credited with developing a "deep psychological imprinting" among them, and as such is considered culturally significant for how it encapsulated Trinidadian identity into a simple and unique snack.

Trinidadian-Canadian filmmaker Ian Harnarine has released two films, the 2011 short film Doubles with Slight Pepper and the 2023 feature expansion Doubles, which centre in part on the significance of doubles as a signifier of Trinidadian culture among Trinidadian expatriates.

References

References

1. Deen, Badru. (2013). "Out of the Doubles Kitchen: A Memoir of the First Family of Doubles". Caritrade.
2. (December 22, 2015). "Trinidadian Doubles are the Best Cheap Eats in Brooklyn — Dining on a Dime". Eater.
3. Ganeshram, Ramin. (2022-02-28). "Trinidad's addictive spicy street snack".
4. (2002). "The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago. Naparima Girls' High School Cookbook". Naparima Girls' High School.
5. Plaza, Dwaine. (9 July 2014). "Roti and Doubles as Comfort Foods for the Trinidadian Diaspora in Canada, the United States, and Britain". Social Research: An International Quarterly.
6. [http://www.indiewire.com/2013/08/watch-ian-harnarines-award-winning-doubles-with-slight-pepper-short-shouts-165523/ "Watch Ian Harnarine’s Award-Winning ‘Doubles With Slight Pepper’ (Short Shouts!)"]. ''[[Indiewire]]'', August 30, 2013.
7. Marie Saadeh, [https://exclaim.ca/film/article/doubles-film-review "'Doubles' Looks at a Toronto Through a New Lens"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]'', July 26, 2024.
8. Wentling, Elizabeth. (Jul 25, 2024). "Director Ian Harnarine drew inspiration from Trinidadian doubles for his debut film".