Celebrating Caribbean American Foodways

Lexington Street, Baltimore nearby the Lexington Market, below is the menu of this place on a two sided placard. Click images to enlarge

Roti, recipes below

June is National Caribbean American heritage month. I found this Caribbean eatery above just outside of Baltimore's historic Lexington Market.Started in Baltimore City in 1782, Lexington Market expanded in 1803 and again after a fire in 1949. The fire resulted in a new and improved market with spaces designed for kitchens and takeout eateries serving prepared foods. Not sure what the size of Baltimore’s Caribbean Community is but this entrepreneur has evidently made a living selling classic Caribbean dishes like patties, jerk chicken, ox-tail, curry goat, roti and soul food standards. East Indian contract laborers who replaced recently emancipated black slaves on sugar plantations introduced roti to the Caribbean in the mid nineteenth century. Roti is a thin large tortilla from Indian made with flour, salt, and water. It’s used like a large burrito to wrap various ingredients. Rotis are particularly popular in Trinidad and Guyana. Here are roti recipes below:


Chicken roti recipe: http://www.caribbeanchoice.com/recipes/recipe.asp?recipe=228

Vegan roti recipe: http://barbadianvegan.blogspot.com/2009/02/tutorial-on-vegan-roti-making.html