Doubles

What is Doubles?

Doubles is a snack where curried chickpeas are piled onto two rounds of fried flatbread called bara. The chickpeas are cooked with onion, garlic, curry powder or turmeric, and cumin until soft and flavorful. The bara is made from a simple dough, shaped and deep-fried until golden. Doubles are served hot and can be topped with a range of condiments, such as spicy pepper sauce, tangy tamarind or mango chutney, and kuchela, a local relish. The dish is soft, savory, and often messy to eat with your hands.

Where does Doubles come from?

Doubles was created in 1936 in Princes Town, Trinidad and Tobago, by Emamool Deen and his wife Raheeman Rasulan Deen. It began as curried chickpeas on a single fried flatbread, but customers soon asked for a second piece, leading to the name 'doubles.' The dish is thought to have roots in Indian cooking, especially chole bhature, which combines chickpeas with fried bread. Over time, doubles became a staple of Trinidadian street food culture.

How is Doubles made?

To make doubles, onions, garlic, and curry powder or turmeric are briefly fried to start the chickpea curry. Boiled chickpeas are added with water and spices, mainly cumin, and simmered until tender. The bara dough is mixed, shaped into circles, and deep-fried until puffed and golden. The finished dish is assembled by placing a scoop of chickpeas between two pieces of bara, then adding chutneys or pepper sauce to taste.

How and when is Doubles eaten?

Doubles is most often eaten for breakfast, but many enjoy it for lunch or as a late-night snack, especially after a night out. It is sold by street vendors and is eaten fresh and hot, usually with your hands. The dish is commonly dressed with a variety of chutneys—tamarind, mango, coconut—or spicy sauces. It is a comfort food for many Trinidadians, both at home and abroad.

Kinds of Doubles

Doubles can be served in different ways depending on personal taste. Some prefer it spicy with extra pepper sauce, while others add sweet or tangy chutneys. The condiments may include kuchela (a hot relish), green mango, culantro, cucumber, or coconut chutney. The basic structure remains the same, but the toppings and level of spice can vary widely.

What Doubles means

Doubles is seen as a symbol of Trinidadian identity and is credited with helping define cultural boundaries in the diverse society of Trinidad and Tobago. For Trinidadians living abroad, it is a comfort food that evokes memories of home. The dish has been featured in films exploring Trinidadian culture and is recognized as an authentic part of the nation's cuisine.

Questions people ask about Doubles

Good reading and sources

• Doubles: Trinidad's addictively spicy street snackBBC, Article

• Doubles (food) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data