Kuchela: Trinidad's little-known mango chutney

What does "chutney" mean to you? 

When most people think of chutney, what comes to mind is usually a sweet-savory fruit-based condiment with a jamlike consistency. Most Westerners think of Major Grey's as the typical mango chutney: very sweet, with just a touch of salt and savory spice added to differentiate it from a jam. These are the chutneys made by the English, and are tasty, but a world apart from what inspired them.

Chutneys, which originated in India, are condiments traditionally made with a variety of vegetables or fruits blended together with spices and chilies. Indian chutneys can either be fresh, like a Mexican salsa, or pickled, like the form more familiar to most of us, in which case they are usually sweetened. Just a few examples include coconut, mint, tamarind, green (unripe) mango, prune and tomato. As an accompaniment to fiery spiced curries, sweet chutneys can cool down the palate. They are also used as a flavor to accompany plain flatbreads, such as roti paratha and naan. The British, when they came to India, quickly adapted chutneys for their taste, hence the jamlike versions widely eaten in the West today.

There's a specific kind of mango chutney eaten in Trinidad, a country where half of the population has roots in India. It's called kuchela, and is very different from the mango chutney you'll find elsewhere. It's made of grated green mangoes, and spiced with the unique taste of amchar (a spice blend), garlic and chili. The flavors are spicy, salty and sour, with sometimes just a touch of sweetness, in contrast to the Anglicized versions. It's used, like other chutneys, to enhance the flavor of curries, roti, rice dishes like pelau, the popular snack food called doubles, and really just about everything. The first time I had it, I was in Kingston, Jamaica, at the home of a family who had previously lived in Trinidad. I remember that, in contrast to the overwhelming generosity and graciousness that my hosts otherwise displayed, the kuchela was carefully controlled. Making homemade kuchela is a laborious process, so it is a savored and protected item to have in your pantry. I was given a spoonful to try before the small jar was quickly put away. It's that special, and that precious. (I wanted more.)

Kuchela goes well with any Indian food. But in our house, we eat it with just about anything, we love it so much. I often stir it into scrambled eggs, use it to top Chinese fried rice, or to give flavor to ham or other sandwiches.

Besides kuchela, Trinidad is famous for also inventing another kind of chutney. This chutney is a genre of music derived from traditional Indian bhojpuri folk songs, modern Trinidadian soca, and Indian film songs. Chutney's origins are fascinating. This genre began with religious (Hindu) beginnings: the custom of Indian Trinidadians was for the women to sing before the wedding celebration to prepare the bride-to-be for her role as a wife. The songs, which included some suggestive lyrics, and the dancing that accompanied them, gradually became part of the larger Trinidadian community among all its subcultures. These days, chutney is sung by both men and women, and has moved far from its original religious origins. While traditional Indian rhythms and Indian classical string and percussion instruments form the backbone of chutney, modern influences include Bollywood movies, and more local musical forms including calypso, soca, dancehall reggae, and roots reggae. Some of the most recent hybrids have blended chutney with reggaeton from Latin America. True cross-pollination.

Words can only do so much to describe this fascinating music. So here is a fun animated video clip that is a tribute to both kinds of Trinidad chutney -- the food (kuchela), and the music. Enjoy! 

Indian style scrambled eggs with kuchela 

Here is one of my favorite ways to enjoy kuchela. This is an easy, yet flavorful brunch dish that gives an Indian spin to the traditional scrambled eggs and toast. To keep with the Indian theme, I recommend serving this with roti paratha or naan, but other flatbreads or your favorite toast would work as well. Enjoy with chai or other tea, and play some chutney in the background.

Serves 4-6.