Tobago
Basic Information
Telephone Country Code for Trinidad & Tobago: +868 plus 7 digit number.
Location: Tobago is found on Latitude 11° N, Longitude 61° W and it’s land area is 300 square km (116 square miles) max elevation 576 m (1,890ft).
Population: approx 50,000.
Time is GTM -4/EST +1.
Temperature: Mean annual temperature 29°C (range 22-35° C) with average rainfall of 200cm (40ins)
Dry Season: January to May – Wet season: June to December
Caribbean hurricane season: July to end of October, but due to its southerly location close to mainland of South America, Tobago manages to avoid most of the bad storms and it’s considered to be outside of hurricane belt. Trinidad provides safe anchorage for boats during the active months and has a thriving yacht servicing industry.
Departure Tax: Now included in the cost of the airline ticket.
Electricity supply: 115v/230v, 60Hz (USA-style plug)
Shopping
Tobago is not a shopping destination as many island choose to be, but we do have something to offer at crafts at Store Bay beach facilities, at Pigeon Point, Englishman’s Bay and other beaches. Gulf City Mallis just off the Claude Noel Highway at Lowlands, Morshead’s Mall off Shirvan Rd, a small plaza at Carnbee and a variety of small shops in the Crown Point area.
For Visitors who are self-catering, grocery shopping is available in the south west and there are a number of small shops or “parlours” around the island that sell drinks, snacks and basic foodstuffs. The local food sold on the side of the road is perfectly safe as cooks must be inspected and carry a Food Badge. Fresh fish is sold off the boats, and fruits and vegetables are traditionally sold at the side of the road, and do check out the market in central scarbrough.
Food
Food is very multi-cultural subject and our ethnic mix is evident in the dishes we serve. Our famous roti with curried goat or chicken, bhaji a kind of spinach, both Indian terms, and yaba a thick provision soup of the West Africa origin, as is callaloo, our signature soup made with dasheen bush, ochro and seasoning, often cooked with crab or pig tail.
Since the 17th century, it has been recognized that the rich soil of Tobago yields far more produce per acre than other islands. Our main agricultural crops are root veggies known as ´ground provision´, which include yam, sweet potato, cassava, dasheen, eddoes, green fig (a special banana eaten green) and green plantain. Ripe plantain has to be fried and is absolutely delicious!
Breadfruit brought in from the Far East was added to the traditional island diet, the large green spherical fruit that grows on tall trees, providing cheap food in the form of a starchy flesh that can be boiled, stuffed and baked or fried like chips. “oil dong” is a really tasty, rib-sticking breadfruit and provision dish build in coconut milk.
Long ago, fish brought in from Britain as salted cod and smoked or salted herring became a staple in the island. From this point we get our famous breakfast of fry bake and salt fish (buljol or bacalao) and fry bake and smoked herring. Off cuts of the pig are also used favourite with trinbagonians, along with a spicy black (blood) pudding.
Need a few utensils and not even a
kitchen as such, stewing has remained the main cooking method over the
centuries because it could be done outside on a open fire, and even baking was
done in a tin placed over it or in a clay oven. Stewed food is still celebrated
today at Harvest Festivals all over Tobago when wild meat and provision is
cooked the traditional way in huge iron pots over a wood fire.
