Watermelon and Okra

The Caribbean series of Fruits continues. This time it is a composition of fruits....namely a slice of watermelon and a dried Okra

Okra is quite loved in Trinidad and Tobago and it is a vegetable that originates from West Africa. It is the main ingredient in Coocoo which is type of Polenta. Coocoo is a Sunday meal which is generally served with Callaloo and fried King fish. Callaloo also has okra and coconut milk which is added to a mixture of boiled Callaloo Bush and salted meat. Its greenish and gluey consistency may not be appetizing, but it is delicious to the pallet. But some people dislike the mucus texture of the okra seeds. To test how young a okra is, the tip of the fruit should break off easily.

Trinidad may not be blessed with the finest beaches, but on Saturdays and Sundays people commute to the coastal areas for the day to take a good sea bath. And nothing better can describe the Caribbean as the breeze hits your saltwater soaked skin while you are devouring a slice of watermelon.

Watermelon in art: In her last work produced in 1954, a still life of watermelons, the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo inscribed on the painting the words, Viva la vida (Long Live Life)