KIN

Marie Mitchell · KIN

Roti found its way to the Caribbean via indentured Indian labourers, a large Indian diaspora, with the biggest communities in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, who introduced foods like curries, roti and chutneys to the region. The name ‘buss up shut’ comes from the way the roti is beaten with wooden spatulas, spoons and hands after cooking, breaking up the layers until it looks like a ‘bust-up shirt’. Making roti is my therapy — my hands work and my mind rests. For that, I’m very thankful to Joe, who, for a number of years, was my (business) partner-in-crime with Island Social Club — if it weren’t for him, I doubt roti would have become so integral to my cooking.