Caribbean browning (burnt-sugar seasoning)
Caribbean browning is a dark liquid of deeply caramelised sugar, used in small amounts for colour and a smoky, bitter-sweet flavour in stews and black cake.
Caribbean green seasoning
Trinidad green seasoning · Green seasoning
A fresh herb and aromatic paste of chadon beni (culantro), thyme, chives, celery, onion, garlic and peppers, blended with vinegar and water and used as the base for Trinidadian cooking.
Overview
Green seasoning is a fresh paste of herbs, aromatics and peppers that Trinidadian cooks use as the first flavour in a dish. It is a wet, blended base rather than a dry spice mix. Chadon beni, the Trinidadian name for culantro, gives it a sharp green pungency that is stronger than cilantro, and thyme, chives, celery, onion, garlic and pimento pepper supply the rest of the flavour.
The paste is not fermented. It is blended, strained and kept in the refrigerator, and the record treats it as a seasoning that is made, not a culture.
Sources for this section
Background
No single origin or date is documented for green seasoning. The author of the recipe page says the ingredients are found throughout the Caribbean and that the seasoning is a favourite there, and calls it the secret behind Trinidadian cooking. In a reply on the page, the author says the seasoning is most likely of Spanish influence and very similar to Puerto Rican recaito, and that the seasoning took on a life of its own once shared with other groups on the island. That is a personal view and is not established history.
Households differ in the proportions and the additions they make, and the page says each family has its own way of making it. The seasoning therefore has a family of formulations rather than one fixed recipe.
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Method
The herbs are chopped and combined, then blended in batches with a little water and vinegar. Each batch is strained, and the strained liquid is reused to blend the next batch. The strained solids and the liquid are combined at the end, and salt is added to taste.
The page asks the cook to hold the blender lid firmly closed while blending in handfuls. The blend is taken to smooth before straining; the page gives no other texture target.
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Storage and use
The seasoning is kept in containers in the refrigerator. The page says that it lasts a long time when refrigerated, and that liquid separating on top is normal and is corrected by stirring or by shaking the closed container. No storage limit in days is given.
The page prefers homemade seasoning to shop-bought versions, which it describes as containing MSG and other preservatives. It calls green seasoning the real secret behind Trinidadian cooking; the page does not list further uses.
Sources for this section
History
The page says no one can trace green seasoning to one island or point in history. A comment from the author suggests a Spanish influence, close to Puerto Rican recaito; that is a personal view.
Ingredients
Yield 1.5 litres · Scaling: the page gives one batch of about 1.5 litres; the ratio of herbs to aromatics is set by the cook, and the page notes that ratios differ between households.
CeleryChopped.
1 bundle
GarlicCleaned.
2 heads
OnionChopped.
3 onions
Big leaf thyme
6 leaves
Spanish thyme
5 sprigs
ThymeFine-leaf thyme.
8 sprigs
36 leaves
Pimento pepperChopped; also called seasoning peppers.
12 peppers
Chives
4 bundles
Vinegar (optional)
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
Optional.WaterUsed with each blending batch.
118 mL½ cup as recorded
Hot pepper (optional)
1 pepper
Optional; added during blending.To taste.
Method
Risks and precautions
Fresh chopped produce in a wet, unheated seasoning
The blended herbs, onion, garlic and peppers are not cooked, and no recipe-specific acidification or storage validation is available. Refrigeration and short storage limit risk but do not establish shelf stability.
Hazard sourceRefrigerate promptly within 2 hours at 40 °F (4 °C) or below in a clean, covered shallow container; use within 3–4 days or freeze for longer storage. This is conservative general USDA leftovers guidance, not a tested storage study of this seasoning.
Control sourceThe source's statement that the seasoning lasts a long time in the refrigerator is not a tested duration. This page gives conservative general handling guidance, not a recipe-specific validated shelf life.
Vinegar is optional, and the recipe gives no measured acidification or pH endpoint; do not treat it as shelf-stable.
- Chop the onions, garlic, celery and pimento peppers. Combine them with the chives, big leaf thyme, Spanish thyme, fine leaf thyme and chadon beni.
- Put a portion of the mixed herbs into a blender with half a cup of water and about a quarter cup of vinegar.
- Add the herbs in handfuls and blend in batches with the lid held firmly closed. The optional hot pepper can go in at this stage.
- Blend until smooth, then strain. Keep the liquid, which is reused to blend the next batches.
- Collect the strained solids in a separate bowl. When all the batches are blended, combine everything, including the liquid, and add salt to taste.
- Use immediately, or refrigerate promptly in a clean, covered shallow container at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, within 2 hours of preparation. As conservative general USDA leftovers guidance, use within 3–4 days; freeze for longer storage. This specific recipe has no tested storage period or acidification endpoint. If liquid separates, stir it back in or shake the closed container.
Conditions
Yield1.5 litres
Active time15 min
Places
Trinidad and Tobago
Traditional preparation · Country evidenceThe page describes green seasoning as a Trinidadian household staple and says it is found wider across the Caribbean; no locality is given.
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Sources
Simply Trini CookingMethod · History · Uses
Green Seasoning: A Special Caribbean IngredientIngredients: 1 bundle celery, 2 heads garlic, 3 onions, 6 leaves big leaf thyme, 5 sprigs Spanish thyme, 8 sprigs fine leaf thyme, 36 leaves chadon beni, 12 pimento peppers, 4 bundles chives, 1/4 cup vinegar (optional), 1/2 cup water, salt to taste, 1 hot pepper (optional); yield about 1.5 L.
Method: blend in batches with water and vinegar, strain, keep the liquid for the next batches, combine everything and salt to taste.
Storage: refrigerate; the seasoning lasts a long time when refrigerated; stir or shake if liquid separates.
The author notes that the ingredients are found throughout the Caribbean, that households have their own ratios, and that the seasoning is much like sofrito, with local additions.
Cited in: Overview; Background; Method; Storage and use
USDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceSafety · Storage
How do I handle leftovers safely?General guidance says refrigerate leftovers at or below 40 °F (4 °C) within two hours, use shallow containers, and use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days or freeze for longer storage. This is applied here as cautious general home handling, not as a validated seasoning-specific study.
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Selecting and Serving Produce SafelyFDA advises keeping perishable herbs and produce in a clean refrigerator at or below 40 °F (4 °C); it does not validate this seasoning's acidity or shelf life.