Hill rice grown by Merikins in Trinidad was transformed into several dishes at an April rice symposium in Charleston that explored the connections between the rice and American slave kitchens. The chefs Forrest Parker and Ennio Vazquez used it to make a version of the Italian dish risi e bisi, although in Trinidad the rice is often cooked in coconut milk and topped with a chutney made from parched benne seeds… [and an herb called shadow benne that is similar to cilantro; some bird’s-eye peppers, and garlic]. Credit Hunter McRae for The New York Times
