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Dominican Republic Cuisine

Caribbean-Creole Cooking at its Best

There are many things to consider when planning a vacation to a new destination, suchas the climate, sightseeing,accommodation, activities, and, of course, food. As avisitor to the Dominican Republic, what can you expect to find when looking for a meal?Caribbean creole cuisine, of course, but with a distinctive Dominican twist. Whether

eating at a roadside stand, a snack from a vendor on the beach, or a one of thetraditional Dominican Republic restaurants, you will experience the rich wondersofDominican Republic cuisine.

The word 'creole' comes from the Portuguese word, crioulo. This word originallyreferred to someone of European ancestry who was born on a Caribbean island. TheDominican Republic was originally settled by the Taino Indians, who used the naturalresources at hand for their cooking needs. Some of these ingredients and cookingtechniques have been handed down and are still a part of the national cuisine.

When the Spaniards arrived, they brought with them many new fruits, vegetables, andanimals. The newcomers also brought food and new ideas that had been passed on tothem during the centuries of Arab rule over Spain. The French controlled the island for

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a period, and a high number of Africans were brought in to work on the sugarplantations, both having an important cultural and culinary impact on Dominicancooking.

Thus the creole cuisine criolloin Spanish of the Dominican Republic, althoughsimilar to creole dishes of other Caribbean islands, offers localDominican dishesfeaturing a unique mixture of Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Tainoingredients, flavors and aromas. Dominicans are well-known for taking dishes fromother parts of the world and remaking them into Dominican creole dishes using theirown local spices and ingredients. Dominican food differs slightly from other Caribbeancreole dishes in that it is somewhat milder and less spicy, and uses onions, garlic,cilantro and oregano.

Typical Dominican cuisine

Dominican Republic recipes are often passed from one generation to another withoutbeing written down. So Dominicans learn how to cook dishes, but don't necessarilyknow the exact measurements of the ingredients. The most important aspects of

Dominican cuisine are how easy it is to cook, its spontaneity, and the use of freshingredients.

Instead of shopping at large chain supermarkets, there is a pride in finding freshingredients at small local markets: sweet potatoes, goat meat, pig meat, fresh saltwaterfish, shellfish, mangoes, papayas, plantains, cassava, melon, coconuts, citrus fruits,tomatoes, and passion fruit. The combination of freshness and quality results inunforgettable, mouth-watering dishes.

There are several methods that Dominicans use to prepare their meals. Meat,including chicken, beef and pork, can be made into delicious spicy stews, or can be

roasted or fried. Many Dominican dishes begin with sofritoas a base. This is a sauce

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made of spices, herbs and vegetables such as thyme, salt, garlic, onion, green bellpepper, coriander or cilantro, tomatoes and vinegar.

The dishes that Dominicans make depends on where they live. In the inlandmountainous areas, meat, especially pork, is popular, and is often stewed or cooked fora long time. Along the coast, fish andseafoodlike lobster, shrimp, marlin and mahi-mahi are prepared with coconut milk and eaten with rice.

Dominicans are known to have a sweet tooth, so desserts are numerous and consist ofnutritious beans, fresh coconut, sweet milk and tasty roasted peanuts.

Tostones

Let's explore some of the mouth-watering dishes of the Dominican Republic.

- Typical Dominican Dishes

There are many popular national dishes in the Dominican Republic. Here are a fewexamples:

La bandera:or 'The Flag', is the national dish consisting of white rice, kidney beansand meat. These are served separately and accompanied with tostonesor greenplantain, and a salad.

Sancocho:from the Spanish verb sanchochar, to parboil, is a very hearty traditional

soup or stew found in Latin American cuisines. Although it originated in Spain as adish called Cocido, it is considered a national dish in the Dominican Republic; it is often

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prepared for special occasions; and it is considered to be 'comfort food' by many locals.Although it contains many ingredients including meat, red beans, rice and vegetables,the long preparation time ofsancochopasses quickly with the help of friends and theenjoyment of a cold beer or some local rum. For example, Sancocho de siete cames(7meat stew), the ultimate sancocho, contains beef, chicken, goat, a variety of porkproducts (pork chops, fatty salt pork, ribs, pork sausage, etc.), plantain, cassava,potatoes, white and yellow malanga oryautia, cubanelle pepper, parsley, garlic andpumpkin, which is what gives the stew its beautiful creamy color. Sancochois aspecial dish unique to the Dominican Republic.

- African Dishes

Mang: The official breakfast of the Dominican Republic. Because many Dominicanrecipes contain plantains, Mang is one of the most popular and best-known plantaindishes in the country. The dish came from west Africa, and the plantains are boiled andmashed.

- Taino Dishes

Casabe: bread made from yuca, or cassava. It is a thin flatbread made withoutleavening.

- Popular Rice Dishes

Arroz Locrio: Arrozmeans rice andLocriomeans stew-creole. Arroz Locrioissimilar to Spanish paellaand is one of the most popular and enjoyable dishes to befound in the Dominican Republic. It generally consists of rice and chicken, but it canalso be made with many other ingredients such as pork and pork chops, salami,herring, cod, beef, and sausage.

Arroz Moro: Although it is typically a combination of rice, red kidney beans, andcooked meat, Arroz Morois sometimes made with cod in select parts of the DominicanRepublic. Beans are an inexpensive and important part of the diet in many places inLatin America, including the Caribbean, and Arroz Morois a simple and deliciousvariation of rice and beans.

- Dishes Made for Traditional Feasts:

Lechn: At Christmas time, Dominicans enjoy lechn, which is a traditional dish ofpork that has been roasted on charcoal. People generally buy lechnrather than cook

it themselves.

Bacalao:During the season of Lent, many Dominicans eat the traditional dishofbacalao, or creole codfish, on Fridays. Because sailors transported codfish acrossthe sea, they needed to preserve it, and they did this by salting the codfish. This is howsalted codfish became known and introduced into Caribbean food, and explains itsadoption into Dominican cuisine.

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Fried fish Boca Chica style with Tostones

Habichuelas con dulce:This is a sweet creamy bean liquid beverage that is populararound Easter. It is made in large quantities to be shared with friends, relatives andneighbors. Traditionally it is served with cookies or with casabe;and no two homesprepare it the same way. To make habichuelas con dulce, red beans are boiled in

water until very soft. Next are added coconut milk, condensed milk, cooked sweetpotato chunks, butter, raisins, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sometimes clovesand ginger.

- Delicious Dishes Popular in the Coastal Towns

Pescado con coco:a typical dish found inSemana bay. Fresh tropical fish in creamycoconut sauce with aromatic herbs is a delicious local combination that simply has tobe tasted.

Lambi guisado:A tasty dish consisting of stewed conch, bell peppers, tomato and hotsauce. Lambi guisadopurportedly has aphrodisiac qualities.

Chivo Liniero:Although goat meat is eaten in many areas of the country, Chivolinierois most popular in the Northwestern region of the DominicanRepublic.Montecristiis the original home ofChivo linieroand this remains the bestplace to try this spicy stew of tender goat meat. The distinctive flavor comes from theoregano and other vegetables that the goats eat out in the fields.

- Other Dishes

Empanadas:These turnover pasties can be found in just about every Spanish-speaking country in the world, but each country has modified the size and ingredients

of the empanadarecipe. So although they are not unique to the DominicanRepublic, empanadasare found across the country and are an essential addition to

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every party platter, a popular snack sold on the street by vendors, and a quick mealafter a night on the town. They can also vary in size from large, for a satisfying meal, tosmall, for petite appetizers. There is also a special kind ofempanada, the dough ofwhich is made of cassava.

Pica Pollo:a kind of fast food often eaten with tostones(see below). Pica Polloisfound just about everywhere in the Dominican Republic, whether in a big city or a smalltown. After a party or a few drinks, Pica Pollois the perfect way to grab a quick bite.The secret to this delicious crispy fried chicken is the flour, the crispy texture thatresults from deep-frying, and the addition of the special flavor of Dominican oregano.

Tostones: Tasting a little like French Fries, the most popular side dish in theDominican Republic is Tostones. Perfect as a garnish to the maincourse, Tostonesare narrow and flattened slices of fried and salted unripe plantains.

Yaniqueques:Made of wheat flour, water, baking soda and salt, yaniquequesarewarm, salty and crunchy fried tortillas. They are a big part of Dominican culture and

locals find them hard to resist. They can be found all over the country, sold bypeddlers and at all of the Dominican beaches. It is said that thename, yaniqueque,comes from, Johnny Cakes, the recipe having been brought toSaman by sugar cane workers from the Lesser Antilles more than one hundred yearsago. One of the best places to try a yaniquequeis in Boca Chica where a beachversion of the yaniquequecan be found. Here it is called the Longplay, and referencesthe Vinyl Record (33") due to their shape and size. Is served with fried fish.

Now that you have read about the delicious cuisine of the Dominican Republic, do youfeel aplatanado? In the Dominican Republic, aplatanado means plantain-like. Because plantains are an important part of the national diet, to becalled aplatanadosuggests that you have been accepted as being just like a local:You are one of us. If a Dominican calls you aplatanado, it is certainly a flatteringremark. It shows that you have learned the customs of the people here. If you enjoyliving in the country, have a passion for the national cuisine and for the rum and beer atthelocal bars, and love to dance to Dominican music, then you are living like alocal. You are aplatanado!

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