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A8 LOCAL
Friday 20 September 2024

Food culture in Aruba

(Oranjestad) - Like many Breakfast ban cuisine and can are
other cultures, an impor- Breakfast in Aruba is quite largely influenced by Latin-
tant aspect of the Aruban simple: a cup of coffee American and Latin/Afro-
cultural identity is our con- or tea, some bread, and Caribbean Stews. Some of
nection to food and food sometimes an egg. Some- the more unique stews and
traditions. The local food times, due to the need of soups from the ABC Islands*
traditions consist of a melt- a quick “to-go” breakfast, include sopi di bonchi cora
ing pot of different cultural you may also find many (red kidney bean soup with
and religious eating habits snack trucks and cafes that pig tail), sopi mondongo
and dishes. sell sandwiches, pastechis (tripe soup), carni stoba
(meat pie), arepas and (beef stew), comcomber
Breakfast, lunch and dinner empanadas early in the stoba (West Indian gherkin
The routine of breakfast, morning. stew) and much more.
lunch and dinner on the
island is one that does not Main Meal Dinner Time heated and eaten again. These snacks are usually
completely follow a Euro- The main meal is typically Dinner time can vary signifi- Tea and coffee are often sold at local snack trucks
pean or American routine, eaten in most households cantly from household to also served with the eve- and cafes, often located
despite the major influ- around noon or in the af- household. Unlike the U.S. ning snack. on the side of the road. In
ences from these parts of ternoon. This can consist or in Europe, dinner time the area of Tanki Leendert
the world on our culture of meat, fish, and chick- typically does not consist of (Religious) Holidays and Tanki flip, for example,
and way of living. When it en—stewed or fried—with a whole (warm) meal. In- Christmas is probably the there are many of these
comes to the three impor- funchi (polenta) or rice stead, the evening “meal” biggest global holiday, and trucks parked on the side
tant meals of the day, most with stewed vegetables. can typically consist of every culture has its own of the road and often open
of the Aruban population Often, fried or boiled plan- something lighter, like a spin on what their Christmas until late at night—offering
follows a Latin-American tain or pan bati (Aruban sandwich, though it is not cuisine entails. In Aruba, our tasty and filling snacks post
influenced routine. pancake) is included. uncommon to see leftovers Christmas cuisine is again night-life fun.
Stews are a staple in Aru- from the main meal re- largely based on Latin-
American influences, most
notably form Venezuela. *ABC Islands: Aruba, Bo-
Ayacas and the famous naire and Curacao
pan di ham* are two cru- *Pan di ham: Derived from
cial holiday dishes, along the Venezuelan Pan de
with stuffed turkey, roasted Jamon (rolled up bread
glazed ham topped with with ham, raisins and olives)
pineapples, arroz con pollo *Saco: Saco literally means
(rice and chicken) and po- “bag”. Saco contains fried
tato salad, among other potatoes, plantains, chick-
items. Traditional drinks in- en (and ribs) and a Johnny
clude ponche crema (Aru- cake, served in a paper
ban eggnog), chuculati bag.q
pinda (hot chocolate with
peanut butter), and home- Source: Voeding, voedings-
made fruit punch. Desserts gewoonten en gerechten op
Aruba (Nutrition, Food Tradi-
include, bolo di pistachio tions and Dishes on Aruba) by
(pistachio cake), bolo di Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
cashupete (cashew cake),
quesillo (flan), bolo preto
(dark fruit cake), drigidek
(gingerbread), pan boyo
(bread cake) and more.

Snacks and tasty delights
Besides meals and dishes
that are eaten on the din-
ner table, Aruba also has a
food tradition that includes
snacks and other tasty de-
lights that you may eas-
ily find around the island.
These include, Saco*, bas-
ket, pastechi, kroket, dedi-
tos, Johnny cake and more.