Page 13 - AHATA

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local Wednesday 7 June 2023
Food culture in Aruba

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

Dinner Time
Dinner time can vary signifi-
cantly from household to
household. Unlike the U.S.