Page 6 - AHATA

a8 local
Saturday 6 January 2024

Food culture in Aruba

(Oranjestad) - Like many other cul- most households around noon or in
tures, an important aspect of the the afternoon. This can consist of
Aruban cultural identity is our con- meat, fish, and chicken—stewed
nection to food and food traditions. or fried—with funchi (polenta) or
The local food traditions consist of a rice with stewed vegetables. Of-
melting pot of different cultural and ten, fried or boiled plantain or pan
religious eating habits and dishes. bati (Aruban pancake) is included.
Stews are a staple in Aruban cuisine
Breakfast, lunch and dinner and can are largely influenced by
The routine of breakfast, lunch and Latin-American and Latin/Afro-Ca-
dinner on the island is one that ribbean Stews. Some of the more
does not completely follow a Euro- unique stews and soups from the
pean or American routine, despite ABC Islands* include sopi di bon-
the major influences from these chi cora (red kidney bean soup
parts of the world on our culture with pig tail), sopi mondongo (tripe
and way of living. When it comes soup), carni stoba (beef stew),
to the three important meals of the comcomber stoba (West Indian Christmas is probably the biggest located on the side of the road.
day, most of the Aruban popula- gherkin stew) and much more. global holiday, and every cul- In the area of Tanki Leendert and
tion follows a Latin-American influ- ture has its own spin on what their Tanki flip, for example, there are
enced routine. Dinner Time Christmas cuisine entails. In Aru- many of these trucks parked on
Dinner time can vary significantly
Breakfast from household to household. Un- ba, our Christmas cuisine is again the side of the road and often
Breakfast in Aruba is quite simple: a like the U.S. or in Europe, dinner largely based on Latin-American open until late at night—offering
tasty and filling snacks post night-
influences, most notably form Ven-
cup of coffee or tea, some bread, time typically does not consist of ezuela. Ayacas and the famous life fun.q
and sometimes an egg. Some- a whole (warm) meal. Instead, pan di ham* are two crucial holi-
times, due to the need of a quick the evening “meal” can typically day dishes, along with stuffed tur-
“to-go” breakfast, you may also consist of something lighter, like a key, roasted glazed ham topped *ABC Islands: Aruba, Bonaire and Cu-
find many snack trucks and ca- sandwich, though it is not uncom- with pineapples, arroz con pollo racao
fes that sell sandwiches, pastechis mon to see leftovers from the main (rice and chicken) and potato sal- *Pan di ham: Derived from the Vene-
(meat pie), arepas and empana- meal reheated and eaten again. ad, among other items. Traditional zuelan Pan de Jamon (rolled up bread
das early in the morning. Tea and coffee are often also drinks include ponche crema (Aru- with ham, raisins and olives)
*Saco: Saco literally means “bag”.
served with the evening snack. Saco contains fried potatoes, plan-
Main Meal ban eggnog), chuculati pinda (hot tains, chicken (and ribs) and a Johnny
chocolate with peanut butter),
The main meal is typically eaten in (Religious) Holidays cake, served in a paper bag.
and homemade fruit punch. Des-
serts include, bolo di pistachio (pis- Source: Voeding, voedingsgewoonten
tachio cake), bolo di cashupete en gerechten op Aruba (Nutrition,
(cashew cake), quesillo (flan), bolo Food Traditions and Dishes on Aruba)
preto (dark fruit cake), drigidek by Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
(gingerbread), pan boyo (bread
cake) and more.

Snacks and tasty delights
Besides meals and dishes that are
eaten on the dinner table, Aruba
also has a food tradition that in-
cludes snacks and other tasty
delights that you may easily find
around the island. These include,
Saco*, basket, pastechi, kroket,
deditos, Johnny cake and more.
These snacks are usually sold at lo-
cal snack trucks and cafes, often