Page 13 - AHATA

A9
LOCAL Tuesday 18 June 2024

Food culture in Aruba

(Oranjestad) - Like many soups from the ABC Islands* boyo (bread cake) and more.
other cultures, an important include sopi di bonchi cora
aspect of the Aruban cultural (red kidney bean soup with Snacks and tasty delights
identity is our connection to pig tail), sopi mondongo (tripe Besides meals and dishes that
food and food traditions. The soup), carni stoba (beef stew), are eaten on the dinner table,
local food traditions consist comcomber stoba (West In- Aruba also has a food tradi-
of a melting pot of different dian gherkin stew) and much tion that includes snacks and
cultural and religious eating more. other tasty delights that you
habits and dishes. may easily find around the side of the road and often *Saco: Saco literally means
Dinner Time island. These include, Saco*, open until late at night—of- “bag”. Saco contains fried
Breakfast, lunch and dinner Dinner time can vary signifi- basket, pastechi, kroket, de- fering tasty and filling snacks potatoes, plantains, chicken
The routine of breakfast, lunch cantly from household to ditos, Johnny cake and more. post night-life fun. (and ribs) and a Johnny cake,
and dinner on the island is household. Unlike the U.S. or These snacks are usually sold served in a paper bag.q
one that does not completely in Europe, dinner time typi- at local snack trucks and ca- *ABC Islands: Aruba, Bonaire
follow a European or Ameri- cally does not consist of a fes, often located on the side and Curacao Source: Voeding, voedingsge-
can routine, despite the major whole (warm) meal. Instead, of the road. In the area of *Pan di ham: Derived from the woonten en gerechten op Aruba
influences from these parts the evening “meal” can typi- Tanki Leendert and Tanki flip, Venezuelan Pan de Jamon (Nutrition, Food Traditions and
Dishes on Aruba) by Biblioteca
of the world on our culture cally consist of something for example, there are many (rolled up bread with ham, Nacional Aruba
and way of living. When it lighter, like a sandwich, of these trucks parked on the raisins and olives)
comes to the three important though it is not uncommon
meals of the day, most of the to see leftovers from the main
Aruban population follows a meal reheated and eaten
Latin-American influenced again. Tea and coffee are
routine. often also served with the
evening snack.
Breakfast
Breakfast in Aruba is quite (Religious) Holidays
simple: a cup of coffee or Christmas is probably the big-
tea, some bread, and some- gest global holiday, and every
times an egg. Sometimes, due culture has its own spin on
to the need of a quick “to- what their Christmas cuisine
go” breakfast, you may also entails. In Aruba, our Christ-
find many snack trucks and mas cuisine is again largely
cafes that sell sandwiches, based on Latin-American in-
pastechis (meat pie), arepas fluences, most notably form
and empanadas early in the Venezuela. Ayacas and the
morning. famous pan di ham* are two
crucial holiday dishes, along
Main Meal with stuffed turkey, roasted
The main meal is typically glazed ham topped with
eaten in most households pineapples, arroz con pollo
around noon or in the after- (rice and chicken) and potato
noon. This can consist of meat, salad, among other items.
fish, and chicken—stewed or Traditional drinks include
fried—with funchi (polenta) or ponche crema (Aruban
rice with stewed vegetables. eggnog), chuculati pinda
Often, fried or boiled plantain (hot chocolate with pea-
or pan bati (Aruban pancake) nut butter), and homemade
is included. Stews are a staple fruit punch. Desserts include,
in Aruban cuisine and can are bolo di pistachio (pistachio
largely influenced by Latin- cake), bolo di cashupete (ca-
American and Latin/Afro- shew cake), quesillo (flan),
Caribbean Stews. Some of bolo preto (dark fruit cake),
the more unique stews and drigidek (gingerbread), pan