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LOCAL Friday 24 May 2024

Food culture in Aruba

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