Page 17 - AHATA

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LOCAL Tuesday 23 January 2024

Food culture in Aruba

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

Source: Voeding, voedingsgewoonten en ge-
rechten op Aruba (Nutrition, Food Traditions
and Dishes on Aruba) by Biblioteca Nacional
Aruba