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LOCAL Wednesday 5 June 2024

Food culture in Aruba

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