Page 18 - AHATA

A9
LOCAL Friday 26 april 2024

Food culture in Aruba

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