Page 11 - AHATA

a7
local Tuesday 19 sepTember 2023
Food culture in Aruba

(Oranjestad) - Like many other cul- times, due to the need of a quick
tures, an important aspect of the “to-go” breakfast, you may also
Aruban cultural identity is our con- find many snack trucks and ca-
nection to food and food traditions. fes that sell sandwiches, pastechis
The local food traditions consist of a (meat pie), arepas and empana-
melting pot of different cultural and das early in the morning.
religious eating habits and dishes.
Main Meal
Breakfast, lunch and dinner The main meal is typically eaten in
The routine of breakfast, lunch and most households around noon or in
dinner on the island is one that the afternoon. This can consist of
does not completely follow a Euro- meat, fish, and chicken—stewed
pean or American routine, despite or fried—with funchi (polenta) or
the major influences from these rice with stewed vegetables. Of-
parts of the world on our culture ten, fried or boiled plantain or pan
and way of living. When it comes bati (Aruban pancake) is included.
to the three important meals of the Stews are a staple in Aruban cuisine
day, most of the Aruban popula- and can are largely influenced by
tion follows a Latin-American influ- Latin-American and Latin/Afro-Ca-
enced routine. ribbean Stews. Some of the more
unique stews and soups from the
Breakfast ABC Islands* include sopi di bon-
Breakfast in Aruba is quite simple: a chi cora (red kidney bean soup
cup of coffee or tea, some bread, with pig tail), sopi mondongo (tripe
and sometimes an egg. Some- soup), carni stoba (beef stew),

comcomber stoba (West Indian tachio cake), bolo di cashupete
gherkin stew) and much more. (cashew cake), quesillo (flan), bolo
preto (dark fruit cake), drigidek
Dinner Time (gingerbread), pan boyo (bread
Dinner time can vary significantly cake) and more.
from household to household. Un-
like the U.S. or in Europe, dinner Snacks and tasty delights
time typically does not consist of Besides meals and dishes that are
a whole (warm) meal. Instead, eaten on the dinner table, Aruba
the evening “meal” can typically also has a food tradition that in-
consist of something lighter, like a cludes snacks and other tasty
sandwich, though it is not uncom- delights that you may easily find
mon to see leftovers from the main around the island. These include,
meal reheated and eaten again. Saco*, basket, pastechi, kroket,
Tea and coffee are often also deditos, Johnny cake and more.
served with the evening snack. These snacks are usually sold at lo-
cal snack trucks and cafes, often
(Religious) Holidays located on the side of the road. In
Christmas is probably the biggest the area of Tanki Leendert and Tan-
global holiday, and every cul- ki flip, for example, there are many
ture has its own spin on what their of these trucks parked on the side
Christmas cuisine entails. In Aru- of the road and often open until
ba, our Christmas cuisine is again late at night—offering tasty and fill-
largely based on Latin-American ing snacks post night-life fun.
influences, most notably form Ven-
ezuela. Ayacas and the famous *ABC Islands: Aruba, Bonaire and Cu-
pan di ham* are two crucial holi- racao
day dishes, along with stuffed tur- *Pan di ham: Derived from the Venezu-
elan Pan de Jamon (rolled up bread
key, roasted glazed ham topped with ham, raisins and olives)
with pineapples, arroz con pollo *Saco: Saco literally means “bag”.
(rice and chicken) and potato sal- Saco contains fried potatoes, plan-
ad, among other items. Traditional tains, chicken (and ribs) and a Johnny
drinks include ponche crema (Aru- cake, served in a paper bag.
ban eggnog), chuculati pinda (hot
chocolate with peanut butter), Source: Voeding, voedingsgewoont-
en en gerechten op Aruba (Nutrition,
and homemade fruit punch. Des- Food Traditions and Dishes on Aruba)
serts include, bolo di pistachio (pis- by Biblioteca Nacional Aruba