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local Monday 30 deceMber 2024
Food culture in Aruba

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

Main Meal
The main meal is typically
eaten in most households
around noon or in the af-
ternoon. This can consist of
meat, fish, and chicken—
stewed or fried—with fun-
chi (polenta) or rice with
stewed vegetables. Often,
fried or boiled plantain
or pan bati (Aruban pan-
cake) is included. Stews are
a staple in Aruban cuisine
and can are largely influ-
enced by Latin-American
and Latin/Afro-Caribbean
Stews. Some of the more
unique stews and soups
from the ABC Islands* in-
clude sopi di bonchi cora
(red kidney bean soup with