Page 7 - AHATA

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local Tuesday 8 OcTOber 2024
Food culture in Aruba

(Oranjestad) - Like many
other cultures, an impor-
tant aspect of the Aruban
cultural identity is our con-
nection to food and food
traditions. The local food
traditions consist of a melt-
ing pot of different cultural
and religious eating habits
and dishes.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner
The routine of breakfast,
lunch and dinner on the empanadas early in the household. Unlike the U.S. items. Traditional drinks in- tos, Johnny cake and more.
island is one that does not morning. or in Europe, dinner time clude ponche crema (Aru- These snacks are usually
completely follow a Euro- typically does not consist ban eggnog), chuculati sold at local snack trucks
pean or American routine, Main Meal of a whole (warm) meal. In- pinda (hot chocolate with and cafes, often located
despite the major influ- The main meal is typically stead, the evening “meal” peanut butter), and home- on the side of the road. In
ences from these parts of eaten in most households can typically consist of made fruit punch. Desserts the area of Tanki Leendert
the world on our culture around noon or in the af- something lighter, like a include, bolo di pistachio and Tanki flip, for example,
and way of living. When it ternoon. This can consist of sandwich, though it is not (pistachio cake), bolo di there are many of these
comes to the three impor- meat, fish, and chicken— uncommon to see leftovers cashupete (cashew cake), trucks parked on the side
tant meals of the day, most stewed or fried—with fun- from the main meal reheat- quesillo (flan), bolo preto of the road and often open
of the Aruban population chi (polenta) or rice with ed and eaten again. Tea (dark fruit cake), drigidek until late at night—offering
follows a Latin-American in- stewed vegetables. Often, and coffee are often also (gingerbread), pan boyo tasty and filling snacks post
fluenced routine. fried or boiled plantain served with the evening (bread cake) and more. night-life fun.

or pan bati (Aruban pan- snack.
Breakfast cake) is included. Stews are Snacks and tasty delights
Breakfast in Aruba is quite a staple in Aruban cuisine (Religious) Holidays Besides meals and dishes *ABC Islands: Aruba, Bo-
simple: a cup of coffee and can are largely influ- Christmas is probably the that are eaten on the din- naire and Curacao
or tea, some bread, and enced by Latin-American biggest global holiday, and ner table, Aruba also has a *Pan di ham: Derived from
sometimes an egg. Some- and Latin/Afro-Caribbean every culture has its own food tradition that includes the Venezuelan Pan de
times, due to the need of Stews. Some of the more spin on what their Christmas snacks and other tasty de- Jamon (rolled up bread
a quick “to-go” breakfast, unique stews and soups cuisine entails. In Aruba, our lights that you may eas- with ham, raisins and olives)
you may also find many from the ABC Islands* in- Christmas cuisine is again ily find around the island. *Saco: Saco literally means
snack trucks and cafes that clude sopi di bonchi cora largely based on Latin- These include, Saco*, bas- “bag”. Saco contains fried
sell sandwiches, pastechis (red kidney bean soup with American influences, most ket, pastechi, kroket, dedi- potatoes, plantains, chick-
(meat pie), arepas and pig tail), sopi mondongo notably form Venezuela. en (and ribs) and a Johnny
(tripe soup), carni stoba Ayacas and the famous cake, served in a paper
bag.
(beef stew), comcomber pan di ham* are two cru-
stoba (West Indian gherkin cial holiday dishes, along Source: Voeding, voedings-
stew) and much more. with stuffed turkey, roasted gewoonten en gerechten
glazed ham topped with op Aruba (Nutrition, Food
Dinner Time pineapples, arroz con pollo Traditions and Dishes on
Dinner time can vary signifi- (rice and chicken) and po- Aruba) by Biblioteca Na-
cantly from household to tato salad, among other cional Aruba

How Aruban beaches came to be!

(Oranjestad)—We’ve talk- is swept away along with Ah! Good question…and
ed about the best beaches the debris by the ocean interesting phrasing.
to visit on the island before, stream. However, in areas
but have you ever won- where it’s shallow and the Aruba is a continental
dered how Aruba got its stream is weaker, the sand island. The island actu-
white, sandy beaches, and tends to sick to the bot- ally forms part of South
why there’s a clear differ- tom faster. This is why the America, and the space
ence between the northern beaches in the south—the between Aruba and the
and southern shores? Here areas with weaker stream South American continent
are some fun facts about and shallower ocean is simply referred to as land
the development of Aru- floors—has sand that that runs under the ocean.
ban beaches. ed to wear and tear the around the area. Howev- stretches for miles. In con- This is why it gets gradu-
reefs over time, resulting er, whether the sand stays trast, the northern area, ally deeper in the south,
How did Aruba get its in its gradual breakdown. there is another question where the stream is much whereas the ocean floor in
white, sandy beaches? Fish that feed off corals to be answered, and this is stronger and the ocean the north runs steeply to the
Aruba’s beaches have de- also contribute to this, one where we highlight the big- floor is much deeper, there bottom.
veloped over the span of small bite at a time. Over gest difference between is no sand present—they
thousands of years. Waves the course of thousands the northern and southern were swept away with the Source: archival document
crashing on the rocky for- of years, as waves contin- coast of the island. current! provided by the National
mations along our coast ue to crash and fish con- Archive of Aruba (ANA).
line (which consists mainly tinue to eat off the corals, The sand that accumulates Why north deep, but south
of coral reefs) have start- sand starts to accumulate around a torn coral reef shallow?