Page 38 - Discover Curacao

RENE GONCALVES

“ The Truk’i pan tradition started on Curaçao with vans or caravans
selling sandwiches on the roadside: stoba (beef stew), chicken and
all kinds of sandwiches. These days you find a whole lot more, like
fries with different sauces, burgers, lomito (beef tenderloin), steaks
and ribeyes. There’s plenty to choose from.
Restaurants or fast-food outlets aren’t open after midnight, so we
head to a truk’i pan on the street. It’s good food for a good price.
During the week, people grab a takeaway. Over the weekend, it’s a
place to meet and hang out. Friends stop by after a night out for a
late-night snack. Most locations are open ‘til 3am, sometimes 4 or
5 on a busy night... On Curaçao, we often eat late. It’s part of our
culture.
Our Truk’i pan, BBQ Express, is on Caracas Bay. It’s a central
location so we get beachgoers from Jan Thiel coming over for a
bite, as well as office workers dropping by for a snack on their way
home from work. We get tourists, too. Our burgers are most popular
with the Americans, but they like our ribs, too. The Dutch eat a lot
of lomito. The locals tend to go for ‘galiña ku batata’ (chicken &
chips). Men and women, young and old, rich and poor - everyone
goes to the Truk’i pan!” Conch, a local shellfish, is also popular, as
are prawns, and, of course, lomito. At our Truk’i pan, you can even
try oyster soup, and others serve ‘sopi marisko’ (seafood soup). But
I’m more of a meat eater and prefer the lomito.

OWNER BBQ EXPRESS, BORN AND RAISED ON CURAÇAO

“ Ask for a mixed platter at a Truk’i pan for a sample of everything
on the menu.