Caribbean Islands : Dominican Republic : Food and Dining

Dominican Republic : Food and Dining

Inspiration for Dominican cuisine stems from native Antillean and hearty Créole cookery. Like their Central and South American cousins, Dominican cooks incorporate lots of rice, beans, fish and other seafood, meats and vegetables--including the exotic ones like yams, cassava and okra--into their dishes making liberal use of light spices and coconut that add depth and warm the soul. Many varieties of fruit are available in the Dominican with bananas, fresh coconuts and juicy mangoes considered the top three.

The flavor of Dominican cooking starts with garlic, onions, coriander, and oregano. Rice with red beans is a traditional favorite and is usually eaten with a spicy West Indian stew like sancocho, a beautiful yellow-orange concoction made with African yams and other root vegetables with chicken, beef, goat, or pork added. Chivo quisado is goat stewed with tomatoes, green peppers, and spices. Sancocho prieto includes a combination of seven meats, including goat.

There are tostones - fried plantains served with mojito sauce made from garlic, lime and olive oil; chicharon de pollo - chopped chicken with peppery Dominican  seasonings; habichuelas - white beans in a thick, fragrant pumpkin sauce; and moro - black beans with white rice in a rich tomato sauce.

Lighter fare includes sopa de camarones--a shrimp broth with coriander; or, the popular snacks chicharrone--pieces of fried pork--and empanadillas--tangy meat tarts.

For dessert Dominicans like to indulge in flan de queso made with custard and cheese; or any of a number of puddings made from sweet rice, corn, and banana for dessert.

A popular drink in the Dominican is mamajuana made with rum, red wine and honey fermented with tree bark and various herbs.

Similar in taste to a port wine, mamajuana has a deep red color and a powerful punch! Customarily used to cure everything from impotency, to a sore throat, to the stomach flu, mamajuana is known to be an aphrodisiac by many and is used to promote overall good health and vitality. Only a handful of families in the Dominican Republic still brew the mixture and keep this tradition alive.