| Dominican cuisine uses seafood, meat and vegetables,
although poorer people in the rural areas cannot afford to eat meat regularly.
The most common dish is la bandera, which consists of white
rice, beans, vegetables and frito verdes (fried green plantain),
served with savoury chicken, beef or goat. Goat meat is particularly popular.
Beef is common only in the Cibao region. |
| Casabe,
a flat and round cassava bread, is a Taino food that is still common in
the Dominican diet. Casabe can be bought in almost all grocery stores
and supermarkets. |
|
| Another typical dish is sancochos, a version
of the Spanish cocido (stew). Each region has its own unique way
of preparing sancochos. Sancochos is a hearty mixture of
seven meats, that may include goat, pork, tripe, oxtails, chicken, rabbit
or pigeon. Sancochos may be served with avocado, wild rice, cassava
or plantains.
El desayuno, or breakfast, is the first
meal in the morning. Mangu, a puree made from cassava, is often
served for breakfast, particularly in poorer areas. In cities, el desayuno
may consist of bread, jam and coffee. Most people try to go home at midday
for the largest and most elaborate meal of the day, el almuerzo.
It usually consists of rice and beans with meat. After lunch, some Dominicans
take a nap for a couple of hours before they go to work again. Supper,
la
cena, is served late, when all family members have returned from school
and work. |
 |
| Evening is the time for desserts. A favourite
dessert is hibichela con dulce, a sweet porridge made with beans,
coconut milk, sweet potatoes, raisins, cassava and cinnamon. Other traditional
desserts include arroz con dulce, a sweet rice pudding, and majarete,
a corn pudding. Flans with caramel custard are also popular, such as quesillo
de leche y pina, a flan made with pineapple and milk. |
| Pineapples
are native to Hispaniola. Called yayama by the Tainos, the pineapple
was taken by Columbus to Europe, and spread throughout the world thereafter. |
|
| Ingredients
900 ml canned
creamed corn
2 litres milk
or coconut milk
225 g granulated
sugar
1 tsp vanilla
extract
50 g ground
cinnamon
50 g cornstarch
Preparation
Using a blender,
combine the creamed corn and half the milk/coconut milk. Pass through a
medium mesh strainer, add the rest of the milk, the sugar and vanilla,
and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add the cinnamon and cook gently
for 10 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in a bit of water and add. When the
mixture has thickened, turn off heat at once and pour the pudding into
individual cups or a serving bowl and dust with ground cinnamon. Do not
refrigerate before serving. |
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