Food in Dominican Republic

Present day's Dominican Cuisine mixes taino Indian, European and African influences in an explosion of flavors rich in flavors and spices.

Casabe, a kind of flat bread made of yucca by the taino indians, became the bread of Conquistadores tht fed the expeditions that departed from the island to conquer new territories in the continent.

Other staples in the taino culture were corn and potatoes, soon imported into Europe by the Spaniards. And we must not forget the fabulous variety of tropical fruits: pineapple, coconut, passion fruit, papaya, guava and many others.


Among most typical recipes of modern day dominicans the following must not be missed:

• Mangú, traditional Dominican breakfast, made with cooked, mased plantain and fried onions;

• Dominican Sancocho , similar to a stew where different meats and vegetables are cooked together forming a thick broth. Most usual ingredients include cow, chicken and pork meat, accompanied by yucca, potatoes, plantains, yautias, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and peppers, all seasoned with coriander and parsley. The actual list of ingredients will depend on the possibilities of each family and availability of the ingredients.
  

• The "Bandera" (flag): Chicken or pork meat, rice and beans this forms the basis of most Dominicans nutrition;

• many rice dishes, as rice is the most important food staple in Dominican Republic : for example: Asopao (a rice soup, with fish or shrimps) Moro de Guandules (rice, boiled with guandules or "pigeon peas", a legume that looks similar to a green pea) , or Locrio (similar to Spanish paella);

• mofongo, of possible african origin, made with fried plantain and fried pork skins;

• And Chivo Picante or Chivo Liniero: a spicy goat stew. Unlike other caribbean islands, Dominican Republic cuisine isn't particularly spicy. This dish is one of the few exceptions.
  

• A truly Dominican dessert, made especially during Easter: Habichuelas con Dulce ("sweet beans").
  

In future posts we will be discovering the recipes of these and more Dominican dishes.