National cuisine of Aruba for gourmets

The small island of Aruba, located in the southern part of the Caribbean, is a wonderful country of tender breezes, cool white sands and pink flamingos. Despite the small area, representatives of very different ethnic groups and cultures found their home on the island; there are Europeans, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Filipinos, Creole locals, and more than ninety nationalities in Aruba. Such a mixture of cultures always leads to the formation of a new culture, which is the case with this Caribbean island. National Aruban cuisine surprises foreigners with a special presentation of traditional dishes of Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Especially in Aruba, cheese, seafood, beef, goat meat and chicken, beans and rice are eaten. Iguana meat is considered a delicacy.

One of the favorite dishes of the Aruba team is “keshi yena”, which is a large ball made from fried cheese, stuffed with meat, prunes and chestnuts. There is also the popular well-seasoned goat stew which is served with boiled or fried potatoes. The main ingredient of the spicy dish called “Zult” is pork ears. They are boiled in salted water, cut into thin slices and left to marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator under a sauce of vinegar, hot pepper and cloves. Tourists should try the “coconut shrimp”, which have an unusual and bright taste. Shrimps are covered with flour mixed with pepper, then dipped in coconut chips and fried in vegetable oil.

Due to the abundance of sunshine all year round and winds that relieve the heat, a lot of tropical fruits and delicious vegetables grow in Aruba. Juicy local cherry is called “Shimaruku” and has a distinguishing sour taste. “Funchi” is prepared from boiled corn flour, which is added to soups and meat. Moringa tree is popular because of its; nutritious leaves that taste like walnuts, content of large amounts of protein and vitamins, and use in salads. They are sometimes eaten as a separate snack. The lush golden dough for the “kala” snack is made from peas and cayenne pepper. In addition, the islanders love eggplant fried in oil with onions and fragrant pumpkin soup with potatoes. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Those with sweet tooth will appreciate the exotic, tasty and healthy Aruban desserts, such as prunes baked in dough, purple mombin roasted under sugar and coconut pudding. Sweet banana bread is popular in Aruba, and small sweet buns with almonds often accompany tea and coffee breaks. Chocolate cake with vanilla, rum and coconut cakes, tender egg pudding, dessert “kesio” with custard filling, are some of the islanders’ favorite sweets. It is especially good to enjoy your cup of tea with the thin round chocolate-peanut cookies, which is prepared with the addition of coconut powder, brown sugar and vanilla.

On Aruba Island, the people like to drink rum. It is added to almost every cocktail, muffins and cakes. The local beer is called “Balashi”, the water for it is filtered with the help of corals. Also on the island you can try the original liquor from the juice of the agave. A rest by the warm sea is incomplete without a cocktail in hand, and the Arubans are known for their great variety of cocktail. There is for example, “the Banana Sunrise cocktail”, which is pina colada mixed with orange juice, “Crème de banane liqueur” and, of course, rum. Coconut rum on the other hand is used to create the “boo boo” cocktail. Hot chocolate with a generous portion of whipped cream is popular among soft drinks. Dutch coffee can also be called one of the favorite drinks of Arubans.

On holidays, the inhabitants of Aruba like to eat chocolate balls with rum. Similar to them in shape and size, the “bolitas de jamon” is also a festive snack, but of a different kind: these are bread and egg balls stuffed with ham, fried with pineapple until a golden brown color is achieved. “Bolitas di keshi” is also another equally popular cheese balls. Cheese sticks are always served at parties, and even the holidays rarely do without the beautifully decorated “webo yena” snack – egg halves decorated with olives and parsley. The eggs have a specific taste thanks to black ground pepper, mustard and salt. Cashews are a traditional treat for wedding guests, and cream punch is the favorite drink of the Arubans.

On the island of Aruba, guests will find a large number of restaurants of national cuisines: Asian, German, Portuguese, Surinamese, Dutch and others. Tourists who want to try authentic Aruban dishes are recommended to visit the restaurants of traditional cuisine – there are a lot of them throughout the country. For example, the restaurant “Papiamento” in Noord is located among tropical gardens, which a definite plus for those who want to relax and dine in a tropical paradise. “Madame Janette’s” in Bubali offers fresh seafood in a cozy interior. In Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, the “Wilhelmina” restaurant, famous for its beautifully decorated dishes, is worth visiting.