12 Dominican Dishes You Must Try On Your Next Visit
Popular Dominican Republic dishes include pescado con coco, asopado de camarones, la bandera, habichuelas con dulce, bizcocho dominicano, and many more.
The Dominican Republic is a country in the Caribbean region. It has the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region and the economy greatly depends on tourism. If you ever visit the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic, you must try the local dishes.
There are many delicious mouthwatering traditional dishes, and this article will cover a good deal of them.
Some Authentic Dominican Dishes You Must Try
1. Asopado de Camarones
This is a very popular shrimp and rice soup recipe which is very easy to make. It takes only 30 minutes to make this dish.
This soup is made in almost every house in the Dominican Republic when it rains or it is cold outside. You need oil, sazon, pepper, oregano, chicken bouillon, tomato sauce, sofrito, celery, shrimp, rice, adobo, and apple cider vinegar.
To begin, heat the oil in the big iron skillet over medium heat. Combine the sazón, pepper, chicken broth, tomato sauce, oregano, sofrito, and celery in a medium bowl. 2 minutes sauté. Add a bit of shrimp and simmer for approximately five minutes.
When the water starts boiling, simply add the rice. Stir often to ensure that the rice does not cling to the base of the pot. Combine the adobo and vinegar.
Let simmer until rice has cooked, about 15-20 minutes, and voila! You have a delicious dish ready to be served.
2. Pescado Con Coco
Coconut is plentiful in the Dominican Republic and the Dominicans love to eat coconut. So you will see the use of coconut in a lot of their dishes.
Pescado con Coco is no exception. This is a delicious coconut sauce and fish recipe. Coconut milk and brown sugar are boiled in a large pot together to make the coconut sauce and the fish is cooked along with the sauce in a pot.
3. Empanadas
Empanadas are not only popular in the Dominican Republic, but all over Latin America. It is a pastry made with either cornflour or wheat.
Inside the pastry, there is a cheesy and meaty filling. In most areas, you will see chicken used in the fillings.
4. La Bandera
This is a staple Dominican lunch item. You will find this in every restaurant in the Dominican Republic. The dish contains all the essentials like rice, meat, and red kidney beans. You can also enjoy some salad with this dish and it will taste even better.
The dish’s name translates to “the flag” because it has the same color as the flag of the Dominican Republic. This is why it is considered to be the national lunch dish.
5. Chimmichurri
If you enjoy street food, especially burgers, then try this traditional Dominican burger called chimichurri. This burger is full of protein and juicy mayonnaise.
Toppings include onions, shredded cabbage, and tomatoes. The locals call this dish chimi for short. The patty is mostly beef but some places use pork as a patty too.
6. Sancocho
If you enjoy a tasty stew because of its nutritious value then you should definitely try sancocho. New Years’ in the Dominican Republic is celebrated with this delicious stew. Of special note, there is no fixed recipe for this dish.
The vegetables and meat in the stew differ from place to place. The vegetables that are used include corn, yucca, cilantro, or auyama (West Indian pumpkin). The meats that are used include pork, chicken, beef, duck, etc.
Some people even prefer having multiple kinds of meat in the stew. Meat is a great source of protein and vegetables are great for vitamins and minerals, making it a nutritious meal.
7. Mangú
Most Latin and Caribbean countries have the dishes we talked about so far. But this dish can be found only in the Dominican Republic.
This is a staple breakfast dish for most Dominicans. It contains mashed plantains, usually served with eggs, fried Dominican salami, and queso frito or fried cheese. This has some similarities to the traditional British breakfast, but there are significant differences.
Eggs and salami are a good item to include in breakfast because they contain lutein and zeaxanthin, essential for your body’s immune system. Salami also has the right amount of calories and fat to keep you full for a long period.
8. Casabe
Now let us look at a traditional snack of the Dominican Republic. Casabe is just bread made from cassava flour.
The reason it is so very healthy and popular is that it has zero cholesterol and a very low amount of calories but it is rich in fiber so it helps digest your food quicker. If you do not enjoy the dry taste of bread, you can enjoy it with some authentic Dominican dessert.
Some Authentic Dominical Desserts
1. Habichuelas Con Dulce
This dessert is made from sweet beans. Although this is very popular in the Dominican Republic, it did not originate here.
Historians believe that this food came to the Dominican Republic from Southeast Asia. The dish is made from coconut milk, condensed milk, boiled red kidney beans, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, cloves, salt, and raisins.
2. Coconut Sweets
Dominicans can be really creative with coconut. And through their creativity, this coconut-based dessert was born. Some popular coconut sweets include Jalao, Conconete, Coconut Cake, and Coconut Flan.
3. Bizcocho Dominicano
Also known as Dominican Cake, this cake is present in almost all Dominican parties and celebrations. It has pineapple filling, and the cake has an airy texture, which makes it melt inside the mouth.
Unless you are great at baking, you cannot get the traditional airy texture of this cake. You will need a lot of practice and experience to get the texture right.
4. Tres Leches
This is another traditional Dominican cake, which is easier to make than Bizcocho Dominicano. This is like your normal sponge cake, but it is covered in sweet milk sauce. Finally, it is topped with either whipped cream or meringue.
Final Thoughts
The Dominican Republic is a country that loves food and loves making unique dishes. So if you have the opportunity to visit the Dominican Republic, definitely try all these traditional delicacies.