Food and Culture

“Aki ta bende kuminda krioyo”  When you see this sign posted on a pole or the side of a house, it signals one of the little known but much enjoyed chances  to experience the joy of local food.

Antillean specialties are available in most restaurants as well as the local “snacks” that dot the roadsides on Bonaire.  For the most part the “sit down, eat-in” establishments list the local name of the dish with a brief explanation following.  Not so for the snacks.  A hand lettered chalkboard describes the daily bill of fare and if you are somewhat fluent in Spanish, you can sort of figure out the menu.  Most of the personnel taking your order speak English, but that is not a given.  Read on so that you can know before hand what you're getting yourself into? (Or for that matter, what’s getting into you.)

What does “Aki ta bende  kuminda krioyo” mean?  Here is sold creole food.  Some confusion surrounds the word creole when it is applied to Antillean cooking.  Here the word merely refers to “local food” and not the spicy delicacies of the Bayou country in the Gulf States of the US.  True, you can get some pretty mean pika (hot) sauces made locally, but they are generally served on the side so you can at least regulate the temperature to your own taste.

Most local foods revolve around “stobás” (stews) and are generally served with rice or funchi, a sort of cornmeal dish similar to Italian polenta.  Order a food followed by the word "hasá," it will be served fried.  Pretty tasty, but not necessarily “what the doctor ordered."  Following are a number of the more popular items that appear on the typical Antillean menu:

Kabritu Stobá  This tasty stew is made with goat meat and vegetables in a hearty sauce and is best eaten with funchi, aros blanku or moro.  (White rice or rice with black beans.)

Bakiow Stobá.  For many years dried salt codfish was (and still is) imported to the islands. This dish required few ingredients and was quick and easy to prepare.  Fried plantain is a tasty accompaniment.

 Yambo Stobá.  This interesting dish is Antillean gumbo made with plenty of okra.  Its appearance is very "lebe lebe" (slimy) but the taste belies the looks.  Funchi is a must!

Karko Stobá.  This dish is prepared with conch and should be familiar to Floridians and seasoned Island hoppers.  White rice and fried plantains are the favored accompaniments.

Galiña stobá.  Chicken stew is very popular since chickens are raised on most of the islands for eggs.  When they are past their prime, the stew pot beckons.   Eaten with rice or funchi, you really can't go wrong with this one.

Baka Stobá.  This familiar dish, beef stew, is an international favorite with an Antillian twist.  I generally like to eat it with rice or "tutu," which is funchi made with black beans and brown sugar.

Kabes ku Higra.  This is a local delicacy.  It consists of goat brains and liver mixed together.  Perhaps you can ask for a little taste from the snack owner to see if you like it.  It is definitely an acquired taste.

Sòpi means soup and many meals start with a cup or small bowl of sòpi piská (fish).  A steaming serving of sòpi di kabritu is almost a meal in itself since it has many vegetables including corn on the cob!  Sòpi di mondongo is tripe soup and since it is labor intensive to clean the ingredients, it is not available all the time, which quite honestly, is OK with me.

Sòpi di yuana is iguana as you may prefer not to see it.  In case you become alarmed that these not so little lizards are an endangered species, most of the islands have an ample supply.  I have been told they taste like chicken and are high in protein.

The word sanger on the menu means blood.  Generally it is from kabritu (goat).  It is served fried and looks a bit like liver.  I am told blood sausage is close in comparison in taste, however, neither have crossed my plate or palate as yet.

Keshi yená is served in the "sit down" establishments and is a cheese and chicken concoction that is quite tasty and very filling.  The original recipe is Dutch and Edam cheese was used.  Other dishes you see on the menu in these restaurants that are listed as local favorites generally are more Indonesian in origin.  Two that are popular are nasi goring and bami goring.   The former is a rice dish and the later uses noodles.  Both are prepared with a lot of chopped veggies and Indonesian spices.  If you order them and they are followed by the word "special" you will be served the rice or noodles as well as a selection of grilled meats and sauces.  Another Indonesian specialty is Rijsttafel. I would recommend waiting to find an authentic Indonesian Restaurant before ordering it from an establishment that does not specialize in Indonesian food.

Rounding out the menu you may find papaya stoba which is made from green papaya, meat such as goat or beef and vegetables.  Sneibonchi translates to cut beans and this is exactly what it is.  Green beans, salt beef or pork and an interesting sauce.  Komkomber stoba is made from locally grown cucumbers stewed with beef or goat. 

One word of caution:  Antillean cooking does not usually conform to low calorie, fat free menus.  The plus is that if you get your hands on a local cookbook, you can change some of the ingredients and cooking methods to achieve a healthier balance.  Regardless of how you cook it, local food tastes great and should not be missed.  

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