Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Whiskey
Popular in the Dominican Republic and a number of familiar brands, plus a few Dominican
variations, are available at most bars - purists will want a
trago de etiqueta roja
(Johnny Walker Red Label)
or
trago de etiqueta blanca
(Dewar's White Label).
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Mamajuana
The DR's own homemade version of Viagra, is a mixture of herbs, dried bark, rum, wine
and honey, which is then steeped for around a month. If you can keep it down, locals believe it can cure
various illnesses and, in general, is a substitute for vitamins.
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Coffee
Grown in six different regions by more than 60,000 growers, coffee is a staple of any menu. It's
typically served black in an espresso cup with sugar; a
café con leche
is a coffee with hot milk.
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Batidas
(smoothies) Made from crushed fruit, water, ice and several tablespoons of sugar. A
batida con
leche
contains milk and is slightly more frothy. Popular varieties include
piña
(pineapple),
lechoza
(papaya),
guineo
(banana) and
zapote
(sapote) and
morir soñando
(literally, 'to die dreaming'), made of the refreshing
combination of orange juice, milk, sugar and crushed ice.
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Jugos
(juices) Sometimes referred to as
refrescos
(this also means carbonated soda),
jugos
are typically
made fresh in front of you. Popular flavors include
chinola
(passionfruit) and
piña
(pineapple peel). Orange
juice is commonly called
jugo de china
, although most will understand you if you ask for
jugo de naranja
.
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Coco
Coconut juice from a
cocotero
(a street vendor who hacks out an opening with a machete), is avail-
able everywhere.
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Jugo de caña
(sugarcane juice) Sold from vendors, usually on tricycles with a grinder that mashes the
cane to liquid.
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Mabí
Delicious drink made from the bark of the tropical liana vine.
CELEBRATIONS
There are a number of dishes usually reserved for special occasions, such as baptisms, birthdays and
weddings:
puerco asado
(roast pork),
asopao de mariscos
(seafood) and the more modest
locrio de
pica-pica
(spicy sardines and rice). Dishes such as
sancocho de siete carnes
(seven-meat soup), made
with sausage, chicken, beef, goat and several pork parts, all combined with green plantains and avo-
cado into a hearty stew, are sometimes on restaurant menus. Christmas time in the Dominican Repub-
lic is associated with a few specialties:
jengibre
, a drink made of cinnamon, fresh ginger root, water
and sugar;
pastelitos
;
moro de guandules
(rice with pigeon peas and coconut milk); and
ensalada rusa
(basically, potato salad).
Cheap Treats
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Pastelito
Usually beef or chicken, which has first been stewed with onions, olives, tomatoes and a variety
of seasonings, and then chopped up and mixed with peas, nuts and raisins - all tucked into a patty of dough
and fried in boiling oil.
