Local Eats, Bonaire Nights Magazine by Sue Campbell

Dining

Dining

Local Eats

by Susan Campbell Want to experience the island’s most authentic specialties?

Follow this primer to order local dishes like a local!

Learn the lingo

Unique soups and stews

Of course, fresh fish and seafood dishes abound, but if you really want to sample some authentic cuisine, seek out the handwritten chalkboards listing the local daily specials. Look for signs that say “kuminda krioyo”, which translates literally to “Creole cooking”; it’s not what most folks think of as “Creole” – hot and spicy – but you can spice up any dish with pika siboyo, a searing hot sauce. You’ll also have to learn a little of the lingo to know what you’re getting. Some favorites like sanger (fried goat’s blood) or kabes ku higra (goat brains and liver) are definitely ac­ quired tastes, so let’s decipher a few others...

Bonaire is big on savory mélanges like stobás (stews) and sòpi (soups), simmered to perfection and served piping hot. Typ­ ically, they are made with kabritu (goat), baka (beef) or galiña (chicken), mild spices, and vegetables. In fact, it would probably be safe to say that stobá di kabritu (goat stew) is the national dish. Bakiow stobá is a stew of dried salt codfish, and yambo is an Antillean gumbo made with puréed okra that looks rather slimy but tastes very good. Even yuanna (iguana) finds its way into the pots here, and sòpi di mondongo is a tripe dish. Komkomber stobá is made from cucumbers and sòpi di kadushi is E

46 Nights

Top photo by Mott Godel. Facing page photo by Juan Monino

Nights 47

Dining made from kadushi cactus (without the thorns!). And from the sea, there’s sòpi di piska (fish) and karko (conch) chowder.

Unusual sides

No Bonairean meal would be complete without one or more of these typical accom­ pa­niments. Fungi or funchi is a cornmeal dish with a polenta-like consistency that goes with everything. Another version is called tu-tu and includes beans and brown sugar. And most meals also come with a side of bananas hasa (fried plantains). Aros blanku (white rice), moro (black beans), and sneibonchi (cut green beans) also make frequent appearances. And if you see it, do try bonchi cora, a delicious mashed red kidney bean dish sweetened with brown sugar. Locals like to mix it up and get two different sides, so order your meal mitar-mitar, meaning “half and half ”.

Sustenance to go

When you want your food “to go”, ask for it pa bai kun’e. Local and roadside take-out places are called snacks, snackys, or truk’i pans. Ask for a pastechi – Bonaire’s answer to fast food – which are fried dough pockets filled with meats, fish, or Dutch cheese. Or bitterballen and krokets, which are deep-fried snacks of spiced and puréed ground meat. For breakfast, try a pan dushi, a small sweet roll with raisins, or for something sweeter, try a Dutch apple fritter called appleflappen.

Seek out local

Though some spots specialize in this tasty fare, many other establishments will serve it if asked. The Marshe Di Rincon, a market held in Rincon the first Saturday of every month, also serves local eats. Or seek out the Tourism Corporation’s Taste of Bonaire festivals to sample authentic island delights. Bon Probecho! K 48 Nights

Top photo by Karen T. Bartlett. Bottom photo by Chris Richards