Every nation has its rules about what goes and what doesn't when it comes to gastronomy.

Coffee here as we know is drunk sweeter than sweet. Those of us who decline any sugar at all are considered eccentric at best. In the same way as Italians who react with horror at ignorant foreigners who flout the cappuccino/espresso rules (cappuccino - morning; espresso - after lunch, only, ever) I have been in situations where Dominican friends watch with riveted interest as I sip my 'cafe amargo', presumably to see whether my eyes pop out. In fact what is guaranteed to have such an effect is serving me a sweetened coffee. The same goes for jugos naturales.

A Dominican will say he hasn't eaten if rice was not served with the meal. This reminds me of the traditional English attitude that if a meal hasn't got meat, potatoes and 'two veg' (typically brussel sprouts and carrots boiled beyond recognition) it isn't a proper meal. The rice rule for Dominicans is basically that the midday meal should consist of rice, beans, meat and salad. I have come across some who will turn down rice for the evening meal, preferring something much lighter. I have never had any objections to rice-free dishes at either meal from Dominican friends and relations, but my husband tells me that they're just being polite.

Ways of cooking things also make for culture clashes. Once, when watching a Dominican TV cooking programme with my mother-in-law, the dish of the day was an Italian-style tomato sauce. The TV cook was seasoning the sauce with oregano leaves. La Doña turns to me and says in a disapproving tone: 'you can't put oregano with tomatoes!' Oregano here is a popular seasoning for beef, but as opposed to the fresh or dried oregano of Italian cuisine, in the DR it is ground and tastes altogether different.

And then we have 'viveres', such an integral part of the diet here. One of my sisters-in-law subsists almost entirely on plantains, boiled green bananas, and mangus of various types, and finds it impossible to believe that there are people who go through life without knowing what they are, let alone tasting them. I finally managed to convince her of this when we came across some overpriced plantains in the supermarket in Spain. They were in the 'exotic' section, and were labeled 'plátanos de freir'. In Spain of course, ordinary bananas, 'guineos' here, are called 'plátanos'. Charo immediately called over one of the employees: 'there are other ways to cook a plantain, you know', and with a tear in her eye she listed all the diverse and wonderful dishes she was missing so much. I myself am taking it slowly. I love my viveres fried or roasted: mainly tostones and yuca, but I'm still not so sure about boiled and mashed.

And finally - while this doesn't exactly fit into the category of cuisine, it just about qualifies as gastronomy: only the Dominicans know how to serve a beer at the correct temperature!


By Aunt Ilana

Ohhhh yeah! A nice cold beer vestida de novia!!!

So Guys this is the tipical picture what you bring over but not realy the Truth.
Coffee sweeter than sweet? that is not realy correct it is depends on where and who made the Coffe.If You drink a Coffee in Bohuco Blanco (Campo near Gaspar Hernandez You will be Surprised there is no Sugar added and if You wish they put some Azucar Crema in but never white and surely not a lot of sugar.if You do the same in Maimon near Cotui there You will get a Coffe with Nutmeg in and sweet very sweet.(carefull if a Dominican Wife offers You Coffee with Nutmeg they want to put down your sexual Energy).
So all over the Island are very different Ways to drink Coffee and not everytime sweet!
It is correct that Dominicans use a lot of Oregano for Beef but also for Tomatoe Sauces the Thing is most of the Dominican Salsa is based on Tomatoes,Onions green Pepper and Garlick.
a nice Trick for to get better color at the Beef and the Sauce is adding Sugar at the oil befor adding the Beef ,the Sugar has tu be near burned!
Rice served with the Beef?where You got this from?
Most Dominicans Serve Rice apart and The Beef and the Beans That is Traditional also never left a Salad,butalso they like
Mangoo de Platano with all kinds of Beef!
There is only a Question of Money for 4 Persons You need for the Rice maybe 20 Pesos but for Platanos or Patata,or Yuca more than triple,and that is it what the Dominicans let eat everytime Rice.it is also a Thing that Dominicans for Dinner prefer to eat Vivere and Bred (Tostada)or Platano frito with Eggs.
But everytime Rice no no way.
Over cooking
There is a Question of overliving to do that (some made a Mistace of course in the Past it is not true that overboiling is the right Thing to cook healthy but it is Tradition so it is on to change more and more.
This is a truth that Dominicans like their Viveres but they also know about Potatoes. The First came from Latinamerica to Europe do not forget this!
In Spain You can get all of this stuff but it is a kind of stupid to go in a Supermarket for this every Town in Spain have a Fruitmarket there you have to buy this Things.But one Thing left over there the Dominican Yuca ,you can get manjoc and this is very similar but not the Same.
You will be surprised what Creative Chefs can do with this Vivere Stuff .
So not everywhere is the same and lots of Dominicans have diferent Eat Traditions it is not all over the Country the Same.