La Bandera Dominicana: Our Traditional Lunch Meal

La Bandera Dominicana, or 'The Dominican Flag', is what Dominicans call the national standard lunchtime dish.

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One of the first things that most visitors to the Dominican Republic will learn is that La Bandera Dominicana, or “The Dominican Flag”, is also what Dominicans call the national standard lunchtime dish of rice, beans, and meat, sometimes a.k.a. la comida or el almuerzo, or even el plato del día.

What is "La Bandera Dominicana"?

La bandera’s namesake is the tricolor Dominican flag with its distinctive red, white and blue design framing the national insignia. "La Bandera" food is mainly composed of Dominican rice and beans with chicken, the red represented by the beans, the white by the rice, and – with a splash of poetic and culinary license here – the meat – usually chicken or beef – represents the third color. There's always also some type of salad to go with them.

If you want to get fancy and expand outside la bandera, beans -- traditionally red kidney beans, cranberry or pinto beans -- can be substituted by black or white beans, or replaced by guandules (pigeon peas). Fish or pork can take the place of the chicken or beef. Another possible addition is tostones – fried green plantains, and fritos maduros (fried ripe plantains) – and avocado and concón are always welcome. A standard lunch is usually also accompanied by salad, as simple or fancy as the budget allows, iced water, and may be followed by a simple dessert like dulce de leche cortada – curdled milk fudge – or perhaps dulce de piña – candied pineapple - and/or a strong, sweet black coffee, simply known as un cafecito.

Other countries' "banderas"

The la bandera nickname has led us to wonder what other countries call their plato del día. In some, it is simply called just that - “plato del día” – and “menú ejecutivo” is also quite common across the Spanish-speaking world. This is the case in several countries, including Spain and Chile, where the dish of the day is known as el plato del día or menú ejecutivo, or in Peru, where it is just “el menú”. In Puerto Rico, the standard lunch of chicken, rice, and beans is known as a “mixta”.

We found out that Ecuador is another country that calls the generic lunch dish “la bandera”. This appears to be based on the same premise as its Dominican cousin – three traditional foods loosely representing the three colors of the national flag, in this case yellow, blue and red.

In Venezuela, the dish of the day is known as pabellón criollo. Pabellón also means flag, so this too is close to the Dominican bandera. The components of pabellón are not a million miles away from it either, with white rice, meat, refried black beans and fried ripe plantains – four components somehow representing the three colors of the Venezuelan flag.

Mexico has the comida corrida, a meal consisting of several courses: soup, main dish, and dessert but it varies greatly according to the region. In Colombia, they have the corrientazo, which literally means an electric shock, derived from the more sedate sounding “almuerzo corriente” or set lunch. The corrientazo usually starts with a soup or fruit, a main dish – beef, chicken or fish accompanied by rice, beans, plantains and salad, and dessert. However, unlike the Dominican and Ecuadorian banderas, Venezuelan pabellón and Puerto Rican mixta, these names refer to complete meals made up of several courses, not to one combined dish.

Why the name?

This simple link between the national flag and the basic lunchtime meal reflects the way that food in the Dominican Republic is a central part of the national identity, a source of pride and patriotism, and for the Diaspora, nostalgia too. In fact, Dominicans have also adopted other favorite foods as emblems of national pride. Plantains are enlisted to celebrate “plátano power” when Dominicans win international sports events, from baseball to Olympic track and field.

La Bandera Dominicana Recipes

By: Clara Gonzalez

La Bandera Dominicana, or “The Dominican Flag”, is also what Dominicans call the national standard lunchtime dish of rice, beans and meat.

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins

Total Time 2 hrs

Course Lunch

Cuisine Dominican

Servings 4 servings

Calories 1881 kcal

Ingredients

Arroz Blanco

• 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1¼ teaspoon of salt
• 6 cups water
• 4 cups of rice

Habichuelas Guisadas

• 2 cups of dry pinto , cranberry, or red kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 pinch of oregano
• 1 bell pepper , chopped
• 1 small red onion cut into four quarters
• 2 cloves of garlic , crushed
• 1 cup of diced auyama (West Indies pumpkin)
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• Leaves from a celery stalk , chopped (optional)
• 4 sprigs of thyme (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon of salt (or more, to taste)

Pollo Guisado

• 2 lbs [0.9 kg] of chicken cut into small pieces
• 2 limes cut into halves
• A pinch of oregano
• 1 small red onion chopped into fine strips or eighths
• ½ cup of chopped celery (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (more may be necessary)
• ½ teaspoon of mashed garlic
• 2 tablespoons of oil (corn, canola or peanut)
• 1 teaspoon of regular white sugar
• 2 cups of water
• 4 plum tomatoes cut into quarters
• 2 green bell or cubanela (cubanelle) peppers
• ¼ cup of seedless olives cut into halves (optional)
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• A small bunch of fresh coriander leaves
• ¼ teaspoon of pepper

Res Guisada

• 2 lb [0.91 kg] of beef (round or skirt) cut into small pieces
• Juice of 1 lime
• A pinch of sun-dried oregano
• A pinch of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt (or more, to taste)
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (corn, canola or peanut)
• 3 cups of water (may need more)
• 1 red onion cut into slices
• 2 tomatoes cut into quarters
• 2 bell peppers , cut into small pieces
• 3 cloves of garlic , mashed
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• 1 sprig of cilantro , chopped

Ensalada Verde

• 2 tomatoes , diced or sliced
• ½ lettuce (or ¼ cabbage chopped finely)
• 1 cucumber , sliced or diced
• 1 bell pepper cut into thin strips
• 1 small onion , cut into thin slices (optional)
• 1 beetroot , boiled and sliced (optional)
• 3 tablespoons of fruit vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt (or more, to taste)

Instructions

 

Arroz Blanco

• Here's the recipe and instructions for Arroz Blanco.

Habichuelas Guisadas

• Here's the recipe and instructions for Habichuelas Guisadas.

Pollo Guisado

• Here's the recipe and instructions for Pollo Guisado.

Res Guisada

• Here's the recipe and instructions for Res Guisada.

Ensalada Verde

• Here's the recipe and instructions for Ensalada Verde.

Video

Notes and Tips

Nutrition calculation is a very rough approximation and calculated based on a dish served with beef.

Nutrition

Calories: 1881kcalCarbohydrates: 206gProtein: 67gFat: 87gSaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 3335mgPotassium: 2641mgFiber: 20gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 6103IUVitamin C: 194mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 11mg

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