The culture of Aruba, encompassing its language, music, and cuisine, is diverse and has been influenced by both regional and foreign cultures. One significant foreign influence originates from the Iberian Peninsula, which had a significant impact on the island for approximately 137 years, starting . These influences were characterized by a strong religious presence, missionary activities, and economic exploitation.
Since 1636, during the Eighty Years' War (1621–1648), the Dutch played a crucial role in shaping Aruba's identity, driven by their exploratory and mercantile spirit, contributing to the island's modern character.
The Aruban tourism industry dates to the 1930s, when the first commercial airline landed on Aruba and a guest house was established in Oranjestad. Starting in the early 1950s, with the rise of a new wave in the tourism industry and the opening of the first luxury resort, Aruba Caribbean Hotel, a national aspiration arose to become "The little Miami of the Caribbean". However, this focus on developing a small island tourism economy (SITES or SIDS) led to rapid and uncontrolled expansion of the tourism sector. As consequence, it brought about a range of socio-ecological challenges and disrupted the sociocultural fabric of the island, known internationally as "One Happy Island".
Cuisine Aruba being located in the Leeward Antilles just off the coast of Venezuela, is among the driest islands in the Caribbean, mostly due to the rain shadow effect on its climate and its location outside the path of tropical storms and hurricanes. Due to its advantageous proximity to Venezuela, the island received supplies of fruit and vegetables. Presently, Aruba imports tropical fruits from United States of America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and the Netherlands.
Cuisine history Aruban cuisine shares similarities with dishes from other Caribbean islands and Venezuela, but it also possesses its own distinct character. Over the course of its history, Aruba changed ownership multiple times and was inhabited by diverse races, each contributing to the development of the culture, language, music, and food.
Arawak influence The original inhabitants of Aruba, known as the Arawak-speaking Caquetios, sustained themselves through simple farming, fishing, and hunting. They cultivated corn and brown beans together, because beans helped maintain the soil's fertility. They also grew sweet potatoes, groundnuts, cocoa, and cassava. Their sources of protein included turkey, duck, iguanas, and seafood from the nearby waters. Fruits were readily available.
Upon the arrival of the Spaniards in the Caribbean islands, they recognized the value of crops like corn, cocoa, groundnuts, and peppers. They were introduced to new fruits like papaya, avocado, coconut, guava, and pineapple. Herbs like basil and oregano, used by the indigenous people for flavoring, also caught their attention. The Spaniards learned about annatto (a saffron substitute), allspice, and other seasonings. This blend of indigenous and Spanish influences laid the foundation for the diverse Aruban cuisine.
Spanish influence Aruba became a Spanish colony in 1499. Under Spanish rule, the Arawak people of the island adopted some of the Spaniards' food practices. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the indigenous people cooked their food by boiling, steaming, roasting (barbacoa, now known as barbecue), or dry-frying on a clay plate (the comal). Sometimes, they even ate their food raw. They learned to use pig as a source of food and how to use its fat for frying. To enhance the flavor, they used coui, a sauce made from cassava juice and various types of pepper. They also began using annatto for its red-orange color and were introduced to salt. Other new foods included mango, lemon, and olive, brought by the Spaniards from Asia. Initially, they used honey as a sweetener, but the Spaniards introduced sugar.
Dutch influence After the Dutch West India Company acquired Aruba in the early 17th century, the Dutch introduced cheese, bacon, and various types of beans, such as and peas. Dutch workers who came to work at the oil refineries (Lago Oil and Transport Company and Arend Petroleum Company) brought changes to the local food culture. This influenced many people to shift their hot evening meals to a simpler bread-based meal. People started to learn about different sandwich fillings and how to use them, including the use of cheese as a sandwich filling. The consumption of potatoes and canned vegetables also became more common.
Sephardic Jewish influence In the mid-17th century, Sephardic Jews, who had previously migrated from Spain and Portugal, and later settled in Dutch Brazil, were granted permission by the Netherlands to establish themselves on the Dutch ABC islands. The arrival of Sephardic Jews influenced the local cuisine with various Spanish and Portuguese culinary influences, giving it a distinct character. One noteworthy aspect was their use of combining sweet and sour ingredients, including capers, dried plums, olives, and raisins, in a single dish. They also introduced the cooking method au bain marie to the existing culinary practices.
African influence In the early 18th century, enslaved Africans were imported to Aruba by the Dutch. Although Aruba had smaller numbers of enslaved Africans compared to other Caribbean islands, they made significant contributions to the local cuisine. These include crucial parts of many Caribbean cuisines, such as the plantain, various types of beans and okra (guiambo). As well as introducing various cooking methods, such as using banana leaves to cook food.
The indigenous people made flat cakes from cassava or corn, while enslaved Africans introduced or funge, similar to Italian polenta. Later, the corn flour mash adopted from the indigenous people was also called funchi. Africans also introduced the lélé wooden stirring stick and iron pots for making funchi. Dried and salted fish, which was the most economical, heat-resistant and primary protein given to the enslaved Africans of the Caribbean, was often paired with funchi or starchy tubers like yams and sweet potatoes.
Asian influence After the abolition of slavery, Asian laborers arrived to other Caribbean islands in the late 19th century, bringing with them leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, and curds.
Chinese sailors, originally part of their own oil fleet, settled Aruba and opened restaurants. In the 1970s, the first Chinese restaurants, like Dragon Phoenix in 1971 and Kowloon in 1975, were established in Aruba.
During the Second World War, Indonesian sailors of the Royal Dutch Navy were stationed on the island. When they left after the war, they left behind dishes like nasi goreng, bami goreng, and satay, which gradually blended into the local cuisine. In 1955, the floating Bali restaurant opened its doors in Aruba.
United States influence The Americans stationed on Aruba during the Second World War brought Coca-Cola and various bottled soft drinks.
Specialities
Local cuisine often features the use of regional papaya-based hot sauces, locally known as pica di papaya, in both accompaniments and cooking.
Dishes Ayaca The ayaca is a dough of white corn flour, also known as masa harina, sugar, salt, aniseeds, finely grated cheese, butter and milk spread thinly is placed on a banana leaf. A stuffing consisting of stewed chicken and pork, capers, raisins, plums, olives, piccalilli, ham, peeled almonds, celery, parsley, gherkins and chili pepper is placed on top. The banana leaf is closed and made into a small, neat package, which is wrapped in a second leaf and then tied with packing string and boiled in boiling water. The prepared ayacas are then allowed to cool. Shortly before serving, the ayaca is warmed up and eaten stripped of the banana leaves. Ayacas are made and eaten during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Keshi yená The keshi yená (stuffed cheese) is traditionally made from a hollowed-out red Edam cheese. The cheese is soaked and stripped of the red wax layer, and then filled with a meat or fish filling, including capers, raisins, plums and olives. In a well-fitting form it is then prepared in a bain-marie or put in the oven. The heat softens the cheese rind. At the end of the baking time, the keshi yená is turned out onto a plate to cool, cut like a cake and served. For convenience, instead of the hollowed-out, round Edam cheese, which gives the dish its typical taste and soft pink color, a tin baking sheet may be lined with slices of Gouda cheese. Similarly to the ayaca, the keshi yená is often served as an hors d'oeuvre.
Sancocho
Sancocho is a typical example of a soup as a main course. In addition to fresh and salted meat, this dish contains vegetables, plantain, tubers, corn on the cob, and both sweet and regular potatoes.
Sopi mondongo
Mondongo is a stewed tripe dish made from the stomachs and hooves of cattle or goat. This stew, like so many other local specialties, is quite expensive. A thinner variant of this is also made, known as sòpi di mondongo (tripe soup).
After being thoroughly cleaned and washed with plenty of lamunchi (lime), the stomachs are parboiled and cut into small pieces. Capers, raisins, plums, olives and most of the sankocho ingredients are added later and the whole thing is simmered over a low heat. Finally, cognac or sherry is added. Foreign visitors sometimes call the stewed mondongo the "Dutch Caribbean pepperpot".
Sopi yambo The yambo dish is a thick hearty okra soup. Yambo can be as simple or rich as one would like. A rich yambo contains cured meat and pig tail, fish, cheese, shrimp and kalko (conch meat) paired with funchi. This dish is not popular with many, especially foreigners, due to the slipperiness of the dish.
Festivals Festivals and celebrations
Dera Gai Dera Gai is a traditional celebration in Aruba, and nearby Curaçao and Bonaire, particularly associated with Dia di San Juan (St. John the Baptist Day) on June 24. In the past, it involved lighting bonfires on the eve of St. John's day, signaling the upcoming holiday. Bonfires were fueled by the remains of the previous year's harvest, a practice symbolizing preparation for the new growing season. Men, fueled by singing and music, used to leap over the flames, but this custom faded due to concerns about fire safety. Nowadays, fires are lit all over the island on St. John the Baptist Day itself.
A persistent belief advises against fishing or swimming on St. John's Day due to strong northeast trade winds. In Aruba, the celebration takes the form of Dera Gai, an Aruban harvest festival and cultural event featuring traditional song and dance. Songs were played by violin, guitar, wiri, and tambú. The festival includes a unique ritual, historically involving the symbolic burial of a rooster.
In the traditional Dera Gai ritual, a hole is dug, and a rooster is placed inside with only its head protruding often covered with a green or dried Calabash gourd. The rooster symbolizes the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas. Participants, blindfolded, attempt to hit rooster encouraged by music and singing. The festivals include symbolic attire with females wearing yellow outfits representing the kibrahacha flower (Tabebuia billbergii), and males donning black trousers, white shirts, and a yellow tie.
This holidays is widely celebrated, with both pagan and Christian symbols that reflect the influences of the Arawak natives and the Spanish missionaries, respectively. This festival is no longer as widely practiced, nowadays, the rooster is omitted, and only the calabash and a plastic rooster serves as the target for the reenactment.
Carnival