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Nutrition: Food & Culture

Hi Jazmin, I’d like you to start by introducing yourself.

Hi, my name is Jazmin Diaz. I was born in the Dominican Republic and have spent a great portion of my life in the United States. My mother didn’t come to the United States until her early twenties when I was young. The meals I ate growing up were very much Dominican.

I see. Your sister mentioned that you love to cook and that you are more familiar with Dominican cuisine than her.

Yes. I also like to cook other cuisines. Many of the non-Dominican recipes that I’ve prepared have come from the internet and I’m super grateful for that.

Okay. I so wish I could do this entire interview with you in Español/Spanish, but I am just not there yet. [laughs] Your sister has been working with me. She’s worked with me regarding nutrition-related terms such as las frutas, sandia, platano, los vegetales, and las verduras, but there is much more trabajar/work to be done. [laughs] Though my questions are in English, please give the Dominican names and description of the foods if you don’t mind.

Por supuesto/Sure!

Please share the three traditional dishes in Dominican culture and their ingredients with my readers.

1. Sancocho – Meat stew
   1. Ingredientes: It’s a meaty stew that consists of different types of meat (chicken, goat, pork, and beef), a variety of root vegetables (potatoes, taro root, corn on the cob, and plantains, and a few different herbs and spices. In my family, my mom would typically make a simple version of sancocho with beef and chicken. She would serve the sancocho with white rice and avocado.
2. Mangu – Plantain mash
   1. Ingredientes: Mangu is made in the same way as you would make mashed potatoes except that the plantains have to be peeled. You can make it with either green or yellow plantains. You would use the yellow ones if you wanted to have a sweet mangu. Mangu is typically topped with some red onions that are sautéed with oil and vinegar. It is served with either fried cheese, fried salami, fried eggs, or all three. When mangu is served with salami and queso frito y huevos fritos (fried cheese and fried eggs), it is referred to as Los Tres Golpes. Mangu con Los Tres Golpes is a popular Dominican breakfast.
3. Arroz blanco con habichuelas guisada y pollo guisado – White rice with stewed beans and chicken. This one is really as simple as it sounds.
   1. Ingredientes: When it comes to the beans, Dominicans usually like to add celery, cilantro, peppers, Kabocha squash, and a variety of spices.

I’ve been to the Dominican Republic a few times and I really enjoyed the food. I had quite a bit of fresh caught fish and seafood. I have never had the stew you mentioned. Now I will have to give it a try.

Are there believed to be any foods with medicinal/healing attributes in Dominican culture?

My mother makes teas with ginger and garlic, for example, that help aid digestion and congestion. She also adds slices of apples and sticks of cinnamon to help ease the taste of the garlic and ginger.

Nice! Ginger in Español was my favorite word to say when I first learned it. [laughs] I’m sure your sister remembers. I fully took advantage of any and every opportunity I could to say jengibre: to order coffee, to have someone pass me ingredients, and at the market. I wore that word out. I felt as if I had really begun to speak the language when I would say jengibre. [laughs]

Is Dominican food healthy in your opinion?  

Not particularly, because of the fried foods that are often incorporated into many of the dishes. I personally don’t consider Dominican food the healthiest because of all the carbohydrates. I believe that it should be eaten in smaller portions to be less unhealthy.

How are traditional Dominican meals typically prepared?  

Traditionally speaking, within my family, meals were prepared outside over fire.

Ooh, that’s nice! When I was young and would visit my dad’s side of the family in the deep South, they cooked outside at times. I also experienced it in the UAE and the Dominican. I enjoyed it a lot.

Are there a lot of fresh vegetables used in Dominican cuisine?

Yes. Most Dominican meals are cooked with fresh vegetables and root vegetables.

How long does it take to prepare traditional Dominican meals?

The length really depends on each particular dish, the amount of people you are feeding, and all the ingredients involved. Some recipes that can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes, others can take an hour to an hour and a half, and there are recipes that can significantly put you over 3+ hours, e.g., mondongo – tripe stew.

In your opinion, does traditional Dominican food work well for meal prepping?

If anyone is interested in cooking Dominican foods, I would not suggest them for meal prepping. Since a lot of them take a nice amount of time and love to prepare, it really is something that you want to enjoy in that moment. Also, because a lot of the dishes do have fried foods, those fried items wouldn’t keep well, e.g., tostones and fried salami. If someone desperately wanted to meal prep some Dominican dishes then my advice would be to stick to the ones with rice, beans, and chicken.

Can you share with my readers what sets Dominican cuisine apart from other cuisines?

Compared to other Latin American cuisine that we are familiar with in the United States, Dominican dishes are typically not at all spicy. They are very flavorful and really warms the heart and belly. There is a lot of variety. Dominican cuisine a unique taste because the many different vegetables and seasonings.

That’s wonderful. Let’s talk about food in America – what do you love? What do you not love?

Food in America is really different than the food in the Dominican Republic. The things that I love are the dishes that are not at all common in the Dominican such as the pizza. I grew up in New York City so I may have been spoiled in this regard. However, the pizza in the Dominican Republic is not the greatest when compared to the pizza from New York. I also love burgers and American breakfast. I really do love that there are many healthy options that I’ve had access to for many years. I can say that it has been a luxury growing up being able to taste dishes from many other countries living in New York alone. Honestly, there isn’t much that upsets me about American cuisine.

As an American, I would say New York has set the bar pretty high when it comes to pizza. That’s a tough comparison. [laughs] Would you say it’s been easy adjusting to American cuisine?

It has been quite simple adjusting to American cuisine because when I want to take a step back and eat something Dominican, I know that I have access to the majority of the ingredients in many stores near me.

Accessibility is very important. Access to healthy meal options and access to diverse cultural experiences is beneficial. It not only shapes us through our individual experiences but also how we engage with others from different cultures.

Thank you. I appreciate your sister for arranging this for me and thank you for making time to do this.  

You’re welcome. I am happy that you are highlighting Dominican cuisine.

Gracias de nuevo./Thank you again.

De nada.

Photo credit: Dominican Cooking

A description of the history of Mangu con Los Tres Golpes and a detailed recipe can be found here.

*I did not use Spanish accent marks (á, é, í, ó, ú and ñ) show stress rules, emphasis, and proper Spanish pronunciation on the words written in Spanish.