“PECAO FRITO” in the Dominican Republic is a must!

When visiting the Dominican Republic, a piece of paradise in the Caribbean, eating fresh fried fish at the beach is a must, it’s part of our folclor; you will get in contact with our way of enjoying life in a healthy way!!!!!

From the Tainos we have inherited our love for fish, we have good fishermen, specially for fried fish or “pecao frito” (pescado frito) as pronounced by most Dominicans. Although we are an island, fish is much more expensive than meat. Dominican household does not often cook fish as they do with chicken, the number one meat; depending of the region, fish is prepared in different ways. However there is a way fish is prepared we all love and that is fried fish at the beach!!

Practically on all the coast of the Dominican Republic, along the beach and seaside towns,  you will find fresh fish, that is, the catch of the day! There are the typical small places, made of four strong wooden posts and a zinc or palm tree roof, along the beach with a few chairs and a small table! Originally all these chairs were made of “Guano”, but during the past few years, plastic chairs and tables are substituting these chairs.

Close to the beach you will normally find rows of food stands, with a large metal “basin” , locally made, with coal used as fuel, and a large frying pan, where different kind of whole fishes are fried after being rubbed with salt, oregano, coated in flour and then deep fried until crispy! 

Most of the time, the frying oil is reused, which many natives believe gives the fish a special tasty touch!
 

When you are at all these stands you get the feeling of a  Fried Fish Fair, here you are being offered delicious whole fried fish in different sizes/weight, by some guys whose job is to bring customers to the stand they work for! The price of the whole fish is between US$ 8.00 and US$ 10.00, but it will be determined by its size/weight and type! The most popular fishes are the Loro (Parrotfish) and the Chillo (Red Snapper). 

You can buy already fried fish or you can ask for the type of fish you want them to fry for you from the fresh variety they have available! The fish will be always served with lemon slices; to eat with the fish you have a variety of fried food such as plantain(tostones), sweet potato (batata), cassava rolls (bollo de yuca) and Johnny cake  (Yaniqueque), introduced by Afro-descendants coming from other Caribbean islands!

You can also go to a restaurant in town or close to the beach, for a more refined ambience, but you will miss the typical Dominican atmosphere! A beer, normally Presidente, is ordered, as well as, soft drinks for the children and at the rythm of a Bachata or a Merengue, which are the loudly played, you will eat your fried fish! Dominicans will prefer to eat their fish with the fingers; knives and forks (plastic ones) will be ignored, to fully enjoy every bit of their fish!

Dominican Republic has it all, awesome tropical sceneries, beautiful beaches,  mountains, rivers, our unique Larimar stone and friendly people who enjoy life in a simple way!!

Be Dominican, Be Happy!

We always find a way to make it fun!

Dominican Republic occupies the estern side of the Hispaniola Island while Haiti is on the western side of the Island.

When Christopher Columbus discovered this island, he felt in love with its exuberant tropical beauty, sea waters, rivers, mountains!!! What the poor, innocent Taino indians who lived happily on the Hispaniola island, didn’t know was that the arrival of these Spanish conquerors would mark their destiny, no matter how they resisted, only a few of them would survive the mistreatment, diseases and heavy work they had to do. So the Spaniards realized these Indians were not strong enough and decided to bring Africans to the Hispaniola to help the Indians and do heavy jobs.

Playing Dominoes, that's always a must!

The Spaniards brought their culture, the Taino Indian and the African had their own cultures and so the Spaniards first mixed with Taino women and then they were attracted by the dark colored skin of the African women and also mixed with them and for sure some Africans must have mixed with Taino women!  All these mixture of races, cultures and beliefs gave birth to the Dominican people and their folklore!

We Dominicans love to dance, to make jokes of every situation, to get together and have a good time, to play dominoes, speak loud, we also love baseball and follow the Dominican baseball players in every game abroad, we like to put nicknames and this is so common, that when somebody dies, we'll have to mention the nickname to identify the death person! Beer and rum will always be part of every activity and the soft drinks for the children and oldies! There is always a reason for getting together and celebrate, everybody will gladly cooperate with their share, this can be at home, at the beach, on the countryside, at the river, etc!

On the river with drinks in hands!

Xmas is the time of the year when families get together, those who are living abroad come to join their loved ones and it is a non-stop celebration, joined by friends and neighbors!!

If the Dominican government wants to avoid a national hysteria, eggs, salami, chicken, plantain, rice, coffee and red beans must be always available!

Did we mention that we love dancing?!

 The Dominican Republic was occupied from 1822 to 1844 by Haiti and had thirty years of dictatorship from 1930 to 1961 lead by Trujillo, followed by a revolution in 1965 as well as some other difficult experiences, through which the Dominican people learned to cope with every situation and make the best of the worst, to keep smiling and carry on, not to worry be happy no matter what! 

Come and visit the Dominican Republic, you will be enchanted with its breathtaking, secluded beaches, awesome tropical scenery and warm, friendly people, always ready to assist you!  Dominican Republic has it all!!