Bonaire (literally “good air”) is located directly to the east of Curaçao in the Southern Caribbean, immediately above Venezuela. It is considered to be part of the Netherlands, but it is officially an overseas territory of the European Union.
The original inhabitants of Bonaire came from South America, unlike much of the Caribbean, whose original inhabitants were Caribs. The island was discovered by the Spanish around the same time as Curaçao, and was under Spanish, Dutch, and British control over the years. It was given back to the Dutch in the beginning of the 19th century, and at the time was a government plantation that had hundreds of slaves working. The large African population, in addition to a European community, has had a significant impact on the culture of Bonaire.
The result? The cuisine of Bonaire is essentially fusion food. Most food is imported, but there are some ingredients that are local. Goat, pig, iguana, and fish are common in meals, as are okra, beans, cucumber, sorghum (a cereal grain) mango, soursop, cherries, and a few other fruits. Popular dishes include: funchi (similar to polenta), sanger (fried blood), kabrito stoba (goat stew), giambo (like gumbo), pastechis (meat or fish filled pastries), sòpi di kadushi (cactus soup), sòpi di binja (wine soup), and sòpi di yuwana (iguana soup).
True to the Caribbean, Bonaire also has its very own special drink. Cadushy of Bonaire is a liqueur made of the cadushy cactus. Check out the company’s website for tasty recipes using the green liqueur.
Have you ever been to Bonaire? If so, what was the food like? Favourite dish? Stay tuned for the Recipe of the Week, coming up on Wednesday!
*Photos are both from Flickr: Food Stand by flixz and Drying Fish by TwoEggsSunnySideUp.