Caribbean
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Aruba 2.
Aruba 2.
Culture:
The culture of Aruba, one of the many islands that make up the Caribbean, is an amalgamate of the various cultures that have occupied and lived on the island, including indigenous peoples of South America, descendants of African slaves, and Spanish and Dutch colonialists.
Cuisine:
Aruba’s melting pot of cultures contributes to an interesting menu of local dishes, with heavy influences from Holland, South America, and other Caribbean islands. While some of the dishes and libations are typically enjoyed on special occasions, others are found on Aruban tables quite regularly.
Award-winning chefs from all over the world spin their magic, adding new and exciting dimensions to Aruba’s unique and dynamic culinary stew pot. Even traditional favorites acquire a new look and taste. Fascinating flavor fusions result from the combination of various types of cuisines, creating dishes bursting with taste and color.
Aruban home cooking has been influenced by Amer-Indians, merchants, pirates, Dutch and Spanish colonial powers, African slaves, Oriental and Asian settlers. Aruba’s multi-cultural history is reflected today in dishes such as bami and nasi goreng rice, saté with peanut sauce, and Dutch pea soup and thin pancakes served with a variety of sweet and savory toppings. Johnny cakes (fried, puffy biscuits) and pan bati (Aruban pancake) replace traditional bread.
Do experience a bit of Aruban flavor by visiting local restaurants. Many of them feature a sumptuous seafood soup and freshly caught fish such as wahoo, red snapper, mahi-mahi and barracuda served in a variety of preparations including pan-fried, blackened, grilled and meuniere. Creole sauce of tomatoes, peppers and onions is traditional and tasty. Try a stew of beef (carni di baca stoba), chicken (galina stoba) or the sweeter goat meat (cabrito stoba), served with rice and beans (arroz moro) or cornmeal mash (funchi). The pastechi (deep-fried, crescent pastry with a variety of fillings) is a national snack. The fiery Madame Janette pepper, the local version of the scotch bonnet family, spices up meat, soup and seafood dishes.
Traditional Aruban cuisine includes dishes with goat meat, stoba - stew pots filled with vegetables that are locally grown - fish and maize. These days, some of the most common ingredients in meals include beef, chicken, rice and fish. A favorite snack is known as pastechi, a pie that's been filled with beef or cheese. Also, many food chains featuring international foods such as those from Italy and China have become much more popular. Many of the foods in Aruba are imported.
Music:
The music of the former Netherlands Antilles is a mixture of native, African and European elements, and is closely connected with trends from neighboring countries such as Venezuela and Colombia and islands such as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Martinique, Trinidad, Dominica, and Guadeloupe. The former Netherlands Antilles islands of Curaçao and Aruba are known for their typical waltzes, danzas, mazurkas and a kind of music called tumba, which is named after the conga drums that accompany it.
The remaining islands are much smaller than Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. They are Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Saba. Sint Eustatius has little nightlife, with only one nightclub (the zouk Largo Height Disco) as of 1996. The inhabitants, "Statians", hold impromptu street dances called "road blocks", using booming car stereos. Saba has a number of dances at various restaurants, including a wide variety of hip hop, calypso, soca, kompa, zouk, bouyon, reggae and merengue. Sint Maarten has a well-known Carnival tradition featuring music and dance, held in mid-April and culminating in the traditional burning of King Moui-Moui, as well as a number of nightclubs and casinos featuring music; popular "spots" where locals go to dance include Boo Boo Jam and Lago Height, both located on the northern (French) part of Sint Maarten; the most popular recent casino band is King Bo-Bo, known as the "King of Calypso".
Ethnic Racial Composition:
* 75% Mixed (European, African, Native)
* 15% Black
* 10% White
People:
Having poor soil and aridity, Aruba was saved from plantation economics and the slave trade. In 1515, the Spanish transported the entire population to Hispaniola to work in the copper mines; most were allowed to return when the mines were tapped out. The Dutch, who took control a century later, left the Arawaks to graze livestock, using the island as a source of meat for other Dutch possessions in the Caribbean. The Arawak heritage is stronger on Aruba than on most Caribbean islands. No full-blooded aboriginals remain, but the features of the islanders clearly indicate their genetic heritage. The majority of the population is descended mostly from Arawak Indians and Dutch and to a lesser extent other Europeans and West African ancestors. Recently there has been substantial immigration to the island from neighboring Latin American and Caribbean nations, attracted by the lure of well-paying jobs.
Recently, there has been substantial immigration to the island from neighboring American and Caribbean nations, possibly attracted by the higher paid jobs. In 2007, new immigration laws were introduced to help control the growth of the population by restricting foreign workers to a maximum of three years residency on the island.
Languages:
Dutch & Papiamentu are the two official languages of Aruba. Papiamentu is the predominant language and it is spoken by all Arubans. Papiamentu is Portuguese-Spanish Creole language with some influences from Dutch, Native American, and West African languages. There is heavy usage of Native American words among Arubans.
Religion:
The religions of Aruba reflect it's faceted history and currents worldliness. You'll find Catholic, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Baptist, Evangelical, and Jehovah's Witness churches, as well as synagogues and Baha'i Faith house of worship. Tourists are welcome at all churches. Most services are in Papiamentu.
Sports:
Aruba plays many different sports, such as soccer, baseball, cricket, and swimming etc...
Aruban videos
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