- Mystic “Mastication”.
ALTHOUGH WE TASTE COUNTLESS DELIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE GASTRONOMIC JOURNEYS OF OUR LIFE, WE’LL ALWAYS RETURN TO THAT NOSTALGIC FLAVOR, THE IDENTITY OF OUR CULINARY CULTUREW
Every country has its own gastronomic culture. They share years, centuries and millenniums of gastronomy, of evolution in the techniques to prepare food in order to improve quality, taste and presentation; of agricultural and supply planning; of adding new elements that could be discovered or taken from other cultures; of industrialization aimed at increasing production volumes; of sorting food according to its nutritional value, and many other elements, always trying to have an impact on the patrons’ satisfaction or favoring their health. All in all, gastronomy is a spontaneous expression of each culture, which evolves as a result of love for life and happiness, while gathering families, friends, communities, countries and the whole world.
Back in 1492, when Christopher Columbus disembarked in Quisqueya (“mother of lands” in Taino tongue), natives didn’t know many of the consumables that presently make up the Dominican gastronomy. For example, there were no heads of cattle, pigs, goats, hens, rice, green beans, corn, potato, tomato, lettuce, sugarcane and banana on the island at the time. The same happens with other elements of the gastronomy we currently know. They were later imported, thus bringing about a progressive gastronomic transculturation in these lands. It’d seem inconceivable to think that in a period of our history we didn’t have the ingredients needed to prepare such emblematic dishes of our cuisine as sancocho, different stewed meats, fried plantains, mangú, the Dominican flag, locrio, pork on a spike, majarete, sweet green beans and chicken, just to mention a few.
It’s interesting to think that the richness of Dominican gastronomy is based on the confluence of three main cultures –Taino, Spanish and African– which contributed with ingredients, techniques and customs that piece together what we presently eat, enjoy and share. So it’s good to have companies, chefs, journalists, writers, governmental institutions and other organizations supporting and fostering, at local and international levels, the preservation of our culinary roots. That’s the only way we have to enlarge what’s already very large and share with new generations our valuable treasure of tastes, the heritage of the Dominican people.
History tells us that, beyond the roots and trunk of our gastronomy’s big tree, there is no way to stop the development of other trends that grow out like branches and make their way into the society. Social networks and other means help spread new trends and fashions, which mainly attract new generations. For instance, international fast-food franchises have gained momentum and food trucks have become commonplace in public parking lots, sidewalks and streets. The same happens with signature cuisine, fusion and sushi, which motivate traditional restaurants to improve their offer. By and large, we see all these elements on a daily basis, with thousands of options for all preferences and budgets, and only one identity: ours, and we want to protect it.
There is nothing as mystic as the yearning for stewed goat cooked with white rice and fried plantain our grandmother used to prepare on Saturdays, or the cornmeal rolls with anise served by mom for lunch, or the sancocho we used to have when the whole family gathered around the table. Among other countless experiences, these memories trigger an enhanced pleasure when tasting new dishes. And we’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a huge number of delights, but we’ll always return home, looking for that nostalgic flavor that made our love for good food and our country’s culinary traditions grow, the underpinnings of our gastronomic culture.
Dominican Chicken Recipe
Total preparation time: 45 minutes
Helpings for 6 patrons
INGREDIENTS
4 lb. of chicken sliced in small pieces
1 red pepper well diced
1 pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon of mashed garlic
¼ cup of celery dices
¼ cup of sliced olives
1 stick of fresh coriander
1 stick of thyme
¼ teaspoon of pepper
1½ teaspoon of salt
5 tablespoons of oil (peanut, corn or soy)
1 teaspoon of sugar
5 cups of water
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 cup of diced auyama
4 cup of long-grain rice
PREPARATION
1. Marinate the chicken for 10 minutes with the garlic, the oregano, the pepper, the celery, the olives, the coriander, the thyme, a pinch of pepper and a teaspoon of salt.
2. Heat three tablespoons of oil in a casserole at medium-to-high temperature. Save the rest of the oil for later.
3. Pour the sugar into the boiling oil and let it heat till it turns dark brown.
4. Add the chicken (save the vegetables and the herbs it was marinated in), making sure not to get burned with the sprinkling hot oil. Stir until all the chicken pieces turn into a dark color.
5. Put a lid on the casserole and let it cook for 10 minutes; add tablespoons of water when necessary to prevent it from getting charred. Stir frequently.
6. Add the tomato sauce, the auyama and the vegetable and herbs you saved and stir. Pour 4½ cups of water and season it with as much salt and pepper as you wish.
7. As soon as it starts boiling, add the rice and the auyama. Cook at a medium burn and stir on a regular basis to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the casserole.
8. Once the water has boiled away, put an airtight lid on it and let it cook at a very slow burn for 15 minutes.
9. Remove the lid and add the remaining of the oil. Put the lid back on and let it cook for other 5 minutes.
10. Taste the rice to make sure it’s well cooked. If it’s not completely cooked, put the lid back on and let it cook for 5 extra minutes.
11. Serve hot with green salads and ripe bananas a la casserole, or with slices of avocado.
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