In our few weeks in the friendly and wild Dominican Republic, we had a lot of good meals. Here’s some of the highlights of the food and drink of Dominican Republic.
Rum
The rum in the Dominican Republic is plentiful and inexpensive. The main local brand is Brugal and it’s fine. The base rum is less than $10, and there are a few varieties. But we were introduced to something we like better in Luperón. It’s called Columbus – his name is all over the place here since he claimed to “discover” the island – and it’s delicious.
Columbus rum is smooth and good for sipping. And the bottles we bought in Luperon cost $275 pesos, about $6 US so its good for mixing too.
The rum drinks here varied: my favorite so far has been the piña coladas served in pineapples. One at a time though, of course.
Produce Trucks
I have learned to make a beeline for the produce trucks as a great supplier in Dominican Republic. These pickups laden with locally grown fruits and vegetables seem to have the freshest products at good prices. It may be that they are coming direct from the farm. The pineapples from these trucks are fresh and juicy and so cheap. The small pineapples are about 70 cents and the big ones maybe go for $2. We slice them up for breakfast or a snack or mix them with peppers and ginger for a salsa garnish for pork or fish. Yum.
Every time we approach a produce truck not knowing what we will get and it’s a fun little mystery with tasty rewards. Beets, passion fruit, limes: we have bought them at the produce truck. As someone who loves fruit and veggies, the produce trucks of the Dominican Republic are a dream. Now I find myself scanning the parked cars for produce trucks. I will miss them and their delicious wares. The food and drink of the Dominican Republic would not be the same without the fresh fruit and vegetables.
Chicharrones
The Latin American version of pork cracklings is called Chicarron. The fried pork rinds are available in the chips and snacks sections of supermarkets and convenience stores and we can never seem to buy enough for our boat. Brian is a big fan. They have very cute packaging, especially if you like cartoon pigs.
Seafood
We have not caught any fish yet, but we have eaten fresh fish in Dominican Republic. Ceviche is pretty easy to find and huge portions cost between $5 – $8.
In Samaná, we rented a car with other cruiser friends and visited a beach town called Las Terranas. Brian found some locals selling fresh fish right on the beach and bought a whole mahi mahi which served us three separate dinners.
We also bought a few pounds of shrimp, half of which made a delicious gumbo-like meal with veggies and rice. We are eating well on board Sava.
Regarding not catching fish, in our defense the boating conditions have been terrible. Refer to Brian’s latest post regarding our 22 hour passage. The good news is that Brian fixed the autopilot so we are all set for better fishing and sailing. I will absolutely post when we catch something more than seagrass!
Coffee
Dominican coffee is available at the markets. We brought our Aeropress on the boat which is so convenient, except when it’s not. The aeropress is great for making individual coffees, but it’s not so great when I have to make coffee for multiple people all at once. I also would not recommend it in a rough anchorage. I did it once and made a complete mess of the galley and the salon. From now on, when it’s rough, I make tea. Much easier.
But back to the Dominican coffee. We have bought a couple bags of the grounds and it is about $6 a bag as opposed to $17 back home. If we don’t spend all our pesos on rum before we leave, I’ll get a few more bags of coffee.
Beer
The national beer is called Presidente and is sold everywhere. It is bland and boring and often it is the only beer option. At least it’s cheap. And it’s available in very big bottles for $2. Sometimes you just want a cold beer after a hot day. Presidente it is.
Gas Station Bars
Coming from Canada and the U.S., we are used to gas station convenience stores. After so much uniformity in these stores, we naturally expected the same thing in the D.R., and we were wrong.
Gas station stores are bars! They sell similar product to convenience stores back home like snacks and drinks plus liquor and beer. As part of our motorcycle tour near Luperón, Bruce took us to one of the most happening bars in the region. Late afternoon on a Friday, the gas station bar was packed with millennials drinking and listening to loud music.
We rented a car in Samaná, so we needed to stop for gas, and naturally visited that gas station bar. We had to check that it wasn’t just Luperón but a countrywide phenomenon. The bar at the gas station was not busy in the morning, but we bought rum at the store.
Eating on board Sava
We are eating well on board Sava. At anchor or at dock, it’s obviously easier to cook. When we know we will be moving, I try to pre-plan as much as I can, knowing that I don’t enjoy being down below with my seasickness. So, I try to cut up fruits and veggies in advance and have them in tupperware for easy access. We also have pre-sliced meats and cheeses to make sandwiches easily. I tend to consume less while underway to avoid stomach problems, but still need to eat.
Once we are at our destination, we can eat like normal people. We have a propane grill outside, and a good size stove with two burners and an oven. I’ve made bread a few times, and it’s been easy to make and turned out quite tasty. We also cook dinner most nights, including fish, beef, chicken, salads pasta and more. Whatever we find in markets and trucks, we combine it into a meal. Breakfast is usually yogurt and granola and whatever fruit we find. Lately that’s been pineapple or passionfruit which are absolutely delicious in yogurt.
We also visited an excellent supermarket while touring the Samana region. Whenever we rent a car, provisioning is a must!
Domino
Don’t worry, she’s eating just as well as we are. In fact, today she tricked me into giving her a second breakfast. Brian and I have lost weight on this journey, but not Domino. She’s still her lovable pudgy self.
Hopefully you enjoyed my overview of the food and drink of Dominican Republic as much as we enjoyed researching! We are now in Puerto Rico, and are eagerly anticipating tasting our way through the country with lots of photos!
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