Barracuda

Starting off our list, the number 10 spot goes to the barracuda!

This saltwater fish is known for its large size, long body, predatory behavior, and terrifying underbite.

Taste-wise, they’re described as being rich with flavor with sweet undertones, relatively strong fishiness, and low-fat content. The flesh has an off-white color, is dense and firm, with larger flakes.

One can find this fish prepared in a number of different ways. They can be cooked as steaks, with some sort of sauce. They can be cooked in a stew that might be spiced up with hot peppers. They can be healthily steamed, or they can even be fried in a flour dredge or batter!

These guys are local here and generally live in shallower tropical or subtropical waters. This definitely includes the coral reefs and seagrass beds of the3 Caribbean Sea.

Check out some of the island's local sportfishing boats to catch your own barracuda today.

Pan Bati

The number nine spot goes to pan bati!

This is a flat pancake-like bread that is native to Aruba and translates to “smashed bread.” They’re generally made with a combination of cornmeal and flour, so I’d imagine they would taste like a combination of a good ole flapjack mixed with some johnnycake due to the presence of cornmeal.

Visually, they resemble thicker pancakes and can be eaten in both sweet and savory settings. They can be served for breakfast or dessert with sugars, syrups, or fruit preserves. They can also be eaten with fish, stews, or an accompaniment to any dish for lunch or dinner. Pan Bati is a popular side dish no matter what you’re eating.

The history here is blurry. We couldn’t figure out why these guys are here. However, we know that the bread is definitely Aruban with strong creole roots and Spanish influence.

If you know any more about these guys, please let us know in the comments below.

Funchi

Number eight goes to funchi!

Funchi is a dish made from either white or yellow cornmeal and is extremely similar to polenta. It's made by cooking cornmeal in salted boiling water, stirring it until it thickens. It's then flavored with melted butter. At this point, it's either eaten straight up or pan-fried for some extra crispiness and browning. And it tastes just like how it sounds, no frills, just cornmeal, salt, and butter.

You would typically see funchi on dinner plates as a substitute for rice or potatoes, and it is incredibly popular on the ABC islands, just north of South America. Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

Now, I couldn't find any history to the origin of this dish, but because of its simplicity and ease of making, I'd imagine it's been around for a long time.

Corn was first grown in Aruba in 1500 BC. However, corn was initially cultivated in nearby Southern Mexico in 8000 BC, with cornmeal in 7000 BC. So I'm assuming here, but funchi might have been on Aruba's dinner plates over 3,000 years ago after corn and its cultivation were brought to the island somehow from Mexico. This is not confirmed, just a guess on my part.

Also, polenta was first made in Italy in 1550 AD, suspiciously after the Spanish found Aruba in 1499 and Mexico in 1519. Could funchi be the inspiration for polenta? Did the Spanish spread word about it after returning to Europe? This makes me wonder.

Keshi Yena

The number seven spot goes to keshi yena!

This Dutch Antillean meal goes like this- a spiced meat concoction that's wrapped in sliced gouda cheese. Yum.

We're talking chicken that's flavored with many ingredients like tomato, pickles, peppers, pepper sauces, stuffed olives, garlic, capers, raisins, mustards or ketchups, nuts, and/or herbs, just to name a few.

Construction seems fun here. Take some bowl-shaped cooking vessel and line it with slices of gouda cheese in a way that covers the bottom of the cookware and lines its sides with some extra cheese flappage on top. This process makes something of a cheese bowl. Fill it with your chicken mixture, fold the cheese flaps over to encapsulate the chicken, and bake or steam. What you're left with is similar to a sort of Caribbean chicken meat pie where the crust isn't crust- it's gooey, stringy cheese, just like the gouda that tops your favorite crock of french onion soup. Check out our video where we go over the top ten foods of Paris, France, to learn more.

This dish is spicy, sweet from the raisins, and incredibly satisfying due to its adequate amounts of cheese.

Now, many believe keshi yena's creation should be attributed to the African slaves that were brought to the Dutch Antillean islands sometime between the 17th and 18th centuries. The Dutch Antilles include St. Maarten, Curacao and Aruba. Theories suggest that the slaves made this dish from table scraps, mixing together uneaten meat in a finished, hollowed-out cheese rind and cooking it. This dish would have been eaten by the slaves and is a "let's use whatever we have access to" kind of a plate. Yum.

Dutch Pancakes

Number six goes to Dutch pancakes!

There's no surprise to what Dutch pancakes are. They're pancakes from the Netherlands! However, they are different from pancakes we're familiar with here in the States. Dutch pancakes are typically thicker than a crepe but thinner and larger than what you're used to devouring at your local IHOP. Their batter can also be different, possibly containing buckwheat flour or cornmeal. Eaten plain, their taste is very similar, though, unless they're made with buckwheat. Here, they'll pick up some nutty and bitter notes.

Dutch pancakes can be topped with syrups, fresh fruit, whipped cream, rum, bananas, bacon, chives, cheese. The list goes on and on. They can also be eaten for breakfast or dinner, with sweeter options almost exclusive to breakfast.

Aruba is a member of the Dutch Antilles Caribbean island family. So it makes sense that when the Dutch moved from the Netherlands, they brought their recipes and traditions from home.

Brown Lady

The number five spot goes to the cocktail, "The Brown Lady."

Vodka, Baileys, Kahlua, Coconut Cream, and Ponche Crema are blended with ice until thickened.

But hold on a second. We know vodka, we know coconut cream, we know Kahlua and Bailey's. But what in the world is Ponche Crema? We're glad you asked because we were curious too! Ponche Crema is pretty much a Venezuelan version of eggnog, and Venezuela is just a geographic coconut throw away to Aruba. Ponche Crema is a cream-based liquor that contains milk, eggs, rum, and sugar. It could also be flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, or lemon. This is eggnog, and this is ponche crema. It looks pretty similar, right?

Flavor-wise, I would anticipate a creamy coconut-coffee-nutty concoction that packs a punch.

The history of the Brown Lady cocktail is exceptionally blurry, as we couldn't find any information about its origins, so if you know of anything or have any ideas, please let us know in the comments below! Until then, I'll meet you down there, and we can do some research. Cheers.

Pastechi

Number four goes to pastechi!

This is a half-moon-shaped hand pie that's very traditional for Aruba. They can be stuffed with chicken, beef, fish, veggies, or cheese that can be mixed with onions, peppers, celery, raisins, or spices.

Visually, they resemble the empanada and are closely related to them, but there is one key difference here. Empanadas can be made with a cornmeal crust. Pastechi, on the other hand, has to be made with a shortcrust. This is pretty much the slightly sweet crust found on last Sunday's quiche or your thanksgiving apple pie. Generally, they are served with ketchup, mustard, or chili paste for some accompanied dippage.

These Aruban hand pies are typically eaten as breakfast food and can easily be experienced via roadside snack bars throughout the island.

Now, Aruba's Dutch influence gets most of the credit for the creation of these guys, but there are a few other players that deserve a lot more recognition.

The island's first inhabitants were a tribe from nearby Venezuela between 2500 BC and 1000 AD. Then, in 1499 the Spanish took control, followed by the Dutch in 1636. However, Africa deserves a big shout out here too. During these early European times, there was a very small presence of African slavery in Aruba.

So, if I had to presume, these guys are currently catered to the tastebuds of modern-day tourists and the Island's Dutch settlers, but in a cooking vessel and shortcrust that are believed to have come from Europe. Continuing my presumptions, they're going to be stuffed with native or Venezuelan ingredients and made with African culinary techniques and twists.

In conclusion, these guys are 100% Aruban, but they're also a little Venezuelan, African, Dutch, and Spanish.

Aruba Ariba

The number three spot goes to the Aruba Ariba!

But what is that? Glad you asked! The Aruba Ariba is an Aruba-originated cocktail that's relatively similar to a classic rum punch. It's made with vodka, rum, creme de banana, and cucui. Cuici is a local liquor made from the juice of roasted agave, juice from the red flowers of prickly pear, rum, and cane sugar. These spirits are mixed with pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, and grenadine. Although Grand Marnier is sometimes subbed in for the cucui, I feel the original mixture is something to scout out on the island.

Now, the Aruba Ariba was first made in 1963 and was a product of a bartending tournament at the Aruba Caribbean Hotel. Ever since the competition, the libation has taken the island by storm.

Balashi Beer & Chill

Number two goes to the brewski brand, Balashi!

The two most popular beers under the name are the flagship, Balashi and Balashi Chill. The OG Balashi is a malty pilsner that's similar to Corona and likewise served with lime. It boasts a rich golden color with mild bitterness. Balashi Chill is a pale lager that's reminiscent of the OG but lighter, crisper, and easier to drink. You can find both of these bottled or on draft.

Now, the brand was named after an 1899 Aruban gold mine... and you guessed it! The gold mine was called the "Balashi Gold Mine. However, the mine was eventually closed in 1916.

In 1999, the first Balashi beer was made using the Island's sought-after water. The beer is still made in Aruba and lets locals, natives, and visitors celebrate the Island's economic heritage with every sip.

Grouper

The number seven spot goes to the Atlantic Goliath Grouper!

These swimmers are distinguishable due to their large mouths, stout bodies, and enormous size. The largest grouper measured in at 8.2 feet and weighed in at a whopping 363 pounds. Their diet consists of other fish, octopi, and crustaceans, which it eats whole. This fish is a beast.

Many say that grouper has a mild taste, similar to a combination of bass and halibut. Their flakes are chunky and compared to crab.

One can indulge in the AGG in a number of different ways. You can find it for both lunch or dinner, seared, blackened, inserted between two slices of bread as a sandwich, or even battered and deep-fried. However, although these might be popular preparations, the people have spoken. The most recommended way to eat grouper is pan-fried and encrusted with almonds, “almond grouper.”

The Atlantic Goliath can be found from Florida, throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and even down to Brazil. They typically live around reefs and wrecks where their food sources are more abundant. So they are pretty local here.

Now, let's talk sustainability. The Atlantic Goliath Grouper was classified as "critically endangered" in 2011 and just made its way to "vulnerable" in 2021. So, although they are making a slow comeback, the species is still considered threatened. When in Aruba, we recommend limiting your grouper consumption to one plate per trip per person or foregoing it altogether. The oceans will thank you.

Top 10 Foods: What to Eat in Aruba