B is for Bachata, Brugal and Barahona NO MEN TO POST

keepcoming

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May 25, 2011
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Are we to B yet???? Maybe I can start..My favorite all time B is for Berenjena. Love it pretty much anyway it is cooked. I do a pretty decent lasagna with berenjena. Low in carbs rich in nutrients. I know there a few types so I am always on the lookout for different recipes. Sorry ladies if I jumped ahead but I keep looking at the berenjena on my counter...lol
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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Three of my favourite Dominican things. Bailando Bachata, Bibiendo Brugal and Barahona! (Dancing bachata, drinking Brugal and Barahona)


Bachata is a Dominican dance, which is danced everywhere; in the streets, shops, clubs, homes. It originated in the DR and is basically three steps with a hip motion and a hip tap on the 4th beat. You should not move your upper body much as the movement of the hips is the soul of the dance, which is probably why I am not very good at it. My bottom is not big enough or round enough, and however much I try, I can't move it the way that Dominican women can. You can see bachata being danced in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvxaxe2FFOU.

My second B is for Brugal - rum. The company was started in 1988 by Andrés Brugal Montaner who came from Spain to the DR via Cuba. He started the famous rum company in Puerto Plata in the north of the country. The actual process is a closely guarded secret, but basically the sugar cane is cut and then turned into molasses in the factory in San Pedro de Macoris. Yeast is then added, the sugar turns into alcohol and is then transported to Puerto Plata, where it is placed into barrels to age. The Carta Dorada rum ages for 1-2 years, Añejo for 2-5 years and Extra Viejo for 5-8 years. My personal favourite is Añejo. The rum can be drunk neat, or with ice, and several people drink it with coca cola (a cuba libre) or with sprite (a santa libre). It is said that if you drink a lot of Brugal you will either want to make mad passionate love, or you will start an argument!


My third B is Barahona, which is a town in the south west of the country. It is the last major town on the southern route to Haiti. What makes Barahona so special is not the town, but its geography. The mountains literally descend into the ocean and you can sit on the beach but bathe in cool fresh river water that pours down from the mountains. The drive along the coast from Barahona to the Haitian border is said to be the most spectacular drive in the whole of the Caribbean.

Barahona is famous for its agriculture: plantains, coffee, cocoa and sugar. It is also home to the only larimar mine in the world. Larimar is the beautiful blue volcanic stone found only in the DR. The province has the largest salt lake in the Caribbean, Enriquillo, which is 45 metres below sea level. Few tourists venture to Barahona but it really is a natural unspoiled paradise. It is my favourite 'B'.

What is your B?
 

sylindr

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Nov 29, 2007
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Mine are Bailando and Bayahibe. I love that place, such a cute little town, we go a few times a year for a weekend get away and dancing, as much as time permits.
 

Africaida

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Jun 19, 2009
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B: Bailar....pretty much everything....Love love Merengue tipico !


I like that game
 

AlterEgo

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Borrowing from above, mine are berengena and Bayahibe

 I love eggplant no matter how it’s prepared, particularly the purple Dominican ones, not as bitter as the black ones back home, I’d like that lasagna recipe please!

 Bayahibe is lovely, as is Dominicus next door.  I have AnnaC to thank for introducing us to it.  Easy to forget you’re in DR there, more European tourists, kinder, gentler atmosphere, beautiful beaches.......
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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It is pretty simple...I slice the eggplant (salt and pepper,get the moisture out..etc) and roast them on a sheet pan for about 5 minutes or so. The sauce is pretty simple, sautéed onions, garlic, mushrooms, oregano, basil, well drained frozen spinach (if I can find it) and a bit of parmesan reggiano cheese. Layer the eggplant with some ricotta cheese and the sauce (3 layers). Top with mozzarella and bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes.

Maybe one day I will write down some of my recipes...lol. I kind of wing it when I cook, sometimes good, sometimes not so good. But I have been making this for a while and people seem to like it. I also have done something similar to Moussaka where you roll the berenjena slice with the filling inside and then bake in a sauce. Also very good.
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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Another good B is Batidos. A good batido de frutas. I remember when I first came here and my MIL made me a batido de lechosa. To this day every once in awhile when she knows I am coming I will arrive at her home and find one waiting for me on the table.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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I don't think batata are like American (southern girl) sweet potatoes. They are white here and not yellow - are yours yellow? We have them roasted in the fogon and they are delicious!

Matilda
 

Catseye

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Nov 7, 2009
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Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic
I don't think batata are like American (southern girl) sweet potatoes. They are white here and not yellow - are yours yellow? We have them roasted in the fogon and they are delicious!

Matilda



I love fried batata!  The American sweet potato is orange and doesn’t fry well, at least not like you would fry batata and yuca.  You can make sweet potato fries but it’s labor intensive.  Batata is delicious, and when it is grated it goes well in banana or veggie muffins.  
 

AlterEgo

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I love fried batata!  The American sweet potato is orange and doesn’t fry well, at least not like you would fry batata and yuca.  You can make sweet potato fries but it’s labor intensive.  Batata is delicious, and when it is grated it goes well in banana or veggie muffins.  



Tell me more about how you use batata in muffins.....I make them frequently in DR, with bananas or mangoes from our finca.  Is it in place of something, or just an additional ingredient?
 

Catseye

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Nov 7, 2009
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Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic
The veggie muffins I make have pretty much equal parts banana, zanahoria, batata and zucchini and made with gluten free flour, almond milk, coconut oil, stevia, eggs and a couple of spices like cinammon and nutmeg.
 

Meemselle

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Oct 27, 2014
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I love fried batata!  The American sweet potato is orange and doesn’t fry well, at least not like you would fry batata and yuca.  You can make sweet potato fries but it’s labor intensive.  Batata is delicious, and when it is grated it goes well in banana or veggie muffins.  

No, no, no! There are two kinds of sweet potatoes in the US. The orange one is a yam. The white one is the true sweet potato. As I am from Massachusetts, I do not feel equipped to answer. (But I know which one I prefer. Which is both.)
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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I prefer the orange variety - we call them sweet potatoes in English (GB) and boniatos in Spanish (Iberian). I prefer them baked/roasted. My mum makes a Moroccan-style sweet & sour bean soup with boniatos.
 

Abuela

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May 13, 2006
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For me b is for bebidas, especially Banana Papa.
Recipe:
1 oz rum
1 oz green creme de menthe
2 oz agua
1 banana
6 ice cubes
Blend & savor!
 

Catseye

Member
Nov 7, 2009
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Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic
No, no, no! There are two kinds of sweet potatoes in the US. The orange one is a yam. The white one is the true sweet potato. As I am from Massachusetts, I do not feel equipped to answer. (But I know which one I prefer. Which is both.)



Where I lived in the South, Georgia and North Florida, they call the orange one a sweet potato, nobody uses the word yam, ever.  I never did see or hear about the white colored one until I moved here.  Maybe they are available in the South now, but they certainly weren’t in Publix or Harvey stores 13 years ago.  I like the batata much better than yams, especially fried.

The South has their own pronunciation for some stuff, when I got there everyone was talking about “peecans” and I honestly didn’t know what they were.  I thought it was maybe something a truck driver carried around.  I did end up with more pecans than I could stand, eventually.  They’re really yummy.
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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I love fried batata!  The American sweet potato is orange and doesn’t fry well, at least not like you would fry batata and yuca.  You can make sweet potato fries but it’s labor intensive.  Batata is delicious, and when it is grated it goes well in banana or veggie muffins.  

Younjust have to watch it so carefully, bc the sugar content is so high. They do make GLORIOUS latkes.
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
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