To promote the culture of Samana, the Samana Tourism Cluster held their first Samana Gastronomical Festival at Club Cayenas del Mar in Playa Anadel on 10 May. In preparation for the event, students from the Culinary Arts School of the PUCMM in Santo Domingo traveled to Samana a year ago and with their professor Ramiro Viera and carried out research into the evolution of cooking in the area, from the times of the original Indian inhabitants, through the Spanish influence, up to modern times when immigration from other countries has had an influence. A selection of recipes was then prepared for distribution and as a sample of different culinary influences in the food of Samana. The same students were responsible for cooking the dishes served during the Festival. The event was complemented by workshops on tourism awareness, food hygiene and destination management. Guillermo Graglia, director of the Hotel Management Department at PUCMM stressed that the event sought to highlight the importance of the authentic cuisine of Samana, as well as stimulate the imagination, creativity and dedication that are essential to cooking today. The Festival also sought to motivate local restaurants to include more authentic dishes on their menus. The Samana Tourism Cluster announced that they would be producing a second recipe book with recipes from Samana’s best-known cooks.
Dishes prepared for the event included: Starters – Samana-style Shrimps (sauteed in a soft coconut and fresh tomato sauce and served with rice and vegetables), Banana Salad (with avocado, onions, peppers in a soft cilantro oil with Johnny Cakes); Main dishes – Crab stew with coconut; Fried fish breaded with coconut and a light coconut sauce; Grilled Pork Loin in Pigeon Pea sauce with Pilaf Rice. Desserts – Yautia and Cheese Cake; Boniato Bread in caramel sauce with sweet potato crisps; Coconut Pudding, with chocolate ice cream.
The success of the Samana Gastronomic Festival has motivated Las Terrenas, in the northern part of the province, to organize its own First Gastronomical Festival of Las Terrenas, scheduled for Sunday, 17 August at Casa Blanca hotel.