Trying out some classic Dominican food

beaches at Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort

In our stay at the Lifestyle Tropical in Puerto Plata, we went for ala carte dining in El Pilon for some Dominican food.

We had the classic, Sancocho, which is a hearty soup made of pork, chicken and beef as well as local vegetables, including pumpkin, plantain bananas, and sweet potato. It was very tasty, a full meal in itself. It would be nice to have this at home once in a while!

Sancocho (Dominican cuisine)

We also tried some Conch Fritters –tender lambi (conch meat) pieces battered with a slight spice and golden fried. Yummy.

Conch Fritters (Dominican cuisine)

I got some Mangu croquettes (made of mashed plantain) which was a nice change from the traditional potato croquettes I am used to.

Mangu croquettes (Dominican cuisine)

For dessert, we had a sampler of: 

• Majarete--puree of sweet corn pudding with local spices
• Arroz Con Leche or rice pudding with sweet sugar cane and cinnamon
• Dulce De Coco--shredded sweet local coconut stewed in milk.
• Habichuelas Con Dulce--sweet bean dessert mixed with coconut milk, cow’s milk and brown sugar cane with just the hint of spices

Majarete, Arroz con leche, Dulce de coco, Habichuelas con dulce (Dominican cuisine)

When we went to La Sirena, we continued on trying some local cuisine and had some "lasagna" at the food court—but made of plantain. I liked it especially with the cheese, but DD#1, who is not too fond of bananas, found it really odd.

mashed plantain meal (Dominican cuisine)

Of course, no trip will be complete without some goodies. So we got some Dominican rum, yucca chips, cassava crackers and some ultra delicious dulce de leche bars (the ones with guava jelly were divine).

goodies from the Dominican