Dominicanese
Active member
Dominican Republic
Culture:
The culture of the Dominican Republic is a diverse mixture of different influences from around the world. The Dominican people and their customs have origins consisting predominately in an African cultural basis, with both European and native Taíno influences.
Cuisine:
If we look at the cuisine of the Dominican Republic, we will see that the cuisine is predominantly a blend of Taino, Spanish and major African influences that it has been under for the last couple of centuries now. The Dominican Republic’s cuisine that you will find today is a combination of all the influences the region has had historically. The most typical meal from the cuisine of Dominican Republic would be quite similar to a meal that can be found in the cuisine of Latin America. Therefore, finding the traditional cuisine of Dominican Republic will indeed be a tedious task. The meals found in the cuisine of Dominican Republic have a tremendous similar taste of the meals in the Spanish cuisine. Perhaps not only the historic influence these other regions have had over Dominican Republic are solely responsible for the loss of its traditional and cultural heritage but also because the cuisine of Dominican Republic greatly uses the ingredients that are used to prepare cuisines of these other regions which have left a tremendous mark on Dominican Republic.
Universally it is known that the Dominican cuisine is not only easy but also very spontaneous and fun to prepare. The recipes to the cuisines of Dominican Republic’s cuisine have been notably passed through one generation to the next and so on. The unusual aspect of the Dominican Republic’s cuisines are that for breakfast there is usually a light meal, and the same light meal is prepared for dinner as well. Common meals in the cuisine of Dominican Republic are mangu which is usually accompanied by scrambled eggs and is usually topped with onions that are sautéed. Commonly a few pieces of boiled cassava or any other root is thought to be a great substitute for the mangu. You will notice that in the cuisines of Dominican Republic, dairy products such as cheese are immensely used in the region’s cuisines. The cuisines of Dominican Republic are fun to make, some of the recipes of these cuisines might require a little time, but overall they are extremely easy to prepare and a joy to serve and eat at the same time.
The food traditions and festivals in Dominican Republic are truly unique. Family meals are quite different. By and large, the male head of the family is served first by his wife, along with any visitors. After the wife has served the male head of the family and the guests then the children and the wife eat. Lunch is the imperative meal of the day in the traditional Dominican Republic custom. People usually come home from work to eat rather than dine outside of their homes. The breakfast and supper are relatively small in Dominican Republic whereas the dinner is grand. A traditional blessing of “buen provecho” is offered commonly before or during meals. The common festivals that are prevalent in Dominican Republic are Epiphany, Day of Duarte, February 27—Independence Day, Pan-American Day, Bachata Festival of Sousa, Columbus Day, and of course the Christmas Day. All these festivals are marked with a grand array of the traditional Dominican cuisine to be served and prepared. Moreover, other traditional customs such as weddings, birth of a baby, funerals etc., all call for the traditional food of the Dominican Republic to be served to the guests.
Music:
Merengue is a musical genre native to the Dominican Republic. It has a moderate to a very fast 2/4 rhythm played on güira (metal scraper) and the double-headed tambora. The accordion is also common. Traditional, accordion-based merengue is usually termed merengue típico and is still played by living accordionists like Francisco Ulloa, Fefita la Grande, El Ciego de Nagua, and Rafaelito Román. More modern merengues incorporate electric instruments and influences from salsa, and rock and roll. Choruses are often sung in a call and response form by two or three back-up singers, or more traditionally, by the musicians playing tambora or güira. Beginning in the 1960s, dancing became a part of the singers' work with Johnny Ventura's Combo Show format, and is now a staple of many of the genre's biggest stars. Lyrically, irony and double entendres are common Merengue continued to be limited in popularity to the lower classes, especially in the Cibao area, in the early 20th century. Artists like Juan F. García, Juan Espínola and Julio Alberto Hernández tried to move merengue into the mainstream, but failed, largely due to social prejudices. Some success occurred after nationalistic feelings arose among the Cibao elite who resented the U.S. occupation of the country from 1916–1924. Legend has it that at this time the faster (merengue típico cibaeño) was slowed down to accommodate American soldiers who couldn't dance the difficult steps of the merengue; this mid-tempo version was called pambiche. Major mainstream acceptance started with Rafael Trujillo's rise to power in the early 1930s.
Palo is a Dominican (Dominican Republic) Dominican sacred music that can be found through the island. The drum and human voice are the principal instruments. Palo is played at religious ceremonies - usually coinciding with saint's days - as well as for secular parties and special occasions. Its roots are in the Congo region of central-west Africa, but it is mixed with European influences in the melodies. Palos are related to Dominican folk Catholicism, which includes a pantheon of deities/saints (here termed misterios) much like those found in the Afro-American syncretic religious traditions of Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, and elsewhere. Palos are usually associated with the lower class, black and mixed populations. They can be seen in different regions of Dominican Republic, but with variations.
Ethnic Racial Composition:
* 45% Mulatto
* 40% Black
* 15% White
Culture:
The culture of the Dominican Republic is a diverse mixture of different influences from around the world. The Dominican people and their customs have origins consisting predominately in an African cultural basis, with both European and native Taíno influences.
Cuisine:
If we look at the cuisine of the Dominican Republic, we will see that the cuisine is predominantly a blend of Taino, Spanish and major African influences that it has been under for the last couple of centuries now. The Dominican Republic’s cuisine that you will find today is a combination of all the influences the region has had historically. The most typical meal from the cuisine of Dominican Republic would be quite similar to a meal that can be found in the cuisine of Latin America. Therefore, finding the traditional cuisine of Dominican Republic will indeed be a tedious task. The meals found in the cuisine of Dominican Republic have a tremendous similar taste of the meals in the Spanish cuisine. Perhaps not only the historic influence these other regions have had over Dominican Republic are solely responsible for the loss of its traditional and cultural heritage but also because the cuisine of Dominican Republic greatly uses the ingredients that are used to prepare cuisines of these other regions which have left a tremendous mark on Dominican Republic.
Universally it is known that the Dominican cuisine is not only easy but also very spontaneous and fun to prepare. The recipes to the cuisines of Dominican Republic’s cuisine have been notably passed through one generation to the next and so on. The unusual aspect of the Dominican Republic’s cuisines are that for breakfast there is usually a light meal, and the same light meal is prepared for dinner as well. Common meals in the cuisine of Dominican Republic are mangu which is usually accompanied by scrambled eggs and is usually topped with onions that are sautéed. Commonly a few pieces of boiled cassava or any other root is thought to be a great substitute for the mangu. You will notice that in the cuisines of Dominican Republic, dairy products such as cheese are immensely used in the region’s cuisines. The cuisines of Dominican Republic are fun to make, some of the recipes of these cuisines might require a little time, but overall they are extremely easy to prepare and a joy to serve and eat at the same time.
The food traditions and festivals in Dominican Republic are truly unique. Family meals are quite different. By and large, the male head of the family is served first by his wife, along with any visitors. After the wife has served the male head of the family and the guests then the children and the wife eat. Lunch is the imperative meal of the day in the traditional Dominican Republic custom. People usually come home from work to eat rather than dine outside of their homes. The breakfast and supper are relatively small in Dominican Republic whereas the dinner is grand. A traditional blessing of “buen provecho” is offered commonly before or during meals. The common festivals that are prevalent in Dominican Republic are Epiphany, Day of Duarte, February 27—Independence Day, Pan-American Day, Bachata Festival of Sousa, Columbus Day, and of course the Christmas Day. All these festivals are marked with a grand array of the traditional Dominican cuisine to be served and prepared. Moreover, other traditional customs such as weddings, birth of a baby, funerals etc., all call for the traditional food of the Dominican Republic to be served to the guests.
Music:
Merengue is a musical genre native to the Dominican Republic. It has a moderate to a very fast 2/4 rhythm played on güira (metal scraper) and the double-headed tambora. The accordion is also common. Traditional, accordion-based merengue is usually termed merengue típico and is still played by living accordionists like Francisco Ulloa, Fefita la Grande, El Ciego de Nagua, and Rafaelito Román. More modern merengues incorporate electric instruments and influences from salsa, and rock and roll. Choruses are often sung in a call and response form by two or three back-up singers, or more traditionally, by the musicians playing tambora or güira. Beginning in the 1960s, dancing became a part of the singers' work with Johnny Ventura's Combo Show format, and is now a staple of many of the genre's biggest stars. Lyrically, irony and double entendres are common Merengue continued to be limited in popularity to the lower classes, especially in the Cibao area, in the early 20th century. Artists like Juan F. García, Juan Espínola and Julio Alberto Hernández tried to move merengue into the mainstream, but failed, largely due to social prejudices. Some success occurred after nationalistic feelings arose among the Cibao elite who resented the U.S. occupation of the country from 1916–1924. Legend has it that at this time the faster (merengue típico cibaeño) was slowed down to accommodate American soldiers who couldn't dance the difficult steps of the merengue; this mid-tempo version was called pambiche. Major mainstream acceptance started with Rafael Trujillo's rise to power in the early 1930s.
Palo is a Dominican (Dominican Republic) Dominican sacred music that can be found through the island. The drum and human voice are the principal instruments. Palo is played at religious ceremonies - usually coinciding with saint's days - as well as for secular parties and special occasions. Its roots are in the Congo region of central-west Africa, but it is mixed with European influences in the melodies. Palos are related to Dominican folk Catholicism, which includes a pantheon of deities/saints (here termed misterios) much like those found in the Afro-American syncretic religious traditions of Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, and elsewhere. Palos are usually associated with the lower class, black and mixed populations. They can be seen in different regions of Dominican Republic, but with variations.
Ethnic Racial Composition:
* 45% Mulatto
* 40% Black
* 15% White