The DR is a tropical country, so many of the ingredients used in cooking come from tropical plants such as plátanos (plantains), guineos (bananas) and coco (coconut). Examples of fruits and vegetables that might be served with meals include mango, auyama (squash), vainitas (green beans) and aguacate (avocado), though availability depends on the time of year. Rice and beans also make up a big part of the Dominican diet.
Breakfast almost always involves a cafecito (cup of coffee, usually served black with lots of sugar) and a small plate of bread or cereal. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, and typically includes rice, beans and meat such as chicken or stewed beef. Sometimes it's served with a side salad of lettuce and tomato. Dinner can be a small or big meal depending on who's cooking. A simpler dinner might be a tostada (sandwich) and jugo (juice), but you might want a bigger plate of tostones (fried plantains) served with fried eggs and salami. Are you feeling hungry yet?
I've tried a lot of different food in the DR from whole fried fish (bones and everything!) to stewed goat. In the capital, there's a greater variety of international food, and on my days off, I like to go to my favorite Mexican or Mediterranean restaurant. In my kitchen, I cook a lot of pasta, stir-fry and pancakes.
