The May-June rice harvest is in and the numbers look good for the Dominican Republic. This crop was abundant and will help keep the country self-sufficient in rice production. To meet the country’s demand of an average of 335,000 tons of rice per year, two harvests are brought in each year, one in May and the other in January.
Rice – a good source of energy, B vitamins and low in fat – is a staple of the Dominican diet. It is easily found in any grocery store, market or corner store, highly visible, easy to find, it is usually sold in one of the first rows in a variety of sizes and name brands, it occupies almost half of an aisle all by itself. A popular saying goes, “A meal without rice is not a meal”. Rice is one of the first foods a mother will teach her young daughter to prepare. The average Dominican will eat rice every day, consuming about 43 kilos per year/per person.
Rice is served plain with seasoned meat or chicken. It accompanies soup or is mixed with a variety of vegetables to become a side dish. It can be yellow (flavored with anchiote) or brown (flavored with soy sauce). The Dominican “bandera” (typical meal) contains rice. Other popular local dishes like asopao and sancocho are served with rice. Rice is also found on the dessert menu in Rice and Coconut and Sweet Rice.
Besides being a main dish in the Dominican diet, rice production provides 1.5 million jobs for Dominicans. The Dominican Republic is the largest producer of rice in Central American and the Caribbean (http://www.fao.org/).
Before we lived in Latin American we did not eat much rice, but after learning about and enjoying their culture, we also have added rice to our menu. Most of our children prefer rice to potatoes. Some of our children also say, “A meal without rice is not a meal”.
Rice – a good source of energy, B vitamins and low in fat – is a staple of the Dominican diet. It is easily found in any grocery store, market or corner store, highly visible, easy to find, it is usually sold in one of the first rows in a variety of sizes and name brands, it occupies almost half of an aisle all by itself. A popular saying goes, “A meal without rice is not a meal”. Rice is one of the first foods a mother will teach her young daughter to prepare. The average Dominican will eat rice every day, consuming about 43 kilos per year/per person.Rice is served plain with seasoned meat or chicken. It accompanies soup or is mixed with a variety of vegetables to become a side dish. It can be yellow (flavored with anchiote) or brown (flavored with soy sauce). The Dominican “bandera” (typical meal) contains rice. Other popular local dishes like asopao and sancocho are served with rice. Rice is also found on the dessert menu in Rice and Coconut and Sweet Rice.
Besides being a main dish in the Dominican diet, rice production provides 1.5 million jobs for Dominicans. The Dominican Republic is the largest producer of rice in Central American and the Caribbean (http://www.fao.org/).
Before we lived in Latin American we did not eat much rice, but after learning about and enjoying their culture, we also have added rice to our menu. Most of our children prefer rice to potatoes. Some of our children also say, “A meal without rice is not a meal”. (Submitted by Kathy Strackbein)
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