In the Dominican Republic, it is traditional to eat as a family and it is customary to offer a coffee, soft drink or water to guests when they visit a house or shop. The gastronomy in Punta Cana is not too complex and does present a wide range of flavors and styles, without great regional differences. In general, there is plenty of starch, with rice, potato, plantain, cassava and tapioca, which are usually served in large portions.

Typical products and specialties

The flavors and styles do not vary greatly across the country. Although dinner is the main meal of the day, breakfast and lunch are not exactly light. The three meals usually consist of a main dish – eggs for breakfast and meat at lunch and dinner – served with one or more accompaniments, normally rice, green beans or salad.

The most typical dishes of Punta Cana are:

La bandera: a dish which consists of white rice, beans, stewed meat, salad and fried green plantain, and which is usually accompanied with a fresh fruit juice. it is easy to guess why it is so popular: it is tasty, cheap, easy to prepare and provides a balanced diet.

Los guineos (plantains): a typical product of Dominican cuisine, they are served in many different ways, including boiled, stewed and poached. But the most common way to eat them is in puree form – boiled and mashed. Prepared in the same way but with green plantains is a dish called mangú, and if you add pork rind, it is called mofongo. It can be served as an accompaniment or as a main dish.

Fish and seafood: one of the typical meals of Punta Cana, particularly in coastal areas. One of the most common dishes is fillet of fish, normally grouper or snapper, with garlic, coconut, au créole (with a cool tomato sauce) or à la diable (with spicy tomato sauce) . Crawfish, octopus, prawns, squid and lambí (sea snails) are also very typical Punta Cana dishes.