Aruba Cuisine
Aruban cooking pairs Dutch cheese with cornmeal sides and island seafood: keshi yena, funchi, pan bati and pastechi are the dishes to know.
Aruban dishes, from keshi yena to pastechi
The dishes this guide covers in detail include keshi yena baked in Edam or Gouda, pastechi turnovers, the cornmeal sides funchi and pan bati, and stews such as sopi mondongo. Each dish page lists the ingredients and how the dish is served.
Popular Aruba Dishes
Aruba Ariba
Aruba's signature cocktail: a fruity, rum-based island drink in bright colours, blended with vodka, fruit juices, and a splash of local liqueur. The classic beach-bar sipper.
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Ayaca
Aruba's Christmas parcel: a seasoned cornmeal dough filled with spiced meat, olives, capers, and raisins, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed. A festive holiday tradition.
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Balashi Beer
Aruba's own lager, brewed on the island from desalinated water. A crisp, easy-drinking pilsner that locals treat as the national beer, served ice-cold across the island.
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Cala
Golden deep-fried fritters of seasoned black-eyed pea batter, crisp outside and fluffy within. A traditional Aruban snack sold warm from bakeries and street stalls.
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Fresh Catch of the Day
Aruba's fresh-landed fish, grilled or fried and served Caribbean style. Mahi-mahi, wahoo, snapper, or grouper from the calm leeward waters, with funchi or fried plantain.
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Funchi
Aruba's everyday cornmeal polenta, stirred firm and shaped into a block, or pan-fried into crisp golden sticks. The island's go-to starch with stews and fish.
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Explore by Category
Drinks
What fills a glass on One Happy Island, from the locally brewed Balashi beer that Arubans treat as the national lager to the fruity, rum-based Aruba Ariba cocktail poured in beach bars.
Mains
The hearty plates at the heart of an Aruban table, from the cheese-shell signature dish keshi yena to slow-cooked stews of goat and the fresh fish landed along the island's calm leeward coast.
Sides
The cornmeal foundations of Aruban cooking: firm funchi polenta, the soft slightly sweet flatbread pan bati, and the griddled johnny cake, served alongside almost everything.
Snacks & Street Food
The handheld bites Arubans grab from bakeries and snack trucks, led by the golden deep-fried pastechi turnover that fuels breakfast and the sweet fried cala fritters sold across the island.
Every dish we cover is in the dishes library, with what goes into it and where it is served.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the national dish of Aruba?
Keshi yena is widely described as Aruba's national dish. It is a round of Edam or Gouda cheese filled with seasoned chicken or meat, often with raisins, olives and capers, and baked until the cheese melts around the filling. The usual account traces it to colonial-era cooks who filled leftover cheese rinds.
Is Aruban food spicy?
The dishes covered in this guide, such as keshi yena, funchi and pan bati, are built on cheese, cornmeal, stewed meat and fish rather than on chili heat. Hot sauce, known locally as pika, is a separate condiment. If you avoid chili, ask how a dish is prepared before you order.
What do people drink in Aruba?
Balashi is the local beer: the Aruba Tourism Authority calls it Aruba's flagship local brew. Menus also list the Aruba Ariba, a rum cocktail, and non-alcoholic drinks such as batidos (fruit shakes), awa di lamunchi (limeade) and tamarind juice.
Is Aruban food suitable for vegetarians and vegans?
Traditional Aruban cooking leans on meat, fish and cheese. Of the dishes in this guide, funchi (cornmeal) and pan bati (a cornmeal flatbread) are the meat-free staples, but recipes vary, so vegans should ask about butter, milk and eggs. We have not verified vegetarian or vegan menus at individual restaurants, so check a restaurant's current menu before you go.