Dominican Republic

Ask what the Dominican Republic eats and the answer starts with this: comforting criollo plates of rice, beans, plantains, and slow-stewed meats, capped by merengue-sweet desserts. Look for La Bandera (daily plate of rice, red beans, and stewed meat), Sancocho (seven-meat root-vegetable stew for celebrations) and Mangú (mashed green plantains with pickled onion, fried cheese, salami, egg). White rice, red beans and stewed meat named for the flag; it is the standard midday meal in Dominican households. This atlas has 37 Dominican Republic dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.