The food in Curacao is as eclectic and fun as the colorful buildings that line St. Anna Bay. Countries including Spain, Portugal, and of course The Netherlands have imprinted pieces of their culture on the island and even more have influenced their food including Africa, Indonesia, Caribbean, and Venezuela. This is not a full list of things you will find in Curacao but are the foods that stood out to me in the two weeks I have spent on this magical island country.
Curacao Liqueur
You will see the electric blue liqueur with the island’s namesake at every bar or restaurant in the city. Interestingly it is made from the peel of a bitter orange called Lahara that was grew abundantly on the island but is not enjoyable to eat as is. We stopped by the distillery which is in the mansion called Landhuis Chobolobo where you can take a quick self guided tour, enjoy a quick tasting, and then order a delicious frozen cocktail on their cute outdoor patio. There was also ice cream available and a cute gift shop with small travel friendly bottles available.
Smoothies
You will see smoothie stands along the road, downtown amongst the shops, and near the beaches. We stopped several times as they are a great way to cool off and of course they taste great! I love the wide variety of fruit offered at the stands and usually opted for a super tropical blend of mango, pineapple, and passionfruit.
Poffertjes
Poffertjes are tiny baby Dutch pancakes eaten with a dusting of powdered sugar by the beach or as a snack while walking around town. We had them with caviar service at Restaurant Nultwintig.
Chicken Satay
The heavy Indonesian influence on the food of Curacao was interesting to me. The Netherlands colonized both Indonesia and Curacao which is why you will see so much Indonesian food including chicken satay. Chicken satay is tender chicken skewers served with a delicious peanut sauce with a side of rice or noodles. I devoured it at the beach bar at Playa Porto Marie and at the Restaurant Saint Tropez Ocean Club but you will find it many places.
Tuna Tartare
Another thing we found on most menus was some form of tuna tartare which made sense when I googled what fish was caught nearby and tuna was near the top of the list. I am a huge fan so I ate it almost every day in the form of poke bowls by the beach or in tacos for dinner. Tuna tartare tacos I enjoyed the most were at Mosa/Cana and Restaurant Saint Tropez Ocean Club.
BBQ
BBQ food trucks dot the sides of the road and tend to open later and stay open into the early morning. We had delicious BBQ at the restaurant bar at Playa Porto Marie from their 3 green egg smokers.
Pastechi
Pastechi are similar to empanadas being a crescent shaped fried dough filled with cheese (keshi), beef, chicken, tuna, or vegetables. You can find them anywhere, even little roadside markets or grocery stores. We grabbed them on our drives to beaches to enjoy as breakfast or lunch.
Bitterballen
Bitterballen is a dutch bar snack that pairs wonderfully with a beer. They are meatballs made with ground meat (usually beef or veal), cheese and veggies that are fried to crisp perfection. You will see them everywhere in Curacao from restaurants to snack shacks by the beach.