A Taste of Curaçao’s Jewish Food Legacy

by ELYSE GLICKMAN

“Being an effective tour guide is like being a good singer,” says Curaçao-born tour guide Emlyn Pietersz. “You can sing anywhere in the world if you have a good song people can relate to.” He was raised Catholic but emphatically embraces his Jewish ancestry to the point where he’s become the go-to guy for Jewish heritage tours. I could spend hours listening to his colorful stories about how he traced his mother’s family line back to 1651, when the Dutch granted sanctuary to Sephardic Jewish merchant families on the Caribbean island after they were expelled from Portugal and Spain during the Inquisition.

Papiamento, Curaçao’s mother tongue, is Emlyn’s starting point for interpreting almost 500 years of Jewish impact on local culture. He details how it began as a trade language between Africans and Europeans and later evolved into a melting pot of different African and European languages. Through generations, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Hebrew influences and words entered the language. Without missing a beat, he draws my attention to how spices, herbs, and produce grown on Curaçao and brought in by European Jews made their way into one-pot stews, flavorful grilled chicken and fish, and sides at every restaurant and market we visit.

We’re walking through capital city Willemstad’s Plasa Bieu, where family-operated stalls serve up foods that sustained their ancestors and continue to delight locals and visitors. “We think of it as the Caribbean’s first food court,” Emlyn tells me with a wry smile. “Jewish families helped build Curaçao’s economy and created jobs in agriculture, trade, construction, and boat building. Their house staff learned the Portuguese-Jewish techniques of stewing meats and vegetables, and served it to their families. Although some things changed with the invention of the electric and gas stoves, there are still restaurants serving chicken, fish, goat, and vegetarian dishes based on recipes passed down through the generations.”

During my week-long stay, I find that many of those dishes can be found everywhere from street food kiosks to white tablecloth restaurants. Examples include pasteche, an empanada made for the Purim holiday; arrepa de pumpkin (pumpkin pancakes); stoba de cabrito (goat stew); morros (rice and beans); and tostones (banana fritters). Keshi yená, a skillet-baked stuffed gouda cheese and chicken casserole, is regarded as one of Curacao’s national dishes.

One rainy afternoon during a visit to Landhuis Rooi Catootje, an 18th Century heritage house, Emlyn tells the story behind “Black Cake,” also known as “Eternal Cake,” a rich, earthy sweet that began as Curaçao’s answer to matzo. “It was inspired by the biblical Exodus and formulated as something that could last in the desert for 40 days,” he says. He then connects it to his family history. “Often filled with dried and fermented fruits, it takes six months to make and is an integral part of many special occasions among Jews and Catholics in Curaçao. My mom still has a small piece of it dating to her wedding in 1955.”

Emlyn’s meaningful associations between Curaçao’s Jewish legacy and the dishes that have emerged promise that interest in the cuisine will be just as enduring.

Contact your travel advisor to find out more about edifying tours on the island of Curaçao.

Keshi Yená

Serves 4 • Prep time: 10 minutes • Cook time: 25 minutes

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium chopped onion

2 Tbsp raisins

½ cups pimiento-stuffed green olives, chopped

3 cups shredded or ground cooked chicken

3 Tbsp chopped dill pickle

2 tsp tomato paste

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp coarsely ground black peppercorns

16 slices thinly sliced deli-style Gouda or Edam cheese (about 10 oz)

Heat oil in a large skillet, add peppers and onions, and sauté for five minutes.

Add raisins, olives, chicken, pickles, tomato paste, and salt, cook five minutes, then set aside to cool.

Grease four 8-oz ramekins and line them with 12 slices of cheese.

Fill the lined ramekins with the chicken mixture.

Top with remaining slices of cheese, and tuck in anything that is hanging over the edge.

Place ramekins in a large pan and add hot water until it is halfway up the sides.

Cover the pan tightly with foil or a lid and place over medium-high heat.

Bake 15 minutes and serve immediately.