What is the typical Dominican food and is it safe to eat on the streets of Bayahibe?
First about the safety. Yes, it is safe to eat at any typical Comedor, a small local restaurant, eating place, food window or a BBQ by the road. Everything is daily prepared with the fresh local produce, so don’t be afraid to stop by and taste some delicious food. Don’t drink tap water, always buy bottled water. The ice in the drinks is safe too, made from purified water and delivered to all stores, restaurants and hotels.
The typical Dominican food is a dish called Bandera Dominicana – stewed meat with white rice, red beans, fried plantains and mixed salad. You can also try Creole style chicken with white rice and beans. Another very popular dish is sancocho – in some countries is a soup, in Dominican republic is more like a stew made from many types of meat, usually beef, pork, chicken together and served with white rice or tostones, double fried plantain slices. Of course empanadas, fried pastry stuffed with meat or veggies, are popular too. You can have good empanadas while having the local beer Presidente by the Colmado in Bayahibe.
And what is Colmado? A corner store in the center of the village where everybody gets together every day after work to share a big Presidente and chat. Great place for tourists to practice their Spanish too !