La Bandera: The national dish of the Dominican Republic “La Bandera” (The Flag) is the name of the national dish of the Dominican Republic, which represents its national culture, as the flag. It became a national dish in……….. and since then it has become an important national culinary representation for Dominicans in the United States since a huge emigration between the 1960s and 1990s established itself as diaspora in New York. This dish has a mix of indigenous Spanish, African, and even Taìno influences. This is a very hearty, satisfying and delicious dish that is cooked very often in the Dominican home, usually for lunch up to 4 times a week and is certainly the heartiest and most important meal of the daytime. It is also quite healthy as it uses local ingredients, commonly grown in the country. Is normally consumed at home among family members, friends and sometimes neighbors. In addition to this dish being cooked on a normal day for lunch, you can also find it in the buffet of many events, special occasions, in restaurants and even among street vendors in cities. I discovered this dish at a very young age. Since I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, rice and beans have been the staple dish for many years, which is very nutritious and tasty. I used to eat this dish literally every day for lunch, and if anyone asked me what we were making for lunch, I knew the answer. Sometimes the dish will change, it will be served with a different type of beans, meat or even the salad will be different than usual. It was still some variety but it had the same components. I ate it without knowing that it had a specific name or that it had a meaning for the Dominicans. As you grew... middle of paper ...... for financial reasons there weren't many options. This dish evokes powerful memories from their past. They remember that rice was the most important food crop and that a family had to be satisfied with only a small portion of rice for at least 2 weeks because its purchase was expensive. Beans were grown during the time of the Taínos, reminding them of their nobility, friendliness and welcome. This reminded them of the history and evolution of the country. It was the first time the dish made sense to me. I realize that it was more than a dish to my parents, it was a representation of where they came from, what they had overcome, and how this dish, no matter where they went, can going back to their original roots and giving people a story. of their kitchen. It meant a lot to me because I was learning to appreciate the dish, and now it had meaning.