DR Living
The Dominican Republic is known for its great coffee, cold beers, single-origin chocolates, and stiff rum drinks. If you’re headed to the Caribbean island, be sure to fit into your schedule some foodie tours that are not only educational, but delicious as well.
Discovering a country though its food is by far the best way to envelop yourself in a new culture. Taste everything and learn about how the beloved food items of an island are produced.
Rum: Brugal
Nothing says the weekend in the Dominican Republic more than grabbing a drink at your local colmado (bodega), and that drink is typically a rum and Coke. Made from all local Dominican ingredients, the rum process is one the Brugal family takes very seriously. You can visit their museum in Puerto Plata and sign up for a guided tour of the facilities. The tour covers everything from the moment the sugar cane plants are harvested to learning how to taste the rum itself.
Chocolate: El Sendero del Cacao
Visiting El Sendero del Cacao, an organic cacao plantation in San Francisco de Macoris in the Dominican Republic is a chocolate lover’s dream come true. As you ride up to the farm, you start spotting the cacao trees, heavy with pods on their trunks, dense foliage shading the trees and keeping the soil moist; these are perfect conditions for cacao to grow. You’re welcomed with a cup of fresh hot chocolate, made with the farm’s cacao, local sugar, and a slice of ginger. The chocolate is thick and creamy, and you’ll want to go back for seconds.
The tour starts with the history of how the cacao reached the Caribbean (through the Spaniards), and the guides will demonstrate how the trees are planted. If it’s on your bucket list to plant your very own cacao tree, now is your chance. You’ll then walk into the farm itself and learn how the trees are harvested, as well as how they are protected from predators. Animals such as woodpeckers and rats scurry away with the cacao pods, and since it’s an organic farm, they bring in the best organic pest control there is: snakes! So, watch out for those!
The tour continues through the farm, where you’ll see how the cacao is fermented and dried, getting it ready to be shipped around the world. Dominican Republic is known for having some of the best single origin and organic chocolate in the world, so be sure to take home a few bars.
Beer: Cerveceria Presidente
Recognized worldwide and even seen on popular TV shows such as Dexter, Presidente Beer is the unofficial beer of the Dominican Republic. When you visit, be sure to ask for “una fria vestida de novia,” a classic term to describe a beer so cold she’s dressed in “white” (ice crystals). Tours are set up through their offices and must be made at least a month in advance; you’ll learn the type of hops used in making this popular beer, and you’ll finish the tour with a bottle of beer in your hand.
Source: http://www.sheknows.com
Dominican food culture has inherited key ingredients from Spain, Africa and from the Tainos, the original inhabitants of the island.
The “sancocho,” or stew, is an example of this mixture of influences.
It is one the most representative dishes of the Dominican menu. It’s a mixture of root vegetables, meats and poultry.
The final result is an explosion of “everything that is Dominican,” says the popular Dominican chef Eugenia Rojo.
The “sancocho” reigns supreme at the table during major holidays and important family events. This hearty meal is traditionally accompanied with white rice and avocados.
These stew dishes are also popular in other Caribbean nations, such as Cuba and Puerto Rico although in these particular ideas the stews go by other names.
History
According to historians the stew is a variety of the “power dish” that traveled to the island from the Spanish Canary Islands.
Others believe the dish was prepared by French to their slaves in the new lands.
And yet others say the “sancocho” traveled to the New World aboard some of the European slave ships that arrived in the Caribbean in the 15th century.
However, its preparation today is very much in tune with “Creole” cuisine, the vibrant mixture of European and dishes, prepared in the New World.
The Jaragua and Adrian
International celebrities such as the Americans Robert De Niro and Robert Redford have tasted the Dominican “sancocho” during their stays at the Renaissance Jaragua Hotel in Santo Domingo.
According to the hotel’s head Chef, Henry Cuevas, the “sancocho” is by far the most popular dish on the menu.
The Renaissance Jaragua Hotel is dedicated to maintaining the tradition in the preparation of the “sancocho,” which is available to guests 24 hours a day, six days a week.
Its popularity is based primarily on the use of very fresh products, including meats and poultry and aromatic herbs.
The combination of flavors makes the “sancocho” a favorite in most Dominican households. It is traditionally served with white rice and avocados.
Another popular restaurant that serves one of the country’s finest “sancochos” is the Adrian Tropical chain of restaurants.
Again, one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes is the Dominican “sancocho.” Guests are served a small portion of the “sancocho” as a complimentary entry, before they are served their main dish.
Source: Access DR
Baseball Academies in the Dominican Republic: From Sweatshops To Big Business
After decades of deplorable working conditions, Major League baseball teams are finally upgrading their Dominican Academies. The Cubs, Rockies and Mariners are the latest teams to invest in state-of-the-art facilities.
Baseball is expanding in the Dominican Republic as Major League teams are opening brand new academies and creating opportunities for talented young players across the island.
The D.R. is the biggest supplier of baseball players outside the United States. Nearly 30% of Opening Day rosters this year carried players born outside the U.S. and the majority of them were from the Dominican. While all 30 teams maintain training facilities in the D.R. only a handful have invested in building their own academy in this island nation.
Academies in the D.R. serve as an Ellis Island for players from other Latin countries, funneling them into a single program and filtering players to determine if they’re good enough to be promoted to short-season teams in the United States. As an example, last season the Rockies academy housed – among other countries- players from Venezuela, Puerto Rico, St. Maartens and Panama.
Minor league baseball is a tough existence with bus rides that last for days and a run-down hotel room to relax in, but life in an academy isn’t even that glamorous. MLB did an investigation on academies in 2000 and the results were alarming. Time Magazine referred to the programs as “resembling prisons.” One investigator described the terrible condition of the academies:
“Most of them were horrible,” says Charles Farrell, an investigator hired by MLB to study the facilities. “We found bugs in the rooms, cheese sandwiches for dinner.”
The Chicago Cubs in particular have been scrutinized for events that occurred in their Dominican Academy.
In 1997, author Arturo J. Marcano labeled the Cubs facility as worthy of being a “sweatshop.” Author of the book Stealing Lives, Arturo revealed the story of 19 boys who shared a single bathroom with no running water and an inebriated coach who threatened his players with a gun. One of the stories in the book involved an injured player who was nearly crippled when a street doctor damaged his arm by stomping on it to reset it.
Fast forward thirteen years and circumstances showed little improvement as an article in Time Magazine described the living conditions of the 2010 Cubs academy. There were beds stacked four bunks to a room with as much as 10 players living in a room that was built to house only two or three. There was even an instance of two boys sharing a mattress on the floor. Sandy Alderson was the MLB’s Supervisor over the D.R. at the time and upon seeing a photo of the room called the scene “unacceptable.”
Read the full story on www.minorleagueball.com
Despite the fact that the Dominican Republic, as well as the majority of Latin American countries, belong to the group of third world countries, it is developing at a rapid pace.
As practice shows, over the past few years, the businesses related to tourism have undergone drastic changes, however, an impressive number of indigenous people specialize in the field of agriculture. And this is understandable, because the Dominican Republic is primarily an agricultural place. The life in the Dominican Republic of a simple peasant is difficult to call rich and abundant – his incomes leave much to be desired, so in most cases he feeds exclusively from his garden. Successful are those who managed to enter the segment of the tourism business. Those who work in public institutions or do military service have a stable good income and, in addition, they can count on moving up the career ladder. As for the big money, here no one is chasing them, because life in such a place is beautiful in itself. It is in this connection that many residents do not know what stress is, and, thanks to this, live long enough, completely giving themselves away to positive emotions.
Speaking of nightlife, it is quite active. Go to a party and relax in one of the local clubs you can do it every day. In addition, very often Dominicans organize colorful shows, and sometimes invite celebrities who perform in clubs. The cost of the activities of such a plan will be higher.
Due to the fact that the Dominican Republic is an island country, life here is expensive. As most goods and products are exported from America and other regions. For example, the cost of local vegetables and fruits is acceptable, but all imports will be subject to a wrap.
As for the cost of housing, if you come here, you can learn more about it. Speaking, in general, it is important to note that everything will be determined by the location. The highest prices are recorded in the resorts. In general, the Dominican Republic will be an excellent option for those who are tired of the cold climate, the hustle and bustle of a big city and is ready to pay well for it.
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PUERTO PLATA. – Located on the Malecon, with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean, the Museum of Colonial Fortress San Felipe is one of the landmarks of this historic city is also called “The Bride of the Atlantic” which is visited every year by thousands local and foreign tourists.
This building was erected in 1577 on top of a hill, still a landmark historic colonial architecture, built in stone and clay that have survived the vicissitudes of time, conserving its original structure, while the exterior was remodeled, due to damage sustained during the constant bombardment of the city that was submitted in Spanish colonial times. This structure was fitted out as a museum in 1974 and declared a cultural heritage by then the Secretary of State Culture, his name comes to honor the Spanish monarch Philip V in whose reign the construction was completed. The San Felipe fortress was built to protect the city of Puerto Plata from attacks of pirates and privateers, by order of King Philip II of Spain. On several occasions he has served in prison, not just only pirates, but few historic characters, as the founder of the Dominicans, Juan Pablo Duarte, who was detained there for two days in August 1844, before he moved to the Ozama Fortress in Santo Domingo, on the orders of then President General Pedro Santana. This strong second major military construction built by the Spanish colony, and would also be used as a prison compound, located on the north coast of Hispaniola, in Puerto Plata, facing the Atlantic Ocean, which was built as a fort basic defense of the north coast to the adventures of marauding pirates. According to the account of Heidy Silverio, one of the guides offering their services in the museum, from the time of Charles V, in 1541, was intended to erect a defensive fortress in this part of the island to protect permanent actions of pirates and looters trying to loot the Spanish colony in this part of the world.
Work began in the years 1562-1565, with the consent of Francisco Ceballos, important person of Puerto Plata, who died in 1572, when the fort was initiated and during that period was fundamentally smuggled of northern economies of the island. Ceballos was replaced by the second governor Pedro Rengifo and Angulo, who concluded the work in the year 1577. The stories of colonial chroniclers state that to be built on a strategic point on the island, the Fort San Felipe was the scene of major battles for survival of the colony.
To get inside, you have to cross a wooden bridge that was originally erected, in order to lift it when enemies tried to enter the fort and fall into holes handmade coral, in which wooden sharp sticks were placed representing certain death of the invaders who fell there. ”The doors to the rooms, rather small cells are about three or four feet high, because the Spanish kept the weapons of the other side and those who wanted to steal them should bow down and when they showed the head and neck,were waiting on the other side with machetes and were beheaded, “the guide Silverio Heidy referring to doors. In the lobby of the fort, there are glass cases showcasing a collection of military artifacts from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, such as guns, bullets, revolvers, rifles, bayonets, swords, axes and other weapons of the period as well as farm tools and different types of coins that were found during the reconstruction of the fort in 1972.
It also has another exhibition with Dominican crafts that are on display, there are necklaces and gourds pieces made with coconut, Larimar and stones, rag dolls and other utensils of the time to recreate the story. In another room you can see paintings representing all American firsts that happened in Dominican Republic as the first admiral, the first mass and the first catechist evangelist, among others. In the second level, is the viewpoint to the sea where the enemy was observed when approaching and several strategically located cannons to attack intruders who try to reach. Silverio Heidy, the guide explained that each day at 10:00 am and 4:45 pm, a replica of a cannon produces sounds to remember the history of the fort.
From there you can see a panorama of the waterfront, a view of Loma Isabel de Torres and a full view of the harbor, which was defended from the pirates invasions.
The museum is open to the public daily, except Mondays, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The fee to enter is one hundred pesos for adults and 20 pesos for children from seven to twelve years and students will present their cards or uniformed. On Wednesdays, tickets are free, but only for Dominicans.
To enable visitors to learn more about the history that keeps the museum within its walls and setting, three guides are responsible for providing historical information of the fortress. But beyond that, have the audio guide service, where they have the information of the history of the fort recorded in Spanish, English, French, German and Russian, which is included in the entrance fee. The Fort survived the devastation. In 1605, during the Devastations of Osorio, the city was utterly wasted, but the strength was not touched, despite orders to destroy it. During the subsequent occupations in the eighteenth century, the fort had to be restored and the name of San Felipe was given in honor of Philip V, then King of Spain. On both sides there were built towers that give it a medieval feel. The hub or central tower 80 feet in diameter was used as a prison in the War of Restoration against Spain, from 1863 “.
Source: Puerto Plata Digital
The world-famous Fodors Travel guidebook says that the Dominican Republic has a lot to offer visitors and presents its readers with a selection of must-visit places when visiting the country, such as: visiting Santo Domingo’s Colonial City; whale watching in the northeast province of Samana; strolling through the world-class beaches in Punta Cana’ rafting in the rivers of the mountain town of Jarabacoa; playing in one of the country’s world-class golf courses; scuba diving in the waters off Saona Island, on the country’s eastern region; practicing water sports in the north coast town of Cabarete; enjoying a tasty Dominican stew; hopping on a bus in Santo Domingo and drinking an ice cold beer in a “colmadon,” or local grocery story.
According to the travel guide, the following are must stops for the tourist visiting Santo Domingo:
Stroll through the Colonial Zone in a Carriage. Touring the Zone in a horse-drawn carriage is a not to be missed experience by visitors to the country’s capital city. It is a wonderful opportunity to visit the first neighborhood established in the Americas, back in the sixteenth century.
Whale watching in the Northeast Province of Samana. Annual tours are organized between January to March, the time when the gentle giants visit the north coast in their annual pilgrimage through these waters.
Visiting the Beaches in Punta Cana. The Punta Cana region offers visitors with 35 miles of perfect white-sand beaches. Punta Cana is considered to be one of the Caribbean’s most important tourism destinations, because of its pristine beaches and luxury resorts.
Rafting in Jarabacoa. Those looking for an adrenaline rush during their vacation will find white-water rafting in the mountain town of Jarabacoa to be quite a challenge. The tour will take the visitors through beautiful waterfalls and breathtaking mountain landscapes.
Playing Golf in World-Class Courses. The Dominican Republic was recently voted as the best golf island in the Caribbean. Many golf courses offer magnificent sea views. All have been designed by world-renowned experts such as Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye and Robert Trent Jones.
Scuba Diving in Saona Island. A just minute from La Romana-Bayahibe is Saona Island, a true paradise for diving enthusiasts. Its crystal clear waters and great variety of species makes it the perfect spot for scuba divers.
Renting a Seaside Villa. This option is an excellent choice for family reunions or weddings.
Water Sports. The north coast town of Cabarete provides the perfect location for wind and kitesurfing.
Living the Local Culture. Visitors to the Dominican Republic should enjoy a tasty dish of Dominican-style stew, made with various meats and vegetables. Another must is riding in a local public bus, and drinking an ice-cold beer in a local grocery store, known as “colmadones.”
Source: Access DR
There was a time when the Dominican Republic was best known for its intoxicating cocktail of salsa and merengue, and for producing Major League Baseball legends such as Sammy Sosa and Big Papi. In recent years, however, this Spanish-speaking nation of powdery coastlines and lush sugar cane fields has emerged as a golfing Mecca. With 26 golf courses and the top ranked course in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic is where American golfers head for a round in paradise, just two hours from Miami.
The country’s first luxury course was at Casa de Campo, hewn out the rock by 300 workmen with sledgehammers and picks in 1971. The Teeth of the Dog course, designed by Pete Dye of Sawgrass and Kiawah island legend, has 7 holes along the coast, with the par-three 5th hole on its own peninsula, resembling the snapping jaws of a dog against the encroaching ocean waves. Dye famously said that 7 of the course’s holes were created by God and he only had to come up with the other 11. Today, it has been ranked as the 43rd best course in the world.
The exclusive Casa de Campo resort was built by sugar barons, and hosts a Who’s Who of the Dominican Republic’s most famous visitors, including White House, Wall Street and Hollywood. The resort has two other Dye courses: The Links and Dye Fore. Tee times can be booked by resort guests for around $185, while non hotel guests pay just $250 for a round. Famous names to take on the greens include George H.W. Bush, Nick Faldo and Michael Jordan.
The resort of Cap Cana on the country’s eastern tip is served by nearby Punta Cana airport, with 38 airlines from 100 cities, and has been billed as “the world’s next luxury destination.” Punta Cana resort has three championship golf courses.
Tom Fazio-designed Corales Golf Club opened in 2009 and has six holes at the water’s edge, with inland lakes and coralina quarries. The last three holes form the ominously entitled Devil’s Elbow along the natural cliffs.
La Cana course has 27 holes incorporating three nines, designed by P.B. Dye. The environmentally-friendly course is the first in the Caribbean to use paspalum grass which can be watered with sea water. Golf Magazine called this the number one course in the Caribbean and compared it to Pebble Beach.
Also at Cap Cana, Punta Espada opened in 2006 and is the first of three Jack Nicklaus courses to be slated for Cap Cana. Golf Week quickly voted it the top course in the Caribbean and Mexico and it has hosted a televised PGA tour event, won by Fred Couples in 2010. The course has 8 holes along the water’s edge.
Playa Grande at Rio San Juan was one of the last courses Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed before he passed away. Set on 370 acres of coastline, the course has 10 holes on the waterfront, but is currently under renovation until 2014, with just nine holes currently playable.
Source: BellaOnline.com
Hoping for the perfect Caribbean wedding and honeymoon? Then the Dominican Republic is an excellent choice, because local hotels really know how to pamper the bride and groom-to-be and make sure every single detail of this event is well taken care of.
Weddings in local hotels are stress free, because the bride and groom are considered guests at their own wedding. All hotels offer wedding packages and have the right personnel to organize the event, depending on the needs of the couple. Legal assistance is also provided.
The Dominican Republic hotel facilities know how to pamper the bride and groom that have chosen their particular facility to celebrate their wedding.
Although some couples do get marry in the country, others prefer to get married in their particular country and then hold the ceremony in the Dominican Republic.
There are hotels and facilities for all budgets and particular needs.
While some couples may prefer to hold their wedding at an all-inclusive resort, others prefer to celebrate this important event in small boutique hotels, where the wedding celebration will be intimate and elegant.
The following list will provide pertinent information on the best hotels to hold weddings based on ambience, quality of service, special attention to the couple, and comfortable facilities.
Casa Colonial Beach & Spa
In Puerto Plata, the north coast’s most important city, the 50-suite “Casa Colonial Beach & Spa” is considered by many to be the best hotel in this particular region.
A member of Small Luxury Brand Hotels of the World, the facility offers a very intimate and romantic setting, the ideal location for the perfect Caribbean wedding, and the idyllic getaway for couples and honeymooners.
The hotel has a special wedding pavilion, with breathtaking views to the nearby beach which serves as a natural backdrop to the ceremony (www.casacolonialhotel.com).
Casa Bonita
Situated atop a hill that provides stunning views of the Caribbean Sea, a nearby mountain range and rivers, Casa Bonita is truly a magical place.
This 12-room hotel boutique provides the wedding couple with a romantic and intimate setting to celebrate their wedding party. Casa Bonita is a member of the Small Luxury Hotel of the World (www.casabonitadr.com).
Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa
This particular resort features several all-inclusive hotels within the complex, including the adults-only 372-room luxury facility Royal Suites Turquesa.
The resort offers various wedding packages or an individual wedding planner that will help the couple plan their very particular event.
Packages offered range in price from US$1,615 to US$4,665 (from eight to 14 guests, and US$22 per additional guest (www.grandpalladiumpuntacanaresort.com).
Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort
The Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort complex features a wide variety of locations and wedding planners to help put together that special Caribbean wedding. Wedding parties can be celebrated in the resort’s lush gardens, in a spectacular oceanfront gazebo, or on the beach itself.
The resort also features a beautiful Catholic church, where the altar features a special painting of the nearby lake where the church was built. The bride and groom can plan their particular event, or select the resort-package that better fits their budget and needs.
Packages range from a free-of-charge wedding party if the wedding party reserves 25 rooms, to more expensive options (www.barceloweddings.com).
Casa de Campo
This exclusive resort promises “A wedding in Paradise,” no matter if it’s a small event or an extravagant wedding party for hundreds of guests. Expert wedding planners will take care of the smallest details.
Packages range from US$495 to US$1,405. Reception costs range from US$172 to US$261 per person (plus tax) (www.casadecampo.com.do).
Tortuga Bay
This facility provides the perfect setting for that special Caribbean wedding.
The beautiful nearby beach is the backdrop for the wedding ceremony.
It is a small and intimate setting, with 13 beachfront villas, all designed by famed Dominican-American designer Oscar de la Renta (www.puntacana.com).
The Bannister Hotel
This 31-room luxury facility, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, offers breathtaking views of the nearby Puerto Bahia marina.
The marina is surrounded by quaint squares and lush gardens is truly a paradisiac environment for that perfect wedding (www.thebannisterhotel.com).
Majestic Elegance
The 597-room Majestic Elegance Hotel offers various settings for weddings. The hotel can coordinate weddings presided by a judge or a priest.
Wedding packages include the wedding cake, decorations, ironing of dresses and suits, flower arrangements and a champagne toast for the newlywed couple.
It is also a perfect destination for honeymooners (www.majestic-resort.com).
Sublime Samana
Situated in the north coast fishing village of Las Terrenas, the Sublime Samana is the perfect facility for a small intimate wedding.
The facility is also a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (www.sublimesamana.com).
Excellence Punta Cana
This particular hotel (all-inclusive, 522 rooms) lives up to its name when it comes to a wedding celebration. It is the ideal spot for that perfect romantic wedding ceremony. A wedding planner will handle all the details of this important event, including securing the judge, priest or pastor that will perform the ceremony, decorations, wedding cake, flower arrangements, and many other amenities.
On the wedding day, the bride is taken on a horse-drawn carriage to the wedding gazebo, where guests are waiting for the arrival of the wedding party (www.excellence – resorts.com).
The Peninsula House
It is a cozy and intimate Victorian home with 6 rooms dating back to the eighteenth century. It Is ideal for an elegant and romantic dream wedding and memorable honeymoon. Add the ambiance of tropical gardens which overlook a pristine beach, and the luxury residence designed by French architect Serge Robi, then you will know why this facility has been included among the top 100 boutique hotels in the world, according to the 2013 Gold List of the journal Condé Nast Traveler (www.thepeninsulahouse.com).
Zoetry Agua
Its relaxed luxury ambience provides the perfect environment for couples. Its facilities are excellent for wedding parties. Wedding planners handle all details, to guarantee the perfect wedding celebration (www.zoetryresorts.com).
Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro
This 272-room, all-inclusive, adults-only, facility is the perfect destination for couples, and is highly recommended for wedding celebrations or honeymoons. All wedding details are expertly handled by the hotel’s wedding planners (www.iberostargrandbavaro.com).
Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort
The all-inclusive resort provides the wedding couple with an excellent team of wedding planners.
Its beachfront gazebo provides a sense of intimacy and elegance for a romantic wedding celebration (www.melia.com).
Marriage Requirements in the Dominican Republic:
• Birth certificates of the bride and groom
• Legalized document stating that both the bride and groom are single. If divorced, the wedding must take place ten months from the date of the divorce.
• Photocopy of the passports (or other documents used to enter the country).
• Photocopy of the passports of the witnesses who are not relatives.
• Documents must be authenticated by the nearest Dominican Consulate.
• The documents must be translated into Spanish law by a legal interpreter in the Dominican Consulate, or in the Dominican Republic.
• Two witnesses (not family members).
• For more information: www.domrep.org/gettingmarried.html.
Source: Access DR
In one of life’s not-so-small miracles, chocolate really does grow on trees. And in the rainy hills of the Dominican Republic, this is especially true. Serious Sweets recently ventured to this lush island with French chocolatier Valrhona for a tour of their partner farms and a crash course in the DR cacao landscape.
Chocolatiers like Valrhona are looking to this Caribbean nation not only for the chocolate flavors it can produce—think classic notes of yellow fruit and bright acidity—but to the great potential that exists here for cooperating with farmers and exploring agricultural experiments. And though Valrhona works as directly as possible with cacao producers around the world, there are a few specific farms, such as El Pedregal in Venezuela, and Loma Sotavento in The Dominican Republic, that they’ve actually bought a stake in. These partnerships allow Valhrona to use the farms as living agricultural laboratories for the earliest stages of the cacao-to-chocolate process—they’re as much farms as they are experimental sandboxes for agronomists and, literally, tastemakers.
We visited Loma Sotavento, a farm in the northeastern region of Maria Trinidad Sanchez, to see one of these farmlabs firsthand. From the vibrant gold-to-red spectrum of ripe cacao pods to the surrounding community of farming families and the cultivation of other plants complementary to cacao production like banana and cassava, this region felt rich and abundant in many ways. Modestly scaled at only 20 hectares, the 300 meter-altitude Loma Sotavento made an ideal setup for education and experimentation—just so long as one was careful not to slide down the muddy hillside.
As global cocoa production goes, Valrhona is a comparatively small player. The rest of the cacao world is making chocolate chips and other low-grade chocolate items that don’t require a tremendously high bar in the way of quality. Likewise, much of the cocoa grown in the Dominican Republic is relegated to the moniker of so-called “Sanchez” cocoa: commodity-grade chocolate suitable for cheap candy, store-brand cookies, and the like. Working alongside its local cocoa partner Rizek, Valrhona saw not just an opportunity to cultivate another unique flavor profile in its single origin estate category, but a chance to develop a better understanding and increase the potential of chocolate products derived from these leafy Caribbean slopes.
And like many outside producers investing in direct relationships with farms at the origin level (this notably also happens in coffee, where the chain of agriculture and production is quite similar to cacao), Valrhona is looking at their DR setup as a biodiverse model they hope to apply to other regions. They’re focusing on organic cultivation that’s absent of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. When grown in the shade of other fruits and trees, the cacao is said to produce flavors that evoke the various fruits planted around it, creating a signature terroir that is also natural.
After actual cultivation, growth, and drying of the beans, the biggest farm-level factor affecting chocolate flavor is fermentation. At Loma Sotavento, experimental, time-staged fermentation boxes allow cacao beans to oxidize and ferment at different rates—in this example, the boxes were staged at two, four, and six days’ fermentation time—which will then produce different flavors once roasted and produced into chocolate. Valrhona’s agronomists are after the answers to questions like, what is the relationship between acidity and fermentation time? What about moisture content? The proving ground at this farm, and their other experimental relationship farms, allow them to attenuate all of these factors to get closer to the answers—and flavor profiles—they’re seeking.
From the fermentation stage, the cacao beans are then sent overseas to France, travelling overseas in a two to three week journey. The beans are then roasted and produced into chocolate, and tasted by Valrhona’s tasting committees, which consist of a minimum of ten people and can be up to twenty-five. It is this committee of palates and cacao roasters that ultimately bring out what the chocolatier has decided to express in any particular chocolate. In the case of this particular farm, the Grand Cru de Terroir chocolate they’ve named Taïnori for the indigenous Taïno peoples is a subtle, 64% dark mix of yellow stonefruit and nutty notes, with a warm finish. (A second Dominican Republic chocolate, the Bahibe Lactée, was released as well.)
Source: http://sweets.seriouseats.com
SOSUA, Dominican Republic – With its bamboo roof and breezy open air design, Bailey’s Cafe near the far end of Dr. Joseph Rosen Street is the perfect place to take refuge from the scorching afternoon Dominican sun.
As soon as we are seated, a waiter heads toward us with two cups of Santo Domingo, the locally produced coffee. Joe Benjamin, 73, pours two sugar packets into his rich, dark cup of coffee and gathers his thoughts; his memories are as bittersweet as his coffee.
“What we were, the community that was here, it was unique. It was special, but it’s in the past. The next generation will know us as a chapter in a history book,” says Benjamin. He takes a sip of coffee, and adds a quick, “And that’s ok.”
Benjamin came to Sosua, now a town of some seventy thousand people on the north shore of the Dominican Republic, with his parents in 1947 via Shanghai.
Originally from Beslau in Silesia, the Benjamins were among 800 recipients of visas issued by the Dominican government in the 1940s to come to this impoverished island to work the land and develop its lagging agricultural system.
Earlier this year, Sosuans marked the 75th anniversary of the Evian Conference, sponsored by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to facilitate the resettlement of political refugees (in other words Jews) once the Nazi’s racial laws worsened the humanitarian condition in Europe. By 1938, discriminatory practices in Germany and Austria had given way to violent intimidation and sparked a refugee crisis.
The conference has been called, to paraphrase the Roman historian Sallust, “honest in face but shameful in heart.” Western Democracies across the globe shut their doors to Jews seeking asylum from the Nazi terrors in Europe, despite public expressions of sympathy by their governments at the horrors they were undergoing.
The United Kingdom, according to one diplomat present at Evian, declared that his island was “not a country of immigration,” and was “already sufficiently populated.” British colonies were deemed “inappropriate” for settlement, and Palestine at the time was off the table due to “local and political considerations [which] hinder or prevent any significant immigration,” according to “Dominican Haven” by Marion A. Kaplan.
France declared it had already reached its point of “saturation” regarding immigrants. Australians explained that because theirs was a relatively young country, they did not have a race problem and “were not desirous of introducing one.”
Industrial powers Canada and the United States, as well as needy developing countries Argentina and Brazil, found crafty reasons to not accept any refugees, despite expressing moral outrage at the situation. Some countries toyed with the idea of accepting refugees who were strictly “agriculturists,” but that too never went further than conjecture.
The most germane observation regarding Evian came from Holocaust historian Henry Feingold, who lamented, “Representatives of the Jewish organizations despaired, as hope for immediate actions was drowned in a sea of Latin eloquence.”
Enter one of the more unsavory and insidious figures of the 20th century.
The hero of Evian was not the revered Roosevelt, whose wife would come to be known as one of the greatest humanitarians of her time, but rather Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo, who ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 to1961. Here was a man regarded by the rest of the world as an impersonal and violent dictator whose good deeds were fueled more by opportunism than statesmanship.
While Trujillo offered to absorb 100,000 refugees, only 800 received visas between 1940 and 1945. But neither the numbers, nor his politics, mattered much to the Jews who settled in Sosua. The Jewish community didn’t get involved in politics, Benjamin explains: “Whatever Trujillo was, [if] you asked the Jews, for us he was a savior.”
Denny Hertzberg, 75, grew up in Sosua and worked for the government overseeing industries formerly owned by Trujillo until the dictator’s death by assassination in 1961. He agrees with his old friend Joe Benjamin.
“Looking back, saving one Jew is one more Jew who would not have been sent to the gas chambers. Many more could have been saved,” says Hertzberg.
On a cold gray afternoon in 1940, Dezider Scheer sat on the docks of a shipyard in Brindisi, Italy, gazing out toward the empty Adriatic Sea, desperately searching the horizon for signs of the Greek ship that would sail him to a better tomorrow.
He describes that moment as the loneliest in his life: His eldest brother had made arrangements for him to get to Palestine through the Czech underground, but as the day turned to night, it became clear the boat was not coming and he was out of options.
It would have seemed inconceivable to him in those despondent war-torn days in Brindisi that a few months later he would be enjoying the smiles of 100 schoolchildren, all under his care as schoolmaster, playing gleefully in the tropical sun. He eventually met some fellow Slovaks who were hiding out in the upper story of a brothel near the port. That’s where the representatives from the Dominican Republic Settlement Agency (DORSA) found them.
“It was a paradise for us,” he says about the early days in Dominican Republic in a remorseful and apologetic tone as we share tea and cake. “We didn’t know what was going on Europe. We stopped thinking about it. We were living in a paradise, and they were dying in that hell Auschwitz. Peres, Ben-Gurion, they would have been proud of us. We were farming, planting, building. But what did my brothers think about it, that I was here enjoying my life?”
The life that was created in the Dominican Republic has come to be known as “Tropical Zion.”
While Jewish communities in Europe disappeared into the gas chambers of Poland, the Jews in Sosua lived a rich, cultural, Jewish life, completely removed from what was happening to their families and friends in Europe. Life, almost exactly as they had known it before the Nazis came to power, continued.
“We had a Jewish education class once a week, given by Dr. Rubcheck. Coincidentally, it was taught in German,” Benjamin says. “There were Germans who were told to leave [Germany] because of their Judaism. Here they still did very German things, but we were also all in the synagogue on Friday night and on holidays. Even Israeli holidays after 1948.”
But the Jews of Sosua were not the only ones enjoying the German culture brought over from Europe to the Caribbean. Many non-Jewish Germans began immigrating to Sosua in the late forties and early fifties, seeking a better climate and opportunities not yet available in early Marshall Plan Germany.
“They were real-working class Germans, not sophisticated types. They didn’t know us and they didn’t know Hitler. They were just grateful to find a German speaking community with theater and music and so on. They weren’t apologetic, but they weren’t indifferent either,” says Benjamin.
Those Germans, and their children, are still here on semi-retirement, spending their days in the cafes and cigar shops that line the main street. But today, unlike the early days of the settlement, the Germans outnumber the Jews by a wide margin.
Jewish life is fading fast in Sosua. Much of the community has left for Florida, where the standard of living is far better. The most visible members of the Jewish community in Sosua today are locals who have converted to Judaism in the past decade.
Rabbi Ancel Solomon flies in from Toronto to spend half the year here, and tends to the Jews in the area. His biggest undertaking is protecting his flock from the well-financed Jews for Jesus church on the opposite end of town. Solomon will also perform the rare circumcision or tropical destination wedding.
While there are services every Friday night in the original town synagogue, there is rarely a minyan and the cantor is an Italian doctor who lives on the opposite end of the island and manages to come and lead the congregation sporadically. None of the remaining original members of the community attends services.
With me at shul on Friday night is an American couple on vacation from Ohio, the cantor and his wife, the rabbi, and a few walk-ins.
Hertzberg laments the loss of European ambiance. Leaving services on Friday night, when the sun is comfortably out of sight, the changes in Sosua become most apparent.
The cultural life so dear to Hertzberg has given way to the predictable underbelly tied to a thriving tourism industry, and Sousa has become a typical Dominican town.
There has also been a large migration of Haitians to the north shore of the island following their devastating earthquake in 2010. (Even though the two countries share the same island, the Dominican Republic was largely unaffected.)
Many on the poorer north shore of the island are trying to make money by any means necessary so they can send something back to support their families, which has caused the growth of two of Sosua’s more profitable side businesses: sex tourism and drug trade.
Back in Benjamin’s day, on a Friday night it would have been commonplace to see families to walk down Dr. Joseph Rosen Street arm in arm, singing and full of good humor. Today upon exiting the synagogue and walking down the street, those seen locked arm in arm are mostly middle-aged white men, or a few college age kids, headed to a quiet room with exotic prostitutes.
The homes that once belonged to the settlers which lined the main road, the last of which belonged to Luis Hess who died last year at the age of 100, have been converted into overcrowded bars and sweaty discotheques. Gangs of motorcyclists man their assigned intersections, peddling everything from cocaine to Viagra.
Herzberg is unimpressed at what his boyhood home has become. “The good old days are in memory only.”
Source: Timesofisrael.com
