History, Language & Culture Curacao

The Spaniards arrived in Curacao in 1499 and began to settle in 1527.The Dutch West India Company took over in 1634, later to the British during c. 1807–1815, later returned to the Netherlands, including in the Curaçao colony and its affiliates (Curacao and Dependencies) between 1815–1954. Ruba, Sint Maarten, Zaba, Bonaire and become the Netherlands Antilles. During this time, Curacao is officially known as "The land of the island of Curacao" (Island Territory of Curaçao) until October 10, 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. Curaçao thus became a direct autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The same is true for the Netherlands, Aruba and Sint Maarten.

language

- Papiamentu

- Dutch

- English

Literature

Despite the island's relatively small population, the diversity of languages and cultural influences on Curacao have generated a remarkable literary tradition, primarily in Dutch and Papiamentu. The oral traditions of the Arawak indigenous peoples are lost. West African slaves brought the tales of Anansi, thus forming the basis of Papiamentu literature. The first published work in Papiamentu was a poem by Joseph Sickman Corsen entitled Atardi, published in the La Cruz newspaper in 1905. Throughout Curacaoan literature, narrative techniques and metaphors best characterized as magic realism tend to predominate. Novelists and poets from Curacao have contributed to Caribbean and Dutch literature. Best known are Cola Debrot, Frank Martinus Arion, Pierre Lauffer, Elis Juliana, Guillermo Rosario, Boeli van Leeuwen and Tip Marugg.

Cuisine

Local food is called Krioyo (pronounced the same as criollo, the Spanish word for "Creole") and boasts a blend of flavours and techniques best compared to Caribbean cuisine and Latin American cuisine. Dishes common in Curacao are found in Aruba and Bonaire as well. Popular dishes include: stoba (a stew made with various ingredients such as papaya, beef or goat), Guiambo (soup made from okra and seafood), kadushi (cactus soup), sopi mondongo (intestine soup), funchi (cornmeal paste similar to fufu, ugali and polenta) and a lot of fish and other seafood. The ubiquitous side dish is fried plantain. Local bread rolls are made according to a Portuguese recipe. All around the island, there are sneks which serve local dishes as well as alcoholic drinks in a manner akin to the English public hous