Ron Dawn a Corn Island Specialty

We first heard about Ron Dawn at the Miami International airport gift shop.  Like all secrets, it was passed to us from a most unexpected source.  As luck would have it the woman at the check out counter was from Nicaragua.  When we told her we were heading to the Corn Islands off the country’s eastern coast.  Her eye grew wide and she exclaimed, “You must try the Ron Dawn.  It is so good, do not leave without trying some”.

As our plane approached the beautiful Caribbean island all thoughts were lost on our first sign of the land’s spectacular beauty.  A sea of green rain forest floated in a turquoise ocean bordered by white sandy beaches.

Tired from the travel, we checked in at our hotel and had lunch.  No mention of Ron Dawn was on the menu.  For dinner we tried a local restaurant with the same result.  The next day we casually mentioned it to our waiter.  “Oh”, he said.  “You want the Ron Dawn”.  It was as much an accusation as it was a question.  When we answered in the affirmative he responded. “Ok, we can prepare it for you.  What time would you like it?”

He explained that the dish takes approximately 4 hours to prepare.  By this time another server appeared and joined the conversation.  When we said we would like it for dinner, she warned us against it.  The Ron Dawn is very rich she said.  You will not want to go to bed on such a full stomach.  We chose not to heed the advice and requested the dish for our evening supper.  Luckily we decided to order just one serving and split the meal.

The dish is large, more food than one person needs.  Like the island it is a collection of what Nicaragua offers all rolled up into one.  Ours came in a light coconut sauce, bordered with boiled plantains, potatoes, frangipanji, red peppers and bananas.  A top of this massive amount of starch was lobster, conk, and one whole fish, head included.  Unfortunately I found the dish to be bland.  We added chili sauce but the starchy vegetables were still too over powering.  The sauce was excellent but the coconut flavor was a mere hint as opposed to a statement.

All in all, the dish was the epitanome of the Corn Islands.  It was raw, ample and undeveloped.  For now it will remain a spoken delicacy, but as the world becomes more aware of it the recipe like the Islands will not remain a secret for long.