Catibías

Catibías are crispy fried turnovers made from yuca flour dough, distinguishing them from the wheat-flour empanadas and pastelitos. The yuca-based dough gives catibías a unique texture — crunchier and more brittle than wheat-based pastries, with a slightly sweet, earthy flavor. They are traditionally filled with seasoned crab meat, though shrimp, ground beef, and cheese fillings are also popular.

The yuca flour dough for catibías is made by grating fresh yuca, extracting the starchy liquid, and using the resulting flour to create a pliable dough. The turnovers are shaped into half-moons, sealed, and deep-fried until golden and crispy. The result is a pastry that shatters when you bite into it, revealing the savory filling inside.

Catibías have direct roots in Taino cuisine — the indigenous people of Hispaniola were master yuca processors who created casabe bread and other yuca-based foods long before European contact. Catibías represent a living link to pre-Columbian culinary traditions, adapted over centuries with fillings and frying techniques from later culinary influences.