Puerto
Rico Food & Restaurants
Puerto
Ricans, like everyone, love to eat and
in so doing have perfected the art of
Caribbean cuisine into its own cocina
criolla. This special Caribbean cookery
has a fairly traceable family tree and
it is safe to say that it was initiated
by the early Indian inhabitants of the
island. For almost 500 years the basic
ingredients the Arawaks used have been
enriched by the culinary skills of newcomers
from Europe such as the Spaniards or of
the African slaves brought to toil in
the sugar fields. The time-honored ingredients
are still at te bottom of almost every
dish but the different and delicate blends
and innovations of five centuries have
developed a genuine cuisine.
The
seasoning is perhaps the most noticeable
difference in Puerto Rican cookery.. You
must think of pepper, lime rind, cinnamon,
cloves, fresh ginger, garlic and the juice
of the sour orange. Some favorite herbs
are culantro(coriander), and orégano.These,
together with small sweet peppers are
widely used to flavor soups, meats and
legumes. The real secret of the cocina
criolla, however, lies in the use of sofrito,
achiote lard and the caldero.The mortar
and pestle, used to grind small quantities
of seasonings to a small paste is indispensable
in the Puerto Rican household. |
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Sofrito
is a combination of ingredients used as a seasoning
to give a distinctive, characteristic taste
to many native dishes.The caldero or cauldron
is an iron or cast-aluminum kettle with round
bottom and straight sides used to cook the arroz
con pollo (rice with chicken) and many other
dishes. The use of this pot or a similar heavy
kettle is indispensable to cook a good rice
recipe.
One
of the contributions to the Caribbean diet are
the plátanos or plantains which may be
eaten green or ripe and can be fried, baked,
boiled or roasted and served either whole or
in slices.The leaves of the plantain plant are
used to wrap up foods to be boiled or baked
such as the delicious pasteles.
Rice
is a mainstay of the Puerto Rican diet and it
can be prepared in a variety of ways be it "white"
served with kidney beans or prepared with gandules
(pigeon peas) or garbanzos (chick-peas) or in
a variety of other delicious ways...( just try
a well-made rice with chicken).
Soups
are a popular beginning for meals in Puerto
Rico or a full meal by themselves such as the
sopón de pollo con arróz (chicken
soup with rice), sopón de pescado (fish
soup) or sopón de garbanzos con patas
de cerdo (chick peas soup with pig's feet).
Not really a soup, one of the most traditional
of dishes is the asopao,a hearty gumbo made
with fish or chicken. Every Puerto Rican chef
has his own recipe for asopao. Asopao de pollo
might take a whole chicken, which is flavored
with spices such as garlic, paprika and orégano
as well with salt pork, cured ham, green peppers,
chili peppers,onions, tomatoes,chorizos and
pimentos. If the budget is low an asopao de
gandules will still be a hearty meal. An amazing
number of ingredients, notably local vegetables,
plantains and meats go into the sancocho, a
type of Caribbean soup which is a true delicacy..
The
roasted or barbecued pig is a favorite for Christmas
and other occasions, the pig being roasted in
an open pit, a process that takes a few hours.
It is traditional for picnics and alfresco parties
where the aroma of this dish wafting through
the palm trees is enticing and appetizing.The
pig is basted with sour orange juice and achiote
coloring.The lechón asado is best when
the pig's skin is golden and absolutely crisp..The
traditional dressing served with the pig is
the aji-li-mojili, a sauce combining garlic,sweet
seeded chili peppers, flavored further with
vinegar, lime juice, salt and olive oil.
A
favorite side dish are the tostones, made from
plátanos (green plantains) which are
sliced, fried lightly, then are crushed and
placed back on the frying pan to be fried again
to a crunchy golden yellow...
The
best-loved street snacks are the deep-fried
codfish fritter(bacalaítos fritos), pastelillos(deep-fried
cheese and meat turn-overs), and alcapurrias,
banana croquettes stuffed with beef or pork.
The
abundant tropical fruits are used to prepare
delicious juices or nectars to freshen up the
tropical heat--a favorite is pineapple juice
from some of the most sweetest pineapples in
the world...Coconut, papaya, lime and tamarind
are among other delicacies worth trying. Mangoes
from the western part of the island are among
the sweetest of fruits..
Puerto
Rican desserts include the pudding or custard
flan and the tembleque. Papaya cubes cooked
in sugar and cinnamon must be accompanied by
white cheese(queso blanco). Arróz con
dulce is made of cooked rice and coconut cream,
sugar and cinnamon.
Puerto
Ricans are heavy coffee drinkers and Puerto
Rican coffee is among the best in the world..islanders
like their coffee real strong, some drink it
black, others as café-con-leche.
Puerto
Rican Rums are known world-wide as the best
as they are aged for years according to law
enjoy Rum and Coke (Cuba Libre) which is one
of the local favorites. Rum is also the basis
for the famous Piña Colada together with
coconut cream, and pineapple juice. Although
Bacardi is the brand most sold in the US, for
Puerto Ricans the best of rums is Don Q Rum.
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Restaurant
addresses in Puerto Rico >>
Links
& Sources:
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