Puerto Rico: Recipes and Cuisine

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Image by cogito ergo imago

Puerto Rico is a lush, tropical jewel set in the middle of the sun-drenched Caribbean. This island nation, actually a self-governing territory of the United States, is home to a rich culinary tradition known to natives as cocina criolla. The popularity of Puerto Rican cooking reaches beyond the island’s shores to a large Boricua immigrant population in New York and other American cities.

Puerto Rican Cuisine: A Background

When Columbus first landed in Puerto Rico in 1493, it was inhabited by the Taíno, an Amerindian people who called their home “Borikén.” The Taíno diet made use of indigenous ingredients such as cassava, sweet potatoes, calabaza squash, beans, peppers, pineapple and guava. They hunted small prey like birds and iguanas and cast nets for fish and turtles. With the arrival of Europeans, much of the original population was decimated, and Spanish influence came to dominate politically, culturally and culinarily.

A large population of African slaves brought their own ingredients and dishes to the island’s cooking. And in the twentieth century, American food culture added to the mix. The blending of these diverse influences led to a distinctively Puerto Rican cuisine known as cocina criolla.

Common Ingredients and Cooking Methods

Typical ingredients in Puerto Rican cooking are chicken, fish, seafood, avocados, calabaza (pumpkin), greens, chayote, okra, gandules (pigeon peas), apio ñame (yams), plátanos (plantains), sweet potatoes, yuca (cassava), yautía (taro root), rice, bananas, coconuts, guavas, mangoes and guanábanas. Cilantro, culantro (recao) and oregano are popular herbs.

Puerto Rican cooking is distinguished by its use of adobo and sofrito. Adobo is simply a marinade or rub, typically with garlic and lime juice or vinegar, that is used to season meat and poultry. Sofrito is a blend of ingredients – usually onions, garlic, peppers, sweet chilies, oregano, cilantro and some ham – that is used to start off and flavor a dish.

Another hallmark of Boricua cuisine is achiote, a reddish-yellow oil made with annatto seeds. It imparts a distinctive hue to rice and other dishes.

Puerto Rican food is not particularly spicy, but sweet-sour combinations are popular. Vinegar, sour orange and lime juice lend a sour touch, while dried or fresh fruits add a sweet balance to dishes.

Popular Dishes & Recipes

Asopao is a gumbo-like stew that is made with chicken or pigeon peas. Pork is roasted at home as pernil al horno or sold at roadside stands, where pieces are cut off a whole roast pig. Mofongo, mashed plantain mixed with pork cracklings, often serves as a meal’s starch. Plantains are also popular as fried chips called tostones that are served with garlicky mojo sauce. Arroz con pollo, or chicken with rice, is considered something of a national dish. Pasteles, a type of tamal wrapped in banana leaves, are typical fare around Christmastime.

And don’t forget rum! Puerto Rico makes some of the world’s best.

Typical Puerto Rican Dishes

A list of typical Puerto Rican dishes and foods. Use it to help you plan a Boricua-style meal, party or festival.

Appetizers

  • Alcapurrias (Stuffed yuca fritters)
  • Bacalaítos Fritos (Deep-fried salt cod)
  • Guineitos Verdes en Salsa Aji-li-mójili (Green bananas with spicy sauce)
  • Pastelillos (Stuffed pastries)
  • Piononos (Plantain cones)
  • Tostones (Fried plantains)

Soups and Stews

  • Asopao de Gandules (Rice and pigeon pea stew)
  • Asopao de Pollo (Chicken stew)
  • Caldo Gallego (Galician sausage and greens soup)
  • Mondongo (Tripe soup)
  • Sancocho (Root vegetable stew)
  • Sopón de Pollo con Arroz (Chicken soup with rice)

Salads

  • Ensalada de Bacalao (Shredded salt cod with capers and olives)

Eggs and Dairy

  • Huevos Revueltos con Chayote (Scrambled eggs with chayote)

Poultry

  • Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with rice)
  • Pavo Estofado (Braised turkey)
  • Pollo en Fricasé (Chicken fricassee)
  • Pollo al Jerez (Chicken in sherry)
  • Pollo Guisado (Stewed chicken)

Meats

  • Albóndigas con Papas (Meatballs and potatoes)
  • Carne Agridulce (Sweet and sour beef)
  • Carne Guisada Puertoriqueña (Beef stew)
  • Lengua Estofada (Braised beef tongue)
  • Pastelillos (Stuffed pastries)
  • Pernil al Horno (Roast pork shoulder)

Fish and Seafood

  • Camarones in Cerveza (Shrimp simmered in beer)
  • Mojo Isleño (Fish with tomato-olive sauce)
  • Paella (Chicken and seafood with saffron rice)
  • Pescado Dorado (Golden fish)
  • Pescado en Escabeche (Citrus-marinated seafood)

Vegetables and Beans

  • Batatas en Almíbar (Candied sweet potatoes)
  • Chayotes Rellenos (Stuffed baked chayotes)
  • Frijoles Negros (Black beans)
  • Quimbombó Guisado (Stewed okra)
  • Habichuelas Rosadas Secas (Red bean stew)
  • Mofongo (Mashed plantains and pork cracklings)
  • Papas Empanada al Horno (Potato pudding)
  • Papas y Zanahorias (Roasted potatoes and carrots)

Breads and Grains

  • Arroz Apastelado
  • Arroz con Gandules (Rice with pigeon peas)
  • Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with rice)
  • Buñuelos de Queso (Cheese fritters)
  • Pasteles (Savory cakes in banana leaves)
  • Pastelillos (Cheese and meat turnovers)
  • Yani-clecas (Fried buns)

Sauces and Condiments

  • Achiote (Annatto oil)
  • Adobo (Latino garlic-pepper-vinegar marinade)
  • Aji-li-Mójili (Sour garlic sauce)
  • Alcaparrado (Seasoning mix of olives, raisins and capers)
  • Guava Paste
  • Mojo (Garlic sauce)
  • Sofrito (Vegetable flavoring base)
  • Vinagre de Piña (Seasoned pineapple vinegar)

Desserts

  • Arroz con Dulce (Latin rice pudding)
  • Bizcocho de Chinas Frescas (Orange cake)
  • Buñuelos de Ñame (Yam buns)
  • Flan de Leche (Caramel custard)
  • Flan de Piña (Pineapple custard)
  • Dulce de Lechosa Rallado (Papaya dessert)
  • Pastel de Coco (Coconut pie)
  • Pastel de Limón Verde (Lime pie)
  • Tembleque (Coconut pudding)

Beverages

  • Batidos (Fruit shakes)
  • Café-con-Leche (Coffee with milk)
  • Cerveza (Beer)
  • Coquito (Coconut eggnog)
  • Maví (Fermented bark beverage)
  • Limeade (Lime beverage)
  • Piña Coladas (Pineapple-coconut beverage)
  • Rum (Sugarcane liquor)

Puerto Rican Recipes

Try these recipes from Puerto Rico.

Arroz con Gandules 
(Puerto Rican rice and pigeon peas)

Sofrito 
(Latin flavoring base)

Sazón 
(Puerto Rican seasoning salt)

Sopa de Mondongo 
(Latin American tripe and vegetable soup)

Pastelillos 
(Puerto Rican stuffed pastries)

Asopao de Pollo 
(Puerto Rican, Dominican chicken and rice stew)

Arroz con Dulce 
(Puerto Rican rice pudding with coconut milk)

Pollo en Fricasé 
(Caribbean chicken fricassee)

Mofongo 
(Puerto Rican, Dominican mashed plantains and pork cracklings)

Piña Coladas 
(Puerto Rican pineapple-coconut cocktail)

Mojo Isleño 
(Puerto Rican fish with tomato-olive sauce)

Asopao de Gandules 
(Puerto Rican rice and pigeon pea stew)

Quimbombó Guisado 
(Puerto Rican stewed okra)

Sancocho 
(Latin root vegetable stew)

Adobo 
(Latin garlic-pepper-vinegar marinade)

Tembleque 
(Puerto rican coconut pudding)

Tostones 
(Caribbean fried plantains)

Pasteles 
(Puerto Rican savory cakes in banana leaves)

Buñuelos de Queso 
(Puerto Rican cheese fritters)

Coquito 
(Puerto Rican coconut-rum beverage)

Alcapurrias 
(Puerto Rican stuffed fritters)

Pollo Guisado 
(Dominican, Puerto Rican stewed chicken)

Pernil al Horno 
(Puerto Rican roast pork shoulder)

Flan de Leche 
(Latin caramel custard)

Arroz con Pollo 
(Latin chicken with rice)

Mojo 
(Latin-Caribbean garlic sauce)

Achiote 
(Puerto Rican annatto oil)



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