An Introduction To Puerto Rican Food

The food is probably the best thing about the island that most of the 
world at large doesn't know about. Puerto Rican food is largely a 
combination of Spanish and African elements, with some American 
characteristics blended in over the last century. Puerto Rico's best 
known dish these days is probably Mofongo, which is a ball of fried, 
green plantain filled with meat (usually either chicken, fish or pork) 
and sometimes served sitting in a few ounces of fish broth. Green 
plantains look a lot like bananas, but aren't sweet. The closest co-
mmon taste I could compare it to would be potato. When the plan-
tain ripens, it becomes sweet, but dishes with green plantain always
seem to taste best. Dishes like tostones and arañitas are also made
from green plantain.

Rice and beans are everywhere, and have long been a staple of the 
Puerto Rican diet. The rice is usually white, and the beans most often 
red kidney beans, but different varieties of both are used. The island's 
diet is also heavy on pork, and is often found inside pasteles (which
 are a sort of turnover) on kabobs (orpinchos) and in sausages. Pork 
chops are also...[CONTINUE READING]