Puerto Rican Cuisine.......que rico!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Common Ingredients & 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 usually spicy or hot, but there are often sweet-sour combinations. Vinegar, sour orange and lime juice lend a sour touch, while dried or fresh fruits add a sweet balance to dishes.

Popular Dishes & Recipes

Pasteles, a type of tamal wrapped in banana leaves, are typical fare around Christmastime. 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 is mashed plantain mixed with pork cracklings that 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.
And don't forget rum! Puerto Rico makes some of the world's best.