Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
STAPLES & SPECIALTIES
Meat
First things first: Puerto Ricans adore meat. They smoke it, stew it, fry it and fillet it. They
make bold claims about it (apparently modern barbecue descends from the roast pork that
the Taíno called
barbicoa
), mash it up with all kinds of starches (
mofongo,
anyone?) and
form it into outlandish designs (such as chuletas can-can, fringed like a showgirl's skirt).
But fancy or no-frills, the top of the Puerto Rican food chain is a smoky, savory
lechón
asado
(roast suckling pig), which is cooked on a spit over a charcoal fire. When it's done
right, the pig is liberally seasoned with a distinctive seasoning called adobo (garlic, oregano,
paprika, peppercorns, salt, olive, lime juice and vinegar worked into a paste for seasoning
meat). Adobo comes from Spain and is often associated with Filipino food. Then, the meat is
basted with achiote (annato seeds) and juice from
naranjas
(the island's sour oranges). Fin-
ally, after it's cooked to crispness, the meat is served with
ajili-mójili
(tangy garlic sauce).
For less festive occasions, Puerto Rican dinners include roast
cabro
(kid goat),
ternera
(veal),
pollo
(chicken) or
carne mechada
(roast beef).
Seafood
Surprisingly, Puerto Ricans don't eat much fish, but a popular way to prepare seafood - from
pulpo
(octopus) to
mero
(sea bass) - is
en escabeche
. This technique yields a fried then
chilled seafood, pickled in vinegar, oil, peppercorns, salt, onions, bay leaves and lime juice.
Fried fish is often topped with
mojo isleño
(a piquant sauce of vinegar, tomato sauce,
capers and spices).
Jueyes
(land crabs) have long been a staple of islanders who can simply
gather them from the beaches. An easy way to enjoy the taste is to eat
empanadillas de
jueyes (
crab is picked from the shells, seasoned and baked in a wrap with casabe paste,
which is made from yucca). Fish lovers should also try a bowl of
sopón de pescado
(fish
soup), with its scent of onions, garlic and a subtle taste of sherry.
The traditional recipes in
A Taste of Puerto Rico
by Yvonne Ortiz are good, but more intriguing are the descriptions of some of the
more modern dishes appearing on the island, especially the new emphasis on healthy seafood.
