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Puerto Rican Food
Puerto Rican cuisine has its roots in the cooking traditions and practices of Europe (mostly Spain), Africa and the native Taínos. History Puerto Rican cuisine has been influenced by an array of cultures including Taino Arawak, Spanish, and African. Although Puerto Rican cooking is somewhat similar to both Spanish and other Latin American cuisine, it reflects a unique blend of influences, using indigenous seasonings and ingredients. Locals call their cuisine ''cocina criolla''. By the end of the nineteenth century, the traditional Puerto Rican cuisine was well established. By 1848 the first restaurant, La Mallorquina, opened in Old San Juan. ''El Cocinero Puerto-Riqueño o Formulario'', the island's first cookbook, was published in 1849. Taíno influence ''See: Native American cuisine'' From the diet of the Taíno (culturally related with the Maya and Carib peoples of Central America and the Caribbean) and Arawak people come many tropical roots and tubers (collectively ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arroz Con Gandules
Arroz con gandules is a combination of rice, pigeon peas, and pork, cooked in the same pot with sofrito. This is Puerto Rico's national dish along with roasted pork. Preparation This dish is mainly served during Christmas season or for special occasions. The ''sofrito'' is the most important part of seasoning the rice. In Puerto Rican cooking sofrito, which is used as a base in many recipes, typically consists of the following ingredients: '' Recao'', cilantro, onions, garlic, ''aji dulce'' peppers, cubanelle peppers, and roasted tomatoes. Sofrito is blended into a watery or paste consistency. The idea is for the rice to absorb the sofrito for maximum flavor. Tomatoes are typically roasted the day of as the rest of the ingredients can be prepared together days in advance. The tomatoes are squeezed through a fine strainer discarding the seeds and skin. The day of cooking the first step is cooking the pigeon peas if they are being prepared from dried form or fresh, although the ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
