Rich port, richer foods: Essential Puerto Rican dishes everyone should know

The Spanish Caribbean region's cuisine demonstrates how different and seemingly disparate cultures can contribute to a natural form of culinary fusion. Puerto Rican cuisine, in particular, can be traced back to 1493, when Christopher Columbus' expedition allowed Spain to colonize the island. La Mallorquina is one of the oldest restaurants in Old San Juan, opening in 1848, and the first cookbook, E l Cocinero Puerto-Riqueño o Formulario, was published in 1859.

Three seemingly unrelated sources influence traditional Puerto Rican dishes. The indigenous Tainos tribe cultivated root vegetables and tropical fruits for thousands of years. Spanish colonizers brought over their own livestock and also developed a seafood-based economy. The arrival of African slaves as plantation workers introduced new cooking techniques and unique spice blends. Because Puerto Rico is now a United States territory, there has also been a noticeable American culinary influence as well.

8 Essential Puerto Rican Dishes Every Foodie Should Know

Empanadillas

Empanadillas are small crescent-shaped turnovers typically filled with a savory mix of ground beef and potatoes. Available fried or baked, the empanadilla's filling contains two Puerto Rican staples: sofrito and achiote.

Much like Indian curry, sofrito recipes vary from region to region, but Puerto Rican sofrito incorporates onions, cubanelle peppers, garlic, cilantro, ajices dulces peppers, cilantro, culantro, tomatoes, and red pepper. These ingredients are chopped into a fine paste in a food processor.

Achiote is a nutty, sweet, and earthy spice sold in both powder and oil form.

After filling and frying, a Puerto Rican empanadilla has a slightly crunchy crust that holds a generous portion of filling. Popular alternatives to ground beef include lobster, conch, and shrimp.

Rellenos de Papa

"The first Puerto Rican dish I ever tried was rellenos de papa," shares Michael Pollick from Media Decision. "I was amazed at the depth of flavor. This wasn't a typical spicy Hispanic side dish or a thick American comfort food. The sofrito brought a unique flavor combination, and the plantains, which I had never had before, were surprisingly good."

Rellenos de papa, often served as an appetizer or street food, combines a mashed potato-based croquette with picadillo, ground beef, or pork seasoned with sofrito. Additional ingredients could include onions and cheese. Plantains or breadfruit are sometimes used in place of potatoes. The croquettes are breaded and deep-fried before serving.

Tostones and Maduros

Plantains are considered a staple food in Puerto Rico. To make the savory snack tostones, unripened green plantains are fried twice in oil, then sprinkled with salt and served with a garlic sauce. Tostones are equivalent to french fries in American cuisine.

Fully ripened plantains, which closely resemble bananas, are used to create the sweet counterpart called maduros. Maduros can be fried lightly in oil or griddled and served as a side dish to offset salty or spicy dishes.

Pasteles

Pasteles are considered essential Christmas food in Puerto Rico but are very labor intensive. Preparation is reminiscent of masa-based tamales, with a soft vegetable-based dough shell wrapped and steamed in banana leaves. The dough is a seasoned blend of grated green plantains, green bananas, malanga/yutía (a root vegetable similar to yuca), and potato or pumpkin with milk.

The filling may contain pork, along with tropical vegetables and possibly pumpkin. Both the filling and the masa-like dough are seasoned with achiote and/or sofrito. Meat fillings include pork, tropical vegetables, and pumpkin. Both filling and dough are often seasoned with achiote and/or sofrito.

Mofongo

Mofongo has become a signature dish of Puerto Rican cuisine and has also made its way onto American menus. The base of mofongo is a mash-up of fried plantains, crunchy pork skin, and garlic, but there are dozens of regional variations when it comes to meat and spice fillings. It is typically served as a side dish but can also be portioned as a full entree. American versions of mofongo typically add chunks of grilled chicken or pork to make it a substantial main course. The dish is often topped with stewed shrimp as well.

Pernil

Pernil is a slow-roasted pork shoulder that can require almost a full day to prepare, but the end result is a fork-tender roast that falls apart easily. A whole pork shoulder, butt, or leg is seasoned with salt, pepper, sofrito, Adobo, oregano, and sometimes a Sazon spice packet.

The meat is roasted very slowly for hours and may be marinated or basted with oil and citrus fruits. The finished dish is often served with rice or bread and a mojito sauce. The crispy skin is also crumbled and served as a garnish for the pork.

Pollo Guisado

Pollo guisado is a one-pot chicken stew, considered a comfort food in Puerto Rico. Dark meat chicken is browned and cooked down with adobo, sofrito, achiote, garlic, cilantro, oregano, and other seasonings. The stew's broth is typically tomato-based. Vegetables in pollo guisado vary widely from region to region, but heaty root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots are common. Olives are also popular additions, along with bell peppers and onions.

Pollo guisado is usually served in a large bowl as a stew, with a garnish of red pepper flakes and parsley.

Arroz Con Habichuelas / Arroz Con Gandules

The Puerto Rican version of beans and rice, arroz con habichuelas or gandules, is a staple comfort food typically served as a side dish along with sliced avocados, fried plantains, or picadillo. The beans are heavily seasoned with bacon fat and sofrito, but regional recipes allow for pigeon peas, herb blends, Spanish olives, and local seasonings. This flavorful dish can also be used as a base for meat dishes. Sazon and adobo spices are commonly added to many Puerto Rican rice and bean recipes.

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.