Puerto Rico Cuisine - Whet Your Apetite
As with most of Puerto Rico's culture, the country's cuisine reflects strong Taino, Spanish, African and American influences. Locally known as Cocina Criolla or Creole Cooking, Puerto Rican traditional cuisine can be traced back to the original inhabitants of the land who feasted on fruit, corn and freshly caught seafood. Later, when Columbus arrived on the scene in 1493, other meat, rice, wheat and oil products were thrown into the mix. These mingled flavors can be tasted in various forms in traditional Puerto Rican cuisine.
A full meal in Puerto Rico might include appetizers of cod fritters or cornmeal fingers. Many old-school Puerto Ricans love their soups which are thought to be the original meal of choice by the islands' inhabitants. Frijoles negros or black bean soup is popular soup and a lovely start to your Puerto Rican meal.
For your main meal, you'll no doubt be treated with a Puerto Rican-style roasted meat. A delicious basting called Adobo is rubbed into the meat before it gets the roasting treatment. Adobo is essentially crushed pepper corns, oregano, olive oil & salt and some lemon juice. This tangy, spicy mixture gives off a beautiful and mouth-watering aroma that'll really get your stomach rumbling in anticipation.
Stews are greatly popular in Puerto Rico. Usually cooked in a large pot or kettle, large chunks of beef are marinated in a sauce of capers, pimento olives, cilantro, garlic, potatoes, onion, green and sweet chili peppers.
Deserts are usually light and often include coconut. Nisperos de batata is a very popular Puerto Rican desert of sweet potato balls covered in custard and flavored with cinnamon.
Not to be forgotten, is the traditionally strong Puerto Rican coffee which has been perfected over the last 300 years.
Puerto Rico Recipes
Arroz de Leche (Rice Soup)
1 Cup Uncooked Rice
4 Cups Water
Whole Milk
Salt
Boil the rice in a sauce pan over medium heat until it is
cooked for approximately 30 minutes. When the rice is cooked,
add enough milk to cover the rice, it should be soupy.
Serve warm.
Arroz Amarillo con Camarones y Vegetales Mixtos (Yellow Rice with Shrimp and Mixed Vegetables)
2 tablespoons annatto oil
1 tablespoon corn oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2-1/2 cups short-grain rice
4 cups boiling water or chicken stock
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Heat the oils in a large frying pot.
Sauté the shrimp over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add the mixed vegetables and rice.
Toss well and continue to cook for one more minute.
Add the boiling water or chicken stock and the seasonings.
Cook until the water has evaporated.
Stir, lower the heat, and cook for 20 more minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
Mousse de Guayaba (Guava Mousse)
6 egg whites
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup frozen guava pulp, thawed
Beat the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream and guava into the egg whites, in alternating batches.
Put in refrigerator to cool and set.
