Food

Authentic Puerto Rican food is a blend our Spanish, African, and Indigenous heritage. You will also find a lot of Cuban influence. The aroma that wafts from kitchens throughout Puerto Rico comes from adobo and sofrito -blends of herbs and spices that give many of the native foods their distinctive taste and color. Adobo, made by crushing together peppercorns, oregano, garlic, salt, olive oil, and lime juice or vinegar, is rubbed into meats before they are roasted. Sofrito, a potpourri of onions, garlic, coriander, and peppers browned in either olive oil or land and colored with achiote (annatoo seeds), imparts the bright-yellow color to the island's rice, soups, and stews.

Make sure you try one if not all of our plantain dishes: mofongo, tostones, maduros, arañitas, etc. Rice and beans are also common staples. Some popular meat dishes are fried beefsteak with onions and roasted pork.

Street vendors are very popular. My godmother Connie jokes that you can do all your groceries without even getting out of the car. By the beach you will find vendors selling Alcapurrias, scrumtipus fritters, usually made with a batter of taro (yautia) and plantains, and are stuffed with either meat, crab, shrimp, or lobster. Puerto Rican-style arepas, which are nothing like their South American counterparts, are pastry patties made with wheat flour and deep fried until flaky, with a crunchy, bubbled surface. Bacalaitos are another very traditional Puerto Rican fritter, made with rehydrated and de-salted cod mixed in with flour batter. The best place to try all these delicious food is the 60 Kiosks of Luquillo, which are a long stretch of street vendors by the beach. This is a great stop after visiting El Yunque.

For breakfast, you must find a bakery and try the quesitos, which are twisted pastries filled with cream cheese. Mallorcas are a buttery bread grilled and sprinkled with powdered sugar, which can be eaten plain, with butter, or any combination of ham, egg, and cheese. Any kind of bread you try in Puerto Rico will be amazing. Any bakery will offer the staples: pan the agua, used to make sandwiches like the famous Cubano and pan sobao, which is a little bit sweater and softer. Finish up your breakfast with cafe con leche, a coffee beverage consisting of a strong or bold coffee (sometimes espress) mixed with scalded milk in approximately a 1:1 ratio, or a cortadito, a shot of espresso with a squirt of steamed milk. By the way, no matter the time of the day and no matter how hot it is outside, Puerto Ricans finish up their meals with a cup of coffee. For the most authentic breakfast experience visit La Bombonera in Old San Juan (259 Calle de San Francisco, 787-722-0658).

One note on Puerto Rican etiquette, as you are sitting at a restaurants, you will notice that strangers that walk past your table will say "Buen Provecho". This means good eating.

Restaurants I recommend you visit:

For Authentic Puerto Rican Food

Raices Restuarant in Old San Juan

One of our favorites.

Barrachina in Old San Juan

The birthplace of the original pina colada.

Bebo's Cafe in Cupey and Santurce

For Cuban Food

Metropol, locations in San Juan, Hato Rey, Guaynabo, and Isla Verde

Something different

Tantra in Old San Juan

Fusion of Puerto Rican and Indian food.

Wasabi in Condado

Sushi with a Puerto Rican twist!

Perurrican in Guaynabo

Fusion of Peruvian and Puerto Rican cuisine.

FOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!

This week, Andrew Zimmern's Bizzare Foods was set in PR... Here's what he had to say about the island:

By Andrew Zimmern on June 9, 2009 12:07 PM

Why go to Puerto Rico: Well, because it's the best secret hiding in plain sight in the Caribbean! ...and due to massive migration to the US over the years, it is said there are more Puerto Ricans living in New York than in San Juan. Growing up in New York City, I long ago got a big taste of Puerto Rico's culture and cuisine but not the full flavor of the island's diversity. I wanted to visit the "real" Puerto Rico - and believe me, this Caribbean island is no West Side Story. Steeped in an amalgam of complex influences, the cuisine clearly reflects the island's history: from original Taino native tribes to its Spanish occupation and subsequent influx of African slaves, to its current status as a Commonwealth of the United States. Nothing reveals the history of Puerto Rico more than the impact it has had on the cuisine. Spanish, African, and native Taino influences can be tasted in nearly every traditional Puerto Rican dish. Sound intriguing? I thought so.

The Holidays in Puerto Rico

It means a lot to us that you will take time out of the holiday with your families to celebrate our wedding. The holiday season is the most beautiful time to visit Puerto Rico. Our Christmas traditions are rooted in Catholicism and influenced by American and Spanish customs. Today, We pride ourselves as the country with the longest holiday season, starting right after Thanksgiving and lasting 8 days after Epiphany.

Homes are decorated with lights and poinsettias, Christmas trees and scenes of the Nativity, also known as "nacimientos" or "pesebres" are very popular. The season combines delicious food, great music and festive merry-making. Typical dishes are roast pork, seasoned rice with pigeon peas, fried plantains, cooked green bananas, cooked yam and "pasteles", made of mashed plantains or yucca, filled with meat and other vegetables, wrapped in the leaves of the banana tree. The favorite desserts are "arroz con dulce" (rice cooked with spices, raisins, sugar, milk, and coconut milk) and "tembleque" (a custard made with cornstarch, sugar, and coconut milk). The most famous drinks are rum and "coquito" prepared with coconut milk and rum (Puerto Rico's counterpart to the American eggnog). Other Christmas foods include Spanish "turrón" (a hard white nougat with almonds), Spanish apple cider, nuts, and assorted candies.

Friends often form "parrandas", "asaltos" or "trullas", a more joyful group than typical North American Christmas carolers. Lively music is sung usually to bongo, guitar, güiro and other musical instruments as the group goes to visit homes of unsuspecting friend's, eats and drinks, and then moves on to the home of another friend. The cycle repeats itself, usually until next day.

Misas de Aguinaldo are held for nine consecutive days ending on the day before Christmas Eve. This Catholic Mass is almost completely a song service. Aguinaldos are sung and the musical instruments used are the traditional cuatro (Puerto Rican guitar), guiros, and maracas.

On December 24th, a Catholic mass is celebrated at midnight, called "Misa de Gallo" (Rooster Mass), to commemorate the birth of Jesus. On this day, commonly known as "Nochebuena", many families organize a special dinner or party to celebrate.

On December 25th, Puerto Ricans celebrates Jesus' birthday. Santa Claus brings gifts to the children who had been good during the year. This tradition has been part part of Puerto Rico's Holiday season since the 1940s.

December 28th marks the day of the Holy Innocents. Catholics commemorate the mass slaying of male children by Herod in Bethlehem following the birth of Christ, as it is told in the Gospel. This feast used to be celebrated much like a carnival, where men dressed as the "evil soldiers of Herod" went house to house, "kidnapping" the first-born boy from every family. To recover their children, the families offered the soldiers gifts and candly. This tradition continues today in a small town called Hatillo. The celebration in the rest of the island is more like April Fool's Day in the USA, where people trick each other.

On December 31, people celebrate the end of the year with relatives and friends. The major event occurs at midnight, when everybody greets and hug each other and wishes good luck and happiness to everyone. Some traditions includes: a) eating 12 grapes, one for every time the clock rings its bells to tell time. It is believed to bring good luck to those who can eat all 12 grapes before the clock stops ringing the bells b) throw out a bucket of dirty water by the balcony or window, it is believed to scare away bad luck.

On January 5th, the feast of Epiphany's Eve, children place water and grass under their beds for the three wise men's (or the Three Kings, as they are better known locally) camels, and in return, the Three King's brings presents, which they leave under the bed, after the camels eat the grass. Children wake up early on January 6 ("Dia de Reyes") to check out what Baltazar, Melchor, and Gaspar left them. Epiphany commemorates the day in which the three wise men arrived bearing gifts for the Christ child.

During this season Old San Juan is decorated beautifully. I would really recommend a visit to the town at night so you can fully enjoy the sights.

Information from:

http://www.elboricua.com/traditions.html

http://welcome.topuertorico.org/culture/folklore.shtml