Puerto Rican Food

Whether you are visiting Puerto Rico or not, you have to try Puerto Rican food at some point in your life. If you are lucky enough to visit Puerto Rico you will know that they have some of tastiest cuisine that you have ever tasted. Simply put, Puerto Rican food is delicious. Do yourself a favor and try some authentic Puerto Rican food whenever you have a chance. Obviously the best place to get the best food would be in Puerto Rico. Everyone raves and rants about the beautiful beaches, extraordinary resorts, and the unmatched nightlife. But when it comes to amazing food, Puerto Rico delivers. Food is certainly a big part of deciding where to go on vacation. Puerto Rico delivers as a great vacation spot in general, they just seem to have all the components to make a holiday getaway a success.

• Great Puerto Rican food is available in the form of breakfast all the way through dinner. Breakfast is actually a big part of the culture in Puerto Rico. Having a big breakfast is one way to taste many delicacies. A traditional Puerto Rican breakfast is a hearty meal that usual includes juice, chocolate caliente, fresh tropical fruits, eggs with beef, fried or sautéed plantains, and toasted local bread. Breakfast can be had at many Puerto Rican restaurants up until noon.

• When talking about Puerto Rican food, soup is always brought up. Lunch and dinner in Puerto Rico generally begin with a wide assortment of flavorful soups, including stew gumbos, often accompanied by appetizers of meat pies. Most soups and stews, along with other dishes, are made from “sofrito,” a sautéed mixture made of coriander, garlic, onion, sweet pepper, oregano and tomato puree.

• Puerto Rico always seems to have fresh fruits and vegetables. Roasted vegetables are prevalent when it comes to Puerto Rican food. Plantains and yams are part of almost every Puerto Rican meal. They are served dried, sautéed, mashed and mixed with salsa, rice and beans.

• Puerto Rican food and lobster go hand and hand. Caribbean lobster are usually sweeter than Maine lobsters and are a common delicacy in Puerto Rico along with dolphin and red snapper.

• Puerto Rican food also has great deserts too. You probably have heard about flan already, but if you haven’t it is best enjoyed in Puerto Rico. It is a delicious pudding and fruit paste served with native white cheese and a sampling of exotic fresh fruit such as papaya, mango, guanabana and parcha.

Puerto Rican food is available stateside too of course just like many other foods. If you ever in mood for trying something new, try looking up any authentic Puerto Rican restaurants in your area, you won’t be disappointed.

Puerto Rican Culture

Puerto Rican culture is a wide array of blends from different influences. Over the years Puerto Rico has been involved with different settlers and been a main strategic post for the Spanish army. The Puerto Rican culture that we know today has been molded through time. Like many other cultures, there are a multitude of things that make Puerto Rico unique. Puerto Rican culture can be seen as a mixture of Spanish, African, and Taino Indian. The creation of culture is a slow stir of mixtures in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has become modernized when the United States ultimately took over. Advancements in government, health care and even currency has changed the way of life in Puerto Rican culture. Despite that however, the heritage has not weakened and remained prevalent throughout the islands.

• To truly understand Puerto Rican culture, you must first know about the history of Puerto Rico. The islands’ original inhabitants were the Taino Indians. In the 18th century, the Spaniards began to take control of the islands and they would often take Taino brides. Years later, African slaves were imported. In 1898, when American expatriates came to the island, the culture already consisted of a rich blend of Chinese, French, Italian, and German peoples. In the 1960’s, Puerto Rico saw a surge in Cuban immigrants fleeing Fidel Castro. Much of the folklore heritage for Puerto Rican culture comes mainly from the Taino tribes, African slaves, and Spaniards.

• Puerto Rico is located right above the Caribbean Basin, and the Atlantic Ocean borders the north of the island. Puerto Rico consists of many smaller islands as well. One island of Puerto Rico is Mona, which is a wildlife preserve. There are about 20 other rainforest reserves, as preservation is a big concern.

• Celebrations are an important part of Puerto Rican culture. Many of the celebrations have a Roman Catholic influence in their modern incarnations. Christmas season in Puerto Rico is the longest celebration of the islands, and last from late November to the 6th of January. Feasts and festivities are common during Christmas season. Food such as fried plantains, roast pork, cooked yam, and meats wrapped in banana leaves are not uncommon during this time of year. Much like the American tradition of celebrating a young girls “sweet sixteen,” the Puerto Rican culture is to celebrate the fifteenth birthday. This is called Quinceanera and is a right of passage for young girls.

Food is always influenced by culture and the same applies here. Puerto Rican culture has helped shape almost every aspect of life on the islands. Improvements to the way of life, such as health care, public schools, freedom of assembly have all been added as the United States way of life. There is no doubt that Puerto Rico is diverse culture that has been shaped over time by many different influences.