Puerto+Rican+Cuisine

By: Leily Torson **Puerto Rican Cuisine "Cocina Criolla" **

 **I. History of Puerto Rico**  **A. Pre-colonization**

The Taíno Indians came from South America to Puerto Rico between the seventh and eleventh centuries. The culture had begun to prosper during that time and later became dominant of the island. The Taíno Indians lived in small villages led by a chief and relied on the method of hunting and gathering in order to survive. There were about 30 to 60 thousand Taíno Indians in Puerto Rico by 1493, when Columbus arrived. Many Taíno women bore children of Spanish soldiers. Their children spoke a mixture of Taíno and Spanish. ** B. Spanish Colonization **

Christopher Columbus landed on Puerto Rico during his second voyage in 1493. At that time the island was called San Juan Batista after Saint John the Baptist. The island was later renamed Puerto Rico (Rich Port), because they had a useful harbor and the port became San Juan. During colonization the Spanish settlers enslaved the Taíno Indians forcing them to do physical labor. However the Catholic Church persuaded Ferdinand II to alter the law that forced the Taínos to be enslaved. Under the Burgos’ Laws there was to be no form of punishment used against the Taíno Indians, they received better working hours, they were paid, received hygiene and care and were later baptized under the Catholic Church. The Taínos rebelled against the Spanish in 1511 by drowning the Spanish soldier Diego Salcedo in order to figure out if the Spanish were immortal or not. As a result of the rebellion Ponce de León took revenge on the natives and within the next few decades the number of indigenous Taíno Indians depleted due to disease, violence and suicide. ** 1. African Slaves **

The lack of Taíno Indians caused a problem for the Spanish because they relied on the slavery of the Taínos in order to work in the gold mines, ginger and sugar plantations or to build forts. This problem began the slave trade from Africa to the Caribbean thus many Africans were imported to Puerto Rico. Eventually these new slaves would influence Puerto Rico in food, culture, music and more, as well as the entire Caribbean. The new African slaves were ordered to take over the jobs that the Taínos once performed. They lived in bahios (huts) with their families and were given a small piece of land in order to grow fruits and vegetables. The African slaves were discriminated against by the Spaniards and were educated by them in the Spanish language, the Africans had to educate their own children using the Spanish language as well. However they did add some native African words into the Spanish, later forming Puerto Rican Spanish. The slaves were forced to convert to Catholicism just like the Taíno Indians once were and had to adopt the last names of their Spanish masters. Many of the Spanish conquistadors intermarried with African or Taíno women creating interracial families who are the origin of the Puerto Rican population. When the gold mines were useless in 1664 the slaves were presented with freedom and land that were not Spanish colonies such as Jamaica and Haiti. Some stayed in Puerto Rico and joined the army, those that stayed took on many of the Spanish customs and traditions. Slavery in Puerto Rico was officially abolished in 1873. A lot of the newly freed slaves continued to work for their masters but were paid for their labor. ** C. United States **

The Spanish-American War began in 1898 between Spain and the United States. These two countries were fighting for Cuba’s independence from Spain. Spain was losing control of Cuba so they began to put the Cubans in concentration camps, the United States sent warships to Cuba to encourage Spain to release Cuba from under its rule. On December 10, 1898, the United States gained control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam under the Treaty of Paris and Cuba became independent.

**II. Influences on Cuisine**  The main crops used by the Taíno Indians were cassava, garlic, potatoes, yautías, mamey, guava, and anon. Yuca (cassava) is used to make casabe, which is a thin type of bread. The use of tropical fruits and vegetables, candied fruits, fruits preserved in syrup, seafood, condiments and legumes are all from traditional Taíno influences. Other Taíno influences include many types of peppers, tropical pumpkins, peanuts, corn and beans.  Spanish influences include a variety of ingredients such as wheat, garbanzos, olives, olive oil, onions, garlic, meats and poultry, as well as herbs and spices such as cilantro, oregano, basil and parsley. The Spanish also introduced cheese, cocoa and sugarcane to the island. Cooking methods used for pot cooking rice and beans and stewing originate from European influences. Puerto Rican meals are patterned after the Spanish custom: an average sized breakfast, a large lunch and a fairly small supper. Puerto Rican cuisine is similar to Cuban cuisine due to the same influences of the Spanish, the Africans and their shared location in the Caribbean. 
 * A. Taíno Indians**
 * B. Spain**
 * [[image:maduros3.jpg width="200" height="132" align="right" caption="Maduros: sweet plantains"]]C. African**

The use of tropical fruits and vegetables also come from African influences. Other African influences on Puerto Rican cuisine include plantains, root vegetables, coconuts, coffee, okra, yams, sesame seeds, gandules (pigeon peas), sweet bananas, malanga and Guinea Hen. The African slaves also introduced the cooking method of deep-frying. 
 * D. United States** [[image:Sunflower-Oil-Corn-Oil-Soya-Oil-Rape-Seed-Oil-A86a4f.jpg width="147" height="192" align="right" caption="Corn Oil"]]

Once the United States gained control of Puerto Rico they began to influence their food. The Spanish introduced olive oil to Puerto Ricans to use while cooking, however the importing of olive oil from Spain became very expensive so they began to use lard, which was locally made. The United States introduced corn oil to the Puerto Ricans to replace lard in their cooking. Also bacon, soda crackers and pasta have all made their way into some Puerto Rican cuisine. American holidays are legally celebrated on the island but they use their own cooking techniques and food to prepare for the festivities. Therefore, the Thanksgiving turkey is made with adobo. Traditional holiday food includes pernil or lechón asado (spit-roasted pork), pasteles (plantain or yucca tamales), and arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas).

**III. Recipes**
 * A. Ingredients**

Puerto Rico’s fertile soil permits a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to grow. -Acerola cherry - Avocado - Bananas - Bitter orange - Caimito: Chrysophyllum cainito - Chironja: a combination of orange and pomelo (grapefruit) and is a native fruit of Puerto Rico. - Coconut - Cucumber - Frambuesas - Puerto Rican raspberries (Rubus rosifolius) - Grapefruit - Guanábana - Guava - Guineos niños - Finger bananas - Jackfruit - Jobo - Key lime - Lemons - Limes - Mamey - Quenepa Mandarin Orange -Mango - Nance - Okra - Orange - Papaya - Passion fruit - Pineapple - Palm nuts - Pomarosa: Appelroo (Tropical apple) - Pomegranate - Red Banana - Sea Grape - Soursop - Starfruit: Carambola - Tamarind - Tomatoes - Watermelon -Breadfruit - Known in Puerto Rico as Panapén. - Green bananas: deep-fried and mashed as tostones, or boiled and seasoned with escabeche. - Plantains -Ajicitos: Capsicum chinense - Ají caballero - A very hot pepper native to Puerto Rico. Also known as Puerto Rican Jelly Bean Hot Chili Pepper. - Asparagus - Bell Peppers - Cabbage - Calabash - Carrot - Cauliflower - Cubanelle peppers - Chayote - Cucumber - Eggplant - Green onions - Lettuce - Onion - Shallot - Watercress - West Indian pumpkin
 * 1. Fruits/Vegetables**
 * Fruits:**
 * Starchy Fruits:**
 * Vegetables:**

Adobo and sofrito, blends of herbs and spices, are typically used to season main dishes in Puerto Rico. Adobo consists of black peppercorns, oregano, salt, garlic, olive oil, and limejuice. Sofrito is made from onions, garlic, cilantro and pepper. Sometimes it consists of achiote, which is from the seeds of the annatoo plant, it adds the bright yellow color to the finished product. 
 * 2. Spices**
 * B. Famous Dishes**

Entrées are often prepared by stewing, roasting, breading or barbecuing. The most popular Puerto Rican chicken dish is Arroz con pollo (chicken with rice). Other popular entrees include mojo isleño (fried fish with sauce) and jueyes hervidos (boiled crab). Famous meat dishes include carne frita con cebolla (beefsteak with onions) and an assortment of roasted meat entrées made with adobo.  Rum and coffee are the most desired beverages in Puerto Rico. Mango juices and limejuices are also popular. Coquito is a popular coconut and rum beverage. **
 * C. Famous Drinks**

D. Desserts ** Traditional desserts are flan, many different cakes, preserves and jellies. Common ingredients in desserts include coconut, guava, papaya and banana. Typical desserts are arroz con dulce (coconut rice pudding), bienmesabe (coconut pudding), and tembleque (coconut milk pudding).  These are examples of African words that have influenced words in Puerto Rican Spanish relating to food: **V. Sol Food-San Rafael, CA** Sol Food Restaurant is an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant located in San Rafael, CA fifteen minutes north of San Francisco. The building is bright green and a man complained and wrote a letter saying people would never eat there due to its obnoxious color and that he will never eat there until they repaint it. Now the letter is framed right outside the door. They serve traditional Puerto Rican meals that are all served with rice, beans, organic salad made with their delicious lemon-garlic dressing, and maduros or tostones (which are either the sweet plantains or the fried, garlic plantains). They fry their food using rice bran oil. They also serve sandwiches, salads, plantains, desserts and drinks. Sol Food is one of my favorite restaurants. My favorite meal is the Pollo Al Horno, which is the boneless, skinless chicken thighs marinated with oregano and garlic, then baked. It is served with rice, black beans salad and I choose to get the fried, garlic plantains. My favorite sandwich is the bistec sandwich, which is flat pressed with thinly sliced steak and sautéed onions served on French bread with avocado, Swiss cheese and garlic mayonnaise. My favorite salad is the Ensalada con Pollo, which is baked chicken, tomato, avocado and pickled pink onions served on organic greens with lemon-garlic dressing. With every meal I always get a limeade, which is a mixture of limejuice and sparkling water, it is worth the extra $3.75. The restaurant itself gives you a real feel for Puerto Rican culture, the people are extra friendly and there’s fun music playing. You may have to share tables with random people but that’s also what makes the experience so special, I always have the greatest conversations with random people eating next to me which is displayed in [|my video]. When in town I definitely recommend people to eat at Sol Food. [|www.solfoodrestaurant.com] Actual Restaurant: 901 Lincoln Avenue, San Rafael; Takeout Restaurant: 732 4th Street, San Rafael (415) 451-4765. The takeout restaurant is open until midnight Sun-Thurs and open until 2 am on Friday and Saturday.
 * IV. Glossary for Cuisine**
 * **African Word**  ||  **Meaning**   ||
 * Gandinga || Stew with pork tripe, kidneys or liver  ||
 * Guineo || Sweet banana  ||
 * Limber || Frozen treat made of juice or coconut milk  ||
 * Maví || Semi-fermented sweet tea made form tropical tree bark  ||
 * Burundanga || A big mixed-up dish of different things (usually used for cooking)  ||
 * Calalú || A vegetable  ||
 * Funche || Hard cornmeal  ||
 * Malanga || A vegetable  ||
 * Mangó || Mango  ||
 * Marifanga || Bland cornmeal  ||
 * Mofongo || Dish of mashed plantains  ||
 * Mondongo || Type of dish made of cow stomach  ||
 * Ñame || Yam  ||
 * Quingombó || A bean  ||
 * Sambmbia || To keep adding things, usually liquids (to a stew, for example)  ||
 * Sancocho || A beef, pork or chicken stew made with root vegetables  ||

__References__ 1) Infoplease. “Puerto Rico.” Web. 01 Dec. 2009. < []  >. 2) Irizarry, Johnny; Mills-Torres, Maria; Moreno Vega, Marta; Rivera, Anita. “Puerto Rico: Resistance in Paradise: Rethinking 100 Years of U.S. Involvement in the Caribbean and the Pacific.” Web. 02 Dec. 2009. < [|http://www.cosmos.ne.jp/~miyagawa/nagocnet/data/prhistory.html]  >. 3) Martinez, Dr. Robert A. “African Aspects of the Puerto Rican Personality.” Web. 02 Dec. 2009. < []  >. 4) “Puerto Rican Cuisine.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Dec. 2009. < []  >. 5) Rivera, Magaly. “Welcome to Puerto Rico: Food and Drink.” Web. 03 Dec. 2009. < []  >. 6) River, Magaly. “Welcome to Puerto Rico: History.” Web. 03 Dec. 2009. < []  >. 7) Sol Food Restaurant. Web. 02 Dec. 2009.< [|www.solfoodrestaurant.com]  .> 8) “Speaking Boricua: Exploring Puerto Rico's African Heritage, Part 4: Bemba and other Words of the Week (Months?)” Web. 06 Dec. 2009. < []  >.

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