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Eating Puerto Rico: A History of Food, Culture, and Identity

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Eating Puerto Rico: A History of Food, Culture, and Identity

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Great read !

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El Grito de Lares

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Listen to some tunes as you browse a recipe today

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Listen to some tunes as you browse a recipe today

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NEWS! Hurricane Maria power outages leads to hunger on the Island.

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NEWS! Hurricane Maria power outages leads to hunger on the Island.

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Relief to the hungry during Hurricane Maria by Chef in PR

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MIAMI - After Hurricane Maria devastated and virtually paralyzed Puerto Rico in September 2017, local and federal officials were having trouble getting to entire towns and cities that had been plunged into darkness and cut off from highways and communication. Yet the restaurateur and celebrity chef José Andrés went to the island, organized 19,000 volunteers in 25 makeshift kitchens and served over 3.5 million meals through one of the hardest years in the island's history.

Andrés tells that story in " We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time," a book released by the late Anthony Bourdain's Ecco imprint last fall. While the book focuses on Puerto Rico, it's also a blueprint for how relief organizations can respond to both human-made and natural disasters.

"We cover blind spots. We bring leadership where sometimes leadership is totally gone," Andrés told NBC News last week at the renowned South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami. At the star-studded event, he gathered many of the island's chefs who worked with him after the hurricane, cooking up traditional dishes such as roast pork and boosting the U.S. territory he's come to know so well.

"In part, we celebrate that they are really heroes and in part we're celebrating that Puerto Rico is open for business, that it has great food, great gastronomy, great places for travel" Andrés said.

Now, Andrés is focused on Puerto Rico's recovery; this month World Central Kitchen announced it would commit $4 million to its Plow to Plate initiative, aimed at increasing the island's food security and sustainability by supporting farmers and local food businesses. The Spanish-born celebrity chef is confident the strength and resiliency he experienced firsthand on the island will help Puerto Ricans lift themselves from the storm's aftermath amid a historic fiscal crisis.

Puerto Ricans, he said, "demonstrated an impressive solidarity, an incredible generosity, patience, help to their neighbors."

"Another community couldn't have gone through those weeks and months after Maria in the form they did," he said. "People who were aggrieved and indignant did it calmly, dignified and proudly at the same time. I think that's worthy of admiration."

The work of Andrés and his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, has become synonymous with relief efforts around the world. Founded in 2010, the organization works with communities through health, education and culinary training, and provides much-needed meals and provisions. Beyond that, it's a vehicle to help areas ravaged by disaster move forward.

In the last year, World Central Kitchen has responded to events as far flung as a volcano in Guatemala, an earthquake in Indonesia and multiple tsunamis. Closer to home, they provided free meals to first responders during the California wildfires and to furloughed federal employees in Washington during the recent government shutdown.

They are currently monitoring the situation in Venezuela, where his team delivered food to Cúcuta, on the border with Colombia.

His efforts are being internationally recognized; he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, which comes on top of being named twice to Time's "100 Most Influential People" list and chosen as the James Beard Foundation's Humanitarian of the Year.

Andrés is still expanding his culinary empire, which includes Washington's Michelin-starred minibar by José Andrés and concepts in Las Vegas, Beverly Hills and Mexico City. His restaurant group is scheduled to open Mercado Little Spain in New York City and Jaleo in Disney World in Florida this year.

Despite this, Andrés shows now sign of sidelining his humanitarian work.

"If we don't answer to anything the rest of our lives, already World Central Kitchen did their tiny contribution in the few places we've been in the last few years helping. But the truth is, that's not our intention," he said. "We feel there's a role for us to play, that we occupy, and that we can do very smart, very strategic, very quick and very effective. If anything, we are trying to have bigger and bigger capabilities to respond in more communities."

He's perpetually aware of what's happening around him. At the festival, after making the rounds of the food stalls and gamely smiling through an onslaught of selfies, Andrés stationed himself at his vegetable oil-driven food truck parked just outside a hotel.

While greeting friends and chatting to staff, Andrés quickly spotted a disabled homeless person struggling to get through the tourist traffic on Collins Avenue. Andrés motioned to his staff for water and food then delivered it to the man personally, a human exchange barely noticed by the sea of people passing by.
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After Hurricane María, Chef Jose Andrés 'fed' Puerto Rico. Now he's focused on its food production

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MIAMI - After Hurricane Maria devastated and virtually paralyzed Puerto Rico in September 2017, local and federal officials were having trouble getting to entire towns and cities that had been plunged into darkness and cut off from highways and communication.

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Try this sandwich to shake things up!

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Authentic Puerto Rican Jibarito Recipe | Episode 40

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Takes some time to make, but worth the wait.

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Sancocho | Last week it was crazy cold outside. I never thought that when I moved to Texas the temperatures would dip below 25 degrees! Cold weather like this calls for a warm hearty stew. Something to warm the soul and fill the belly.

Without a doubt, my favorite stew is Sancocho, which translates as stew. In Puerto Rico when a person has spent all day under the hot sun, it is said that they are "sancochao", which means stewing in the heat.

What is Sancocho?

Sancocho is a satisfying stew with humble origins. Every country has their own version of stew. They would make a huge pot and let it stew all day and have a hearty meal ready after a long day of labor.

Variations of sancocho can be found throughout the Spanish Caribbean and Latin America.

What is in Sancocho?

Sancocho is made up of beef tips, beef stock and a variety of starches that are both native to the island and to Africa. Although plantains are associated with the Puerto Rican cuisine, the plantain is originally from Africa.

My favorite starch in this stew is the yuca root, which is native to Puerto Rico and was used by the native Taino Indians.

Where to find Sancocho Ingredients?

I have lived all over the United States and I know that finding these ingredients can be challenging depending on where you live. Of course, you can find most of the ingredients at your local Latin market.

And, now many of the items including yuca and plantains can be found at any large chain grocery store especially if you are close to a metropolitan area.

However, you may be surprised to know that many of the ingredients can also be found in a local Asian market. many Asian countries share a similar climate to the Caribbean so they carry much of the same produce.

I was lucky enough to find frozen yuca at my local Asian market.

If you can't find something it's ok to swap out root vegetables with what is available. If you are missing something, add a little more of something else, but do not leave out the corn. The corn is one of the best parts.

I always save my corn for the very end; it is almost like a savory dessert. I remember when my sister and I were young we use to fight over the last piece of corn in the pot. She is a scrappy one, but I didn't go down without a fight.

Sancocho Recipe Ingredients

olive oil

garlic cloves

top round beef

yellow onions

green pepper

sprigs of cilantro

salt

ground black pepper

beef stock

green plantain

yellow plantain

sweet potato

yuca

butternut squash

new potatoes

yellow corn

This stew is just heaven and reminds me so much of home. OB was very excited to come home to a huge pot of sancocho.

It is very filling and bursting with flavor. Especially on a cold rainy day like today.

If you have any left, refrigerate it and save it for later. This stew is even better the next day after it has been marinating overnight. I think Obed, and I ate from this pot for three days.

You can also freeze it in portions and have it on hand for a cold rainy day. To me, it's a little piece of home in a bowl.

Tips for Sancocho

Although yuca and plantains can be found at many chain grocery stores they can also be found a local Latin and Asian markets.

Prepare a double batch if possible for leftovers and easy weeknight dinners.

Leftovers can be portioned and frozen.

Sancocho is often served with white rice.

If you are craving something a little lighter try this chunky roasted tomato soup. But, of course, everyone loves a classic sopa de fideo con pollo (chicken noodle soup).

If you want something hearty and loaded with aromatics and spices you need to try this Moroccan Lamb Stew with Harissa and Garbanzos.

If you are looking for more soup or stew recipes ideas see my collection of soups and stews. Also, be sure to check out my collection of Puerto Rican recipes.

New episodes released every Wednesday!

In the meantime follow us on Instagram @my.plate.is.always.full or visit our website!
more puerto rican recipes

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Sancocho | Last week it was crazy cold outside. I never thought that when I moved to Texas the temperatures would dip below 25 degrees! Cold weather like this calls for a warm hearty stew. Something to warm the soul and fill the belly. Without a doubt, my favorite stew is Sancocho, which translates as stew.

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These traditional seasonings are used in many Puerto Rican recipes, or can be used with your own.

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This article was originally published in December 2014 in Diálogo, the newspaper of the University of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Ricans, without a doubt, are passionate about eating. They are willing to try different foods, but when asked what their favorite dish is; rice, beans and roasted pork have the lead. According to Cruz Miguel Ortiz Cuadra, a History Professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao (UPRH), this is demonstrated at the start of each school year when he asks their students "what is your favorite dish?"

"Rice, beans and stewed chicken," one responds, while another writes "Greek rice and breast with sauce." There are some who indicate that they prefer "pasta with shrimp", to which Ortiz Cuadra calls the phenomenon Macaroni and Grill. But there are students who always say that their favorite food contains rice: "rice, stewed beans and chicken" or "white rice with fried spam". They also mention tubers with cod or other dishes with mofongo ( mashed plantain).

"There is no doubt that domestic food is the favorite of people," said Ortiz Cuadra. But do Puerto Ricans know the origin of their gastronomy?

The professor of the UPR in Humacao, who has specialized in capturing the history of Puerto Rican food, said that the Taino Indians and the Spaniards, as well as the Africans, influenced the gastronomy of the Island.

"Our food is a mongrel and mulatto food. It is a combination of food known to the Indians, food that came in the Spanish conquest, the result of slave trade and the desires for survival of Africans who came as slaves," Ortiz Cuadra said.

Among the foods that the Puerto Rican cuisine adopted from the Tainos are: cassava, yautía, maize, beans, batatas, pepper, sweet and spicy chilli and recao. From the Spanish conquest were acquired foods such as pork, beef, rice, oil and various enriching flavors such as oregano, cumin, basil and almost all herbs used to make sofrito. While directly from Africa came the famous plantain, banana, yam, okra and beans, but also came a starter food in Puerto Rican cuisine, the gandules (pigeon peas).

Ortiz Cuadra clarified that Puerto Rican gastronomy was shaped as the result of a globalization after discovery. "After Columbus discovered America, there was something going on and on and food was distributed throughout the rest of the world. This was not from one day to another, this was something of centuries. This ours has to do with that globalization and with the transfer of food by the result of the movement of the populations," he pointed.

Although Puerto Rican cuisine was created as a result of colonial and imperial projects of Spain, it has had the ability to adapt dishes from other parts of the world and turn them into something local. For example, Ortiz Cuadra mentioned arroz con dulce. This came from Spain where it is known as rice with milk. When they brought it to Puerto Rico they did not have the milk, but they did have coconut. Then they modified it to their realities and developed arroz con dulce.

"If you come to see, our food is the result of globalization, colonial projects and imperial projects. If Spain does not have as mission to create an expansion in America to develop Christianity and mercantile companies, these foods do not arrive. Same with the slavers, if they do not have the interest of bringing slaves to America, they do not get these foods," he mentioned.
Rice with pigeon peas
In his book "Puerto Rico in the pot, are we still what we eat?," Ortiz Cuadra highlight that although the rice was brought to Puerto Rico by the Spaniards this began to be cultivated by the Africans. Not by the Taino Indians because they did not know the food and not by the Spaniards because they "used it more as food than as a seed."

The author indicates that when the Africans arrived to Puerto Rico they had to immediately relate to the agriculture of the Island and sowed and produced crops that they knew for their subsistence, including rice.

However, the rice culture of Puerto Rico began when they saw the potential for dissemination and the effective techniques to grow it by the 16th century. With this also came the different ways of cooking it. One of the techniques of cooking rice was incorporating other elements such as legumes or meats, which became known as compound rice.

To cook the compound rice, they started making the sofrito that at that time was simply the part of adding spices and other condiments to give it more flavor. But, why did Puerto Ricans start making rice with pigeon peas like the typical rice made up of parties?

According to Ortiz Cuadra, compound rice were specifically made on special occasions or parties because it was a way of cooking two different foods and "increased the volume of a food service." Rice was also combined with ingredients that were available in seasons. This is the case of the pigeon peas.

"The absence of the plate [rice with pigeon peas] at Christmas Eve, New Year and Three Kings dinners, today would be considered a true lack of Christmas gastronomic tradition. But what is not known is that at the time when the kitchen was not modeled by the agro-industry, but by the agricultural cycles, the collection of the gandul (pigeon peas) coincided in the calendar with the Easter parties," explained the author.
Recipe of traditional rice with pigeon peas
Since there is no Christmas in Puerto Rico and there are no parties without typical food, here we present a recipe of traditional rice with pigeon peas taken from the Sazón Boricua food blog.

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain rice or the grain of your choice

2 cans of green pigeons or 2 pounds of pigeons, softened (not drained)

3 tablespoons of annatto oil or canola oil

½ cup of diced ham

1 cup of pork, optional

3 tablespoons of sofrito

¼ cup of olives

2 cups of water or less depending on the type of rice grain you use

Salt and pepper to taste

1 red bell pepper

Cilantro or coriander to taste

Seasoning powder with cilantro and annatto, optional
Process:
Saute the pork for about seven minutes or until they turn pink, add the ham and knead it. Add the sofrito, olives, cilantro, seasoning, the pigeon peas and liquids, then cover the pot and cook for a few minutes. Stir the rice, taste, let it cook uncovered until the liquid begins to evaporate, stir and mix well. Then add the red bell pepper cut into strips and do not move the rice any more, cover it.

Note: If you wish to add a touch to the rice with pigeon peas, you can grate ½ green banana and add it to the casserole before adding the rice. You can also place a clean banana leaf on the rice after it has been moved. But first clean it and pass it over the burner or a hot surface to seal it.
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Article: Do Puerto Ricans know the origin of their typical food?

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This article was originally published in December 2014 in Diálogo, the newspaper of the University of Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans, without a doubt, are passionate about eating. They are willing to try different foods, but when asked what their favorite dish is; rice, beans and roasted pork have the lead.

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Arroz con Gandules ( Rice with pigeon peas )

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Arroz con Gandules ( Rice with pigeon peas )

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Watch this video to learn about making this savory traditional rice!

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How To Make Authentic Puerto Rican Arroz Con Gandules - Party Rice

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The holidays wouldn't be the same without some rich, delicious, cold and frothy Puerto Rican egg nog!

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How to Make COQUITO ~ PUERTO RICAN EGGNOG