Food In Puerto Rican Food

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Recommended: The richness of the Puerto Rican culture and food

Food:

Puerto Rican food is a blend of Spanish, African, Taíno, and American influences being somewhat similar to Spanish, Cuban, and Mexican cuisine. Locals call their cuisine “cocina criolla” (Créole cooking) which can be traced back to the Arawaks and Tainos, the original inhabitants of the island, who thrived on corn, tropical fruit, and seafood. The Spanish brought beef, pork, rice, wheat, and olive oil while slaves from Africa brought okra and taro (known in Puerto Rico as yautia). All of the flavors and ingredients resulted in the blend of today’s Puerto Rican cuisine. Puerto Ricans use a adobo and sofrito to give their food distinctive flavors. Adobo is rubbed into meats before they are cooked and is made by crushing together peppercorns, oregano, garlic, salt, olive oil, and lime juice or vinegar. Sofrito is what gives the island’s rice, soups, or stews their bright-yellow color and is made of a potpourri of onions, garlic, coriander, and peppers.
Traditionally meals followed Spanish custom with a continental breakfast, a large midday meal, and a modest supper. Now, Puerto Ricans eat a large breakfast, a light lunch, and a large dinner. Although fast food is eaten, most Puerto Ricans prefer a home-cooked meal. There are some fast-food establishments that serve rice and beans or other local dishes as an alternative as well.
Appetizers

Lunch and dinner normally begin with hot appetizers such as bacalaitos, which are crunchy cod fritters, surullitos, which are sweet cornmeal fingers, and empanadillas, which are crescent-shaped turnovers filled with lobster, crab, conch, or beef. Another form of appetizers are different soups. Some of them include: sopón de pollo con arros (chicken soup with rice), caldo gallego (Galician...

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Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions
Although American holidays are celebrated, the menu for them is normally different. The traditional holiday menu includes pernil or lechón asado (pork), pasteles, and arroz con gandules. Typical desserts include arroz con dulce or flan. Coquito is a popular beverage for holidays.
Differences in Educational System
Teachers must make sure to be mindful of some of the different things that Puerto Ricans eat. Some people do eat calf brains or kidneys, beef tongue, or pig’s feet and if they happen to mention this is class, the teacher should make sure that other students do not make fun of the foods eaten by these students. Even at lunch when students bring food from home, it may not be the typical lunch and teachers should be on the lookout that the student does not get made fun of for bringing rice and meat to school.

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