Basic ingredients Puerto Rican cuisine

1 basic ingredients

1.1 grains , legumes
1.2 herbs
1.3 starchy tropical tubers
1.4 vegetables
1.5 meats , poultry
1.6 seafood , shellfish
1.7 fruits
1.8 starchy fruits
1.9 condiments

basic ingredients

red kidney beans (habichuelas coloradas)



pigeon peas (gandules)


grains , legumes

black beans/habichuelas negras – popular cuban community in puerto rico.
coffee/café
white beans (navy beans)
lima beans
corn/maíz
pigeon peas/gandules
chick peas/garbanzo
green beans
green peas
red kidney beans/habichuelas rojas
pink beans/habichuelas rosadas – common bean in puerto rico.
pinto beans
rice/arroz – white medium-grain rice popular type of rice. long-grain rice used puerto ricans living in united states. pearl rice used rice pudding. s sweet sticky rice lots of starch making perfect puddings , other sweets. rice flour used in making fritters , custards.
sesame seeds/ajonjolí – these used snack. tropical fruit flavored lollipops bit of whole sesame seeds in them. turrón de ajonjolí sesame bar made brown sugar, honey , other ingredients. horchata de ajonjolí milky drink made ground sesame seeds.
tamarind/tamarindo

herbs

basil/albahaca
bay leaves – laurel
cilantro
marjoram/mejorana
mint/menta
plectranthus amboinicus/orégano brujo – oregano, distinctive pungent aroma, grows wild on island. used dry, , key ingredient in adobo seco , adobo mojado.
parsley/perejil
culantro/recao – eryngium foetidum. similar cilantro stronger in flavor.
sage/salvia
tarragon/estragón
caribbean thyme/tomillo – same flavor english thyme, stronger flavor.

starchy tropical tubers

yuca, puerto rican name cassava.

starchy tubers, starchy fruit, chayote, , squash known viandas or verduras. treated same, whether boiled or made chips , served mojo or mashed butter , milk. mofongo popular viandas plantain. can roasted, made soups (especially cream soups), breads, pastelillos dough, or used in desserts.

apio – root vegetable (from legume apios tuberosa / apios americana), eaten potatoes. not confused celeriac.
batata/tropical sweet potato – purple flesh white inside.
lerén/arrowroot
malanga/taro
Ñame/yam
papa/potato – few varieties of potato existed on island.
yautía/eddoe – few varieties of root existed on island.
yuca/cassava – similar potato starchier.

vegetables

chayote



asparagus
cabbage
calabash
carrot
cauliflower
chayote
eggplant/berenjena
green onions
lettuce
onion
shallot
watercress
west indian pumpkin


meats , poultry

guinea hen



chorizo



beef
butifarra – common spanish sausage.
carne bif – corned beef stewed potatoes served fried sweet plantains , white rice. corned beef stew used filing alcapurrias or served sorullos.
chicken – second popular meat eaten on island after pork. wild chicken can seen on island.
chorizo – common spanish sausage.
duck
goat
geese
guinea hen
ham – ham important part of puerto rican food. searing ham in annatto oil considered first step in cooking proper sofríto , recaíto.
lamb
longaniza – common spanish sausage.
blood sausage – known morcilla. adopted spanish morcilla. puerto rican morcilla contains rice, culantro, cilantro, chillies , garlic.
oxtail
pork, such pernil – every part of pork used.
salchichón – puerto rican salami. contains of heart, tripe , livers beef , meat pork. other ingredients include black pepper corns, paprika , annatto.
vienna sausages/salchichas – introduced in 1898. today, scrambled eggs , cooked in other dishes. popular cooked in rice arroz con salchichas or stewed separately , served white rice salchichas guisadas (sausage stew).
spam
turkey

seafood , shellfish

on coastal towns of island, such luquillo, fajardo, , cabo rojo, seafood quite popular, although of imported. tiny number of fishermen ply waters off puerto rico today, , catch never leaves seacoast towns. fact island sits next deepest part of atlantic means there no wide continental shelf foster rich offshore fishery; neither there large rivers dump nutrients sea build fish population.

fruits

fresh tropical fruit important in traditional daily diet in puerto rico

acerola cherry



green , red cubanelle peppers used make sofríto



ajicitos / cachucha or better known ají dulce; habanero chili pepper s mild cousin.



ajíes caballero hot pepper native puerto rico. known puerto rican jelly bean hot chili pepper.



acerola cherry
sugar apple/anón
avocado – grows practically wild, commonly consumed in salads.
bananas/guineos – there many different types of bananas throughout island. ripe , unripe bananas used in savory , sweet dishes , beverages.
chrysophyllum cainito/caimito
orangelo/chironja – combination of orange , pomelo, original name grapefruit, , native fruit of puerto rico.
citrus – there many types of citrus fruit grown , used on island. lime, lemon, bitter orange, , oranges being used juicing , marinating meats.
coconut/coco – common dessert ingredient. many delectable desserts made milk (leche de coco), including coconut flan, coconut cream desserts, crunchy coconut squares, coconut meringue, candied coconut rice, , coconut bread pudding (boudin de pasas con coco).
custard apple/corazón
cucumber
frambuesas – raspberries (rubus rosifolius)
guava
jackfruit
jobo – refreshing orangy yellow fruit spiky kernel
mamey – fruit extinct; until when began cultivated again. popular among cubans , dominicans live in puerto rico. pulp vermilion-colored , excellent use in juice , ice cream.
quenepa
mammee apple – used make syrup-based preserves , desserts, although, when ripe, eaten raw. indigenous america , acclimated puerto rico @ time of christopher columbus arrival.
mango
nance
okra/quimbombó – arrived africa , eaten stewed fried, pickled, in soups , in salads.
papaya
passion fruit/parcha
pineapple/piña – native fruit island. puerto rico grows 4 varieties of pineapple.
pepper – sweet hot peppers important part of puerto rican cooking. meals made combination of sweet, mild, , hot peppers.
pomarrosa – appelroo (tropical apple / syzygium malaccense)
pomegranate
sea grape
soursop/guanábana
starfruit/carambola
tomato
melon – many varieties grow on island sweet bitter. common in salads , juicing.

starchy fruits

mofongo made green plantains



breadfruit/panapén – used same green plantains , in desserts.
green banana/guineo – used in soups, eaten along popular starchy root vegetables , broiled , seasoned escabeche.
plantains/plátanos – core components in puerto rican meal plantains (plátanos), type of savoury banana eaten cooked: tostones fried plantains served appetizer or starchy side dish. mofongo best-known plantain dish , essential eating, @ least once. ripe version of plantain fried , eaten side dish (maduros).
dwarf puerto rican plantain – heads of fruit little larger original plantain bearing 7 9 hands of fruit. shorter trunks of dwarf plantains thicker tall ones , because of more resistant wind , fall on weight of own fruit. grown in puerto rico taste , cooking qualities. majority of plantains grow tall, 1 exception. has distinctive bronze colored trunk , leaves. plant in warm , well-protected site optimal growing conditions.
dwarf red – 1 of many red-skinned banana cultivars on island, 1 stays short , takes little space. red bananas esteemed tasting fruit, , 1 no exception. cultivar has red pseudostems. red bananas take longer ripen most, take 24 months fruit. banana has distinct, robust flavor makes worth wait. red banana s skin turns sunset colors through ripening process yellow-green orange red. skin should dark red before ripe enough eat.

condiments

puerto rican cooking has large range of spices , seasoning due influence, makes puerto rico 1 of best in latin fusion cooking. caribbean , other curries can found not common sazón , adobo. traditional cooking on island uses more fresh , local ingredients such citrus make mojo , mojito isleño , fresh herbs, vegetables , peppers make recaíto , sofrito. star anise, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg , other sweet spices used drinks , desserts.

puerto rican dishes seasoned combinations of flavorful spices. base of many puerto rican main dishes involves sofrito, similar mirepoix of french cooking, or trinity of creole cooking. proper sofrito sauté of freshly ground garlic, tomatoes, onions, recao/culantro, cilantro, red peppers, cachucha , cubanelle peppers. sofrito traditionally cooked olive oil or annatto oil, tocino (bacon), salted pork , cured ham. mix of stuffed olives , capers called alcaparrado added spices such bay leaf, sazón , adobo.

aceite de achiote – annatto (bixa orellana) oil. annatto seeds cooked on low flame oil of choice or lard. once oil tinted red slight yellow , orange color pods discarded. oil refrigerated 2 months. annatto oil used in puerto rican dish.
adobo mojado – garlic, salt, black pepper, olive oil, orégano brujo, vinegar or citrus juice or both.
adobo seco – garlic powder, onion powder, dry orégano brujo, salt, black pepper, , dried citrus zest.
ajilimójili – garlicky hot , spicy salsa.
alcaparrado – mix of green olives, peppers, , capers.
allspice – berry spice native caribbean. allspice not used regularly in puerto rican cuisine can seen in african influenced dishes. berry used more in puerto rican voodoo food.
banana , plantain leaves – both leaves used there aroma, flavor, , bonding food. pasteles, guanimes, steamed or grilled fish, , pork shoulder few dishes on island banana or plantain leaves used.
criollo – puerto rican creole sauce, closely related american creole sauce. every part of caribbean has unique take on creole sauce. throughout puerto rico salsa criollo done differently. basic puerto rican criollo has recaíto base. recaíto cooked typical pork, spices, tomato sauce , kind of liquid.
mojito isleño – sauce served fish or shellfish.
mojo – herb sauce of finely chopped cilantro or parsley garlic, citrus, vinegar , olive oil. onions , butter added.
paprika – used sazón seasoning more color , flavor.
pique verde boricua – green hot sauce.
pique criollo – puerto rican hot condiment.
recaíto – green cooking base mix of cilantro, spanish onion, culantro, roasted garlic, green bell pepper , ajicitos.
saffron – used more in high-end puerto rican cuisine in restaurants can replace annatto in dishes.
sazón – seasoning mix consisting of coriander seeds, garlic powder, cumin, salt , annatto powder.
sofrito – mixture of ajicitos, green cubanelle peppers, plum tomato, roasted pimientos pepper, cilantro, spanish onions, culantro , garlic.