Puerto Rico is an island nation that is officially a territory of the United States. Puerto Rican cuisine has evolved from several strong influences, including those of the original peoples, such as the Tainos, and the Spanish conquerors that drove most of the natives out and enslaved the remaining. African and Caribbean influence is also reflected in the cuisine of the island, which has also been shaped significantly by its climate and geology.
Cocina criolla, one of the main cuisine styles particular to the island has deep roots, extending far back to the native Tainos and Arawaks. Their culinary traditions were based tropical fruits, native vegetables, seafood, and corn. With the Spanish came a host of other ingredients that expanded the criolla style. These included olive oil, rice, wheat and meats, such as pork and beef. As enslaved African peoples were imported for work on the sugar cane plantations, their culinary traditions took root as well, and their contributions, which included taro and okra, became assimilated into the whole of criolla cuisine.
Many of the island’s main dishes are seasoned with adobo and sofrito, spice mixtures that impart those flavors that the island is so well known for. Adobo, which can vary from cook to cook, or if bought prepared, from manufacturer to manufacturer, generally consists of black peppercorns, oregano, salt, garlic, olive oil, and lime juice. When bought prepared in powdered form, most include salt, powdered garlic, citric acid, pepper, oregano, turmeric and MSG, which is a good reason to spend a little time making your own if experimenting with Puerto Rican cuisine at home. While generally used for seasoning meats, it is considered to be a sort of all-purpose seasoning mixture.
Sofrito is made from onions, garlic, cilantro, peppers, and often includes achiote, which is from the seeds of the annatoo plant, and helps to produce a bright yellow color in the finished product. This, too, is used in a variety of dishes, ranging from meat dishes to soups to standard forms of beans and rice.
One pot dishes, or stews, are common to Puerto Rican cuisine. These are often made of meats, and flavored with a variety of spices and ingredients in addition to adobo and sofrito. Among these are Spanish olives stuffed with pimiento, sweet chili peppers, capers, potatoes, onions, garlic, fresh cilantro, and occasionally raisins.
Chicken with rice is a dish that has become a Puerto Rican specialty, with many families having their own special style, handed down from generation to generation. Chicken is a main ingredient of many criolla dishes, and these dishes, while careful attention is given to spicing techniques, rarely are they what could be termed hotly spiced.
Naturally, seafood is an important part of the island cuisine. Fried fish is often served with a special sauce made of olives, olive oil, onions, pimientos, capers, tomato sauce, vinegar, garlic and bay leaves. Broiled, steamed or grilled fish is lightly seasoned, if at all, during the cooking process and served with a splash of lime juice with perhaps just a hint of garlic.
Puerto Rican cuisine has many facets, arising from the island’s long, complex history. The blend of native culinary traditions with those of the European settlers and the enslaved African populations that they brought with them has resulted in a unique and flavorful cuisine that is beloved by many.
About the author:
Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/for more information on cooking delicious and healthy meals.
Vegetables add colour, taste, texture and bulk to our
daily diet. There are dozens of different vegetables that can be prepared
in literally hundreds of ways. So what's best?
There is no best. The thing to do is to eat your
vegetables, lots of them, everyday in a wide variety of ways and stop
worrying about the preparation methods. Variety is the key...
Raw
Many vegetables taste fabulous just the way they are
straight out of the garden. Lettuce, tomato, celery, cabbage, onion,
radish, carrot are obvious choices here. But they are just as likely to
find themselves next to chopped up broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans and
zucchini on a starter platter with dips. Wash 'em, chop 'em and eat 'em.
Oh, yeah, you could also make a salad!
Steamed
Steaming heats the vegetable and softens it's texture.
It's gentler than boiling and allows the vegetable to maintain it's colour
if not overdone. Use a stainless steel steamer that will fit into most
good size sauce pans. Make sure you use a pan with a tight fitting lid.
There should be enough water to just touch the bottom of the steamer.
Water should be simmering the whole time the vegetables are being cooked.
Boiling
Boiling vegetables is really going out of fashion, but
it's a legitimate preparation method! The big concern is loss of
nutrients. All cooking methods result in the loss of some goodness from
the vegetables. If boiling, try to find a way to use the water the
vegetables have been boiled in (i.e. to make a gravy or sauce) to bring
those nutrients back to the table. Vegetables should be barely covered
with water. Bring the water to a boil (covered) then slow to a simmer
until vegetables are tender.
Microwave
Very popular for vegetables as it retains colour, flavour
and nutrients. Trial and error will be your guide with microwaving as
there are plenty of variables involved. However, a few guidelines will
help...The more food you put into the oven, the longer it will take to
cook. Underestimate your cooking time rather than overestimate.
Undercooked food can be cooked some more. Over-cooked food is ruined. Food
straight from the fridge will take longer to cook than that at room
temperature. All food continues to cook after it has been removed from the
microwave oven. It is part of the cooking process and should be taken into
account to prevent over-cooking.
Stir Fry
Very rapid method of quick frying vegetables, meat
(optional) and sauces in one pan to make a meal. Primarily associated with
Asian cooking. The key to doing this well is preparation. All items to be
cooked should be chopped to a size that will allow them to cook quickly in
the wok. It is also important that the wok is heated to a high, consistent
temperature throughout. Vegetables maintain their colour and crispness
with this sort of cooking (if not overdone).
Baking
Brilliant! Especially for those 'root' vegetables like
potatoes, turnip, carrot and beetroot. Chop into similar size pieces,
brush lightly with olive oil and put in a hot oven to roast. Size of the
pieces will determine the cooking time but expect at least 40 minutes.
Outside is chewy, inside is moist and fluffy. Dress with sour cream and
chives. Yum!
Barbeque
Does anything scream summer like the word barbeque? Love a
barbeque. This is primarily open flame cooking, so could apply to a
campfire as well. Cooking outside just changes everything about food.
You'll need foil, fire and fresh veggies. Grease your foil, chop your
veggies and put the closed packages on the grill. Be adventurous, it's
really hard to mess this up!
Judy Williams (http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com)
splits her time between being a media executive and an earth mother
goddess. No Dig Vegetable Gardens represents a clean, green way to grow
your own food. The site covers all aspects of growing, cooking and
preserving your harvest.
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