National cuisine of Puerto Rico for gourmets. Authentic recipes, delicacies and specialties

The small Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is a tropical paradise where Afro-Caribbean, Spanish, American, and local Taino cultures are mixed together. National Puerto Rican cuisine is made up of juicy meat dishes, a variety of soups, and fruit pies. Chicken meat is very popular and usually served with rice, in steaks or as a broth. Traditional "Pinchos" are skewers of pork, shrimp or chicken, of course. Beef and pork cutlets with apples, stewed lamb kidneys with mushrooms in chicken broth are common. Vegetables are added to dishes quite sparingly since Puerto Ricans are not big fans of them.

Puerto Ricans honor seafood, being generously supplied by the Caribbean Sea. Seafood dishes are diverse: this can be boiled fish with tomato sauce and garlic, grilled fish, lobsters, shrimps in beer, Creole shrimps in vegetable sauce, boiled crabs with rice and green bananas - Puerto Rican fantasy is inexhaustible. Local people also like soups. Fragrant “Asopao” is cooked in chicken broth with the addition of rice and sometimes even corn. Cold avocado soup is perfect for lunch on a hot day, and soup with tropical pigeon peas is appreciated by gourmets.

Desserts in Puerto Rican cuisine are quite specific, very diverse and hearty, mostly based on fruit. Guava jelly, banana muffins, orange cake, coconut pudding, puff pastries with cream cheese in sugar, pumpkin sponge cake are all traditional and very popular sweets loved by Puerto Ricans of all ages. “Flanchocho” is an oven-baked dessert made of milk, condensed milk, eggs, chocolate, and vanilla. No less popular are rice pudding with vanilla, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg, as well as golden dessert "Polvo de Amor" ("Powder Of Love") of sugar and coconut. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In Puerto Rico, people like strong aromatic coffee, cold beer, local rum that is supplied worldwide, strawberry daiquiri, "Wonder Chocolate" from chocolate bars with added sugar, milk, vanilla, and cornstarch. "Sangria" literally translated as "Bleeding" is a mixture of red wine, Puerto Rican rum, orange and lemon juice, and sugar. Ice is added to the drink before serving. Piña colada contains local white rum, unsweetened pineapple juice, and Coconut cream.

On big holidays, Puerto Ricans necessarily eat “Lechón”, a whole roasted piglet poured with orange juice. They also drink thick coconut milk eggnog with rum, vanilla, cinnamon, and condensed milk. On Christmas, it is also customary to eat meat cakes of pork and green banana wrapped in plantain leaves. Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, rum, mint, almond, fruit or chocolate are often added to quivering coconut pudding consisting of coconut milk, salt, and cornstarch.

In Puerto Rican restaurants, visitors usually look for a free table on their own. Entering the restaurant, it is customary to greet those present with the phrase “Buen provecho” i.e. "Bon appetit". Tips are 15-20% of the bill, except for places with limited tables like bakeries. Puerto Ricans eat leisurely, enjoying food and chatting with friends. Even a cup of coffee gives a reason for delight in Puerto Rico. Guests can start eating after the host invites them to enjoy their meals. Hands free of cutlery should be put on the table, avoiding hiding them on knees or placing elbows on the table.

In San Juan, you can find popular Puerto Rican restaurant "Barrachina". The ground floor is open from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, and the first, where breakfasts and sandwiches are served, is open from 7:00 am to 3:20 pm. The restaurant serves fried plantain banana leaves stuffed with shrimps or chicken, shrimp cocktails, hamburgers with bacon, and much more. "Lydia's Restaurant" in Ponce is famous for its rich selection of Caribbean specialties. Vacationers staying in Carolina should not ignore "Odyssey", a well-priced 24-hour restaurant with a menu made up by the Caribbean, Spanish and Latin American cuisines.