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Puerto Rican Dishes and Sofrito

Specialised

SOFRITO/RECAÍTO — the Puerto Rican base is distinguished by AJÍ DULCE, the sweet seasoning pepper, and CULANTRO (recao), and is frozen in batches in every household. ⚠ NOT THE SAME AS CUBAN SOFRITO OR HAITIAN EPIS. MOFONGO — green plantain fried, then pounded in a PILÓN with garlic, oil and chicharrón, of clear West African fufu descent. ARROZ CON GANDULES with sofrito and achiote, the national rice. PERNIL, the slow-roasted pork shoulder. PASTELES — a masa of grated green banana, yautía and plantain, not maize, wrapped in banana leaf and boiled at Christmas. ALCAPURRIAS, bacalaítos, rellenos de papa from the kiosks of Piñones and Luquillo. ASOPAO. TEMBLEQUE, arroz con dulce, COQUITO at Christmas. ⚠ AND THE CHRISTMAS SEASON runs from late November to the Octavitas after Three Kings — among the longest anywhere.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

  • Puerto Ricans community documented

Languages: Spanish, English

What is recorded

  • Puerto Rican sofrito/recaíto is distinguished by ají dulce and culantro and is recorded as distinct from Cuban sofrito and Haitian epis. Pastel masa is made from grated green banana, yautía and plantain rather than maize, which distinguishes Puerto Rican pasteles from Mesoamerican tamales. Mofongo is documented as of West African fufu descent. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

  • related to West African Foodways documented

    Mofongo is of clear fufu descent — plantain pounded in a pilón.

Recorded as relating to this foodway

  • related to Epis and Pikliz documented

    ⚠ Epis and sofrito are comparable green/aromatic bases and are NOT merged. Epis is herb-led; Puerto Rican sofrito is ají dulce and culantro led.

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.