The Classics
Puerto Rican Dishes Worth Trying
Puerto Rican food blends Taíno, Spanish and African influences into something distinct from other Caribbean cuisines. Here are the dishes tourists ask about most:
- Mofongo — Fried green plantains mashed with garlic, often served as a side or stuffed with chicken, shrimp, steak or stewed vegetables.
- Alcapurrias — Torpedo-shaped fritters made from shredded yuca and yautía, filled with ground beef or seafood and deep-fried.
- Lechón Asado — Whole pig marinated in adobo and slow-roasted over coals for hours until the skin turns crispy and the meat falls apart.
- Tostones — Green plantains sliced, fried, smashed flat, and fried again until crispy. A staple side dish everywhere on the island.
- Arroz con Gandules — Considered Puerto Rico's national dish: rice and pigeon peas cooked in sofrito with salted pork and bay leaf.
- Pasteles — A tamale-like dish of masa made from green banana, stuffed with stewed pork, wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled.
- Bacalaítos — Crispy fritters made from a simple batter with salted cod and parsley, deep-fried until golden.
