By Maddy Payne
Since my childhood consisted of
traveling to diverse destinations, it also consisted of eating diverse foods.
Growing up, I did not have many PB&J sandwiches, but instead, I had gyoza,
edamame, papaya, dragon fruit, fish and chips and nasi goreng. In Africa, I
tried zebra beef jerky; in Spain, paella. As one can see, trying new foods is a
big part of my life. And so, when I traveled to Puerto Rico, I was not seeking
out “comfort foods” like hamburgers and French fries. I wanted to try
traditional Puerto Rican food.
When we explored Old San Juan, we
decided to eat at La Mallorquina, the oldest operating restaurant on the
island. At La Mallorquina I ordered mofongo with fried pork. Mofongo is an
Afro-Puerto Rican dish made from fried plantains. The plantains are picked
while they are green and then mashed up with salt, garlic and oil. Afterwards,
the plantains are compressed into a ball and served with either meat or in a
broth.
Another day, we to a local
restaurant shop in Ponce, where I had pulled pork, plantains, rice and beans –
a traditional Puerto Rican meal. It was so, so good, and I would definitely
have it again. Everything was fresh and for dessert I tried some flan.
At the Three Kings Festival I tried
“bacalaitos,” fried Codfish fritters. They were super salty and a fun street
food to munch on while watching the three kings and parade. I also got some ice
cream/sorbet from a small vendor. It was nice and refreshing.
Lastly, three of the nights during
our trip, we were put into teams and given a traditional Puerto Rican meal to
make. My team’s recipe was Pollo Gulsado Estilo Puertoriqueño. The main
ingredients were olives, cilantro, Sofrito, Sazon Knorr, carrots, potatoes,
chicken and rice. The meal turned out wonderful and there were no leftovers.
WORDS: 310
Monfongo with pork, a traditional Puerto Rican dish.
Fresh sorbet from a local vendor at the Three Kings day festival.
Links:
http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/slideshow/eat-puerto-rico
http://welcome.topuertorico.org/culture/foodrink.shtml
http://www.latina.com/food/recipes/best-puerto-rican-recipes
Email: maddy.payne@ou.edu
Website:
maddy.payne.weebly.com
Twitter:
@maddypayne397
No comments:
Post a Comment