Caribbean Food: 5 Best Things To Eat In Puerto Rico

Looking to take a holiday to the Caribbean and eager to know more about the Caribbean food scene? To start, Caribbean food is an incredibly diverse arena in the culinary world. With African, East Indian, Arab, European, Amerindian, and Chinese influences mixed into one big pot, Caribbean food recipes are representative of cultures from around the world.

An array of delicious Caribbean found can be found in Puerto Rico, which is just a short flight from the East Coast of the U.S. Here, the Caribbean food scene thrives, with traditional Caribbean food recipes present in both the restaurant scene and home cooking.

When visiting Puerto Rico, there are a tremendous amount of Caribbean dishes to try. You can't go wrong with a tostone, which is also very popular in many Latin American countries. Tostones, which are fried plantains, are a simple but tasty snack, appetizer, or side dish.

Pasteles are a much-loved dish in Puerto Rico, especially at Christmas; however, these little treats call for quite a lot of work. Pasteles are similar to tamales and are often stuffed with seasoned meat and wrapped up in a banana leaf for deep-frying or steaming. The wrapping is thrown away before eating.

Other dishes to try in Puerto Rico are arroz con gandules, or a combination of rice, pigeon peas, and pork cooked together in a pot with Puerto Rican-style sofrito, or sauce made with cilantro and ají dulce among many other ingredients.

Similarly, visitors can try arroz con pollo, or a rice dish with chicken, as well as alcapurria, which is a fritter dish that is similar to a tostone and is made by stuffing dough with heavily seasoned meat.