There are 11 special Puerto Rican Christmas dishes that you should know.
In Puerto Rico, the holidays are so special that they start celebrating on Thanksgiving and continue through Three Kings Day on January 6th.The centerpiece of Christmas in Puerto Rico is food.These Puerto Rican dishes will make you want to vomit and your taste buds will sing Christmas carols.
Lechon can be enjoyed year-round, but Christmas is not Christmas without lechon.Suckling pigs were once used in the dish.As popularity and appetites grew, so did the size of the pigs.Most lechoneras now use metal spits over open fires or are prepared in metal roasters.Slow roasting results in an extremely tender and juicy delight, often served with arroz con gandules, mamposteao, or yuca salad.
morcilla is often served with lechon.It is available year-round, but is more prominent at holiday parties.Morcilla is made with ground pork and pork blood, which is added with rice and spices.The heat is increased by the addition of chili peppers.
Longaniza is a Christmas favorite.The meat in longaniza is ground and eaten in chunks.This sausage is made from the seeds of the achiote tree and has a brick red color.Salt and pepper are added.Arroz con longaniza is a side dish that is fried or grilled and added to rice.
Puerto Rico for Christmas is the place to go if you like pork.The pork leg or pork shoulder is rubbed in a paste of olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and vinegar, and then roasted for anywhere from 3 hours to 2 days or more.The skin of the pernil is fried and served as chips known as cuero to make sure nothing goes to waste.
Puerto Ricans use the pig's stomach for a dish called Cuajito.The pork stomach is soaked in water and then boiled in salt water.Cuajito is added to the tomato sauce.This is a comforting dish that you will want for Christmas, so don't be afraid to try it.
A day of pastele-making is a great way to get together with friends and family during the holidays.The key to pasteles is the masa.The masa is made with green fruits and vegetables.Small chunks are combined with water in a food processor and ground to a paste.Some families make their own small appliance for grinding masa.Pork or chicken are the most popular filling in pastels, but there are many other options.There are also treats like chickpeas that you can add.
When the masa and filling are ready, it is time to assemble and wrap the pastels.Place a piece of paper on the prep surface.Put a small amount of achiote oil in the center of the paper and place a banana leaf on it.The masa should be spread with a small amount of achiote oil.Place some of your filling on top of the masa.It is time to wrap your pastels, which are a series of folds and tucks, and then two of them are tied together with string.They have to be wrapped tightly so that the water doesn't get in.Friends and family make a day of it.
As far back as the Tano, there were guanime.A variety of green fruit and root vegetables are not included in the masa.They can be made with just the masa.They are wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.