Puerto Rican Food and Travel Tips

In this series of posts on Puerto Rico I’ve covered some of the country’s best highlights, including Historic Old San Juan, Culebra, El Yunque Rainforest and Ponce. In this, the final post of the series I’ll explore the food of Puerto Rico and also recommend some resources to help you plan your next trip.

As a tourist driving around Puerto Rico you may be wondering where are all the local food options? There’s no mistaking the American influence on the Island with Burger King, McDonalds and KFC lining most major roads. But there are also many local food options as well, you just have to be a little adventurous.

Batatas, Puerto Rican root vegetable

A typical Puerto Rican diet is high in carbs and meat. Rice and beans (arroz con habichuelas) along with fried plantains (tostones) are a stable Puerto Rican diet. One of the country’s most popular and well-known dishes is Mofongo. A must for any traveler to Puerto Rico, made from mashed fried plantains and mixed with pork, garlic, olive oil and peppers. Two words you’ll hear a lot is Viandas and Batatas. Both are popular root vegetables used as a base in many Puerto Rican dishes. One of my favorite dishes is pig’s feet. The pig’s feet are marinated in sour orange juice and served with rice and aji-li-mojili, a sauce combining garlic, sweet seeded chili peppers, vinegar, lime juice, salt and olive oil.

Luquillo Beach, Puerto Rico

With it’s location in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has a beach vibe. As you travel around you’ll notice a lot of the young people hanging out at the beach and wearing the latest in surf-wear. Part of any beach culture is the deep fried, fatty-food! And Puerto Rico is no exception! A popular deep fried dish is alcapurrias. This heart-stopper is made from fish or crab meat and is dipped in a batter of planitans and then deep fried — expect to pay about $3. A similar dish is bacalatios, which is deep fried codfish fritters, again $3. Instead of grabbing a soda (soft drink), try a local drink called Maví. A fermented drink made from the bark of the Maví tree, the drink tastes better than it sounds! Another must have drink is Piña Colada. With rum being one of the country’s biggest exports it would be criminal not to have at least one Piña Colada on your next trip to PR.

Luckily planning your next trip to Puerto Rico couldn’t be easier because I’ve done all the research for you! In addition to my series of posts on Puerto Rico there a numerous resources on the internet to help you, including Lonely Planet, NY Times – Travel and Visit The Coqui. After traveling to Puerto Rico I now understand why people go back year-after-year. Puerto Rico has something for everyone, including pristine beaches, lush tropical rainforests, historic old cities and nightlife and food to die for. What are you waiting for ‘Go to Puerto Rico!’