Barriguitas de vieja (lit. old lady bellies) are Puerto Rican pumpkin fritters that are usually made with roasted kabocha squash, flour, eggs, sugar, and spices. The combination is spooned into hot oil and fried until it floats to the surface and develops a golden color.
If properly prepared, the fritters should be crispy on the outside while remaining tender on the inside. It is recommended to serve them dusted with powdered sugar, ideally with a few scoops of ice cream on the side.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Asopao de gandules is a variety of Puerto Rican asopao, made with pigeon peas as the key ingredient. They are typically combined with onions, ham, sofrito, chicken stock, rice, tomato sauce, and olive oil. The result is a hearty stew that is often enriched with plantain dumplings, when the dish is known as asopao de gandules con bolitas de platano.
Chock-full of Hispanic ingredients, the stew is ready for consumption when thickened, and the rice is fully cooked. It is recommended to serve it warm, but it can also be reheated and enjoyed the next day.
Sopa de pollo y fideos is a classic Puerto Rican chicken soup with noodles, a comforting dish that is best consumed on chilly or rainy days. It is made with chicken pieces, chicken stock, sofrito, olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, noodles, and various spices.
The noodles are added near the end of cooking because they only need a short amount of cooking time to become tender and fully cooked. It is believed that this soup tastes the best when reheated the next day.
Arañitas are a Puerto Rican specialty consisting of shredded and fried plantains. The name of the dish is derived from the eponymous Spanish word, meaning little spiders, referring to the visual appearance of this crispy dish. It is usually served with dips such as guacamole or a garlic-based dipping sauce on the side.
This unhealthy Puerto Rican dish is a staple at most parties and a favorite of kids and adults alike. It consists of two slices of bread with a combination of cheese spread (or Cheez Whiz), luncheon meat (such as Spam spread), and red or green peppers sandwiched in between.
The ingredients may vary, so some add mayonnaise, olives, hot sauce, and onions to the combination. All the ingredients are mixed together, and the bread is then slathered with the concoction. The crust can be cut off or left intact, depending on personal preferences.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Sorullos are Puerto Rican fried corn sticks that are traditionally served as an appetizer. They consist of cornmeal dough that is often combined with cheese, then rolled into the shape of a cigar before frying. When prepared, the texture should be crisp and crunchy on the exterior, while the interior remains tender.
These snacks are usually served hot, and it is recommended to pair them with dips such as mayonnaise and ketchup.
Pavochon is the star of almost every Puerto Rican Thanksgiving table. The name of the dish is a combination of two words – pavo, meaning turkey, and lechon, referring to roasted suckling pig. To conclude, pavochon is essentially a turkey that is seasoned and cooked like roasted pork.
The turkey is usually stuffed with mofongo (a combination of pork rinds, garlic, plantains, and peppers), but the stuffing can also be served on the side. It is recommended to pair pavochon with gravy, avocados, or arroz con gandules.
Pasteles are rectangular meat pies filled with a variety of ingredients, encased in masa dough that is then wrapped in a single banana leaf. The dough can be made with numerous ingredients such as cassava, taro, potatoes, or green bananas. The fillings are usually prepared with pork or chicken, with the addition of herbs and spices such as coriander and garlic, used to bring out the flavor of the meat.
The typical condiments served with pasteles are ketchup, tabasco, or pique criollo, a hot sauce made from local hot chilis that have been pickled in vinegar. The history of pasteles is debated, as some say that they originate from Taino Indians who were already living on the island when Columbus arrived, while the others claim they were invented by African slaves who used to work on sugar plantations.
MOST ICONIC Pasteles
View moreTripleta is a popular sandwich from Puerto Rico, its name derived from the fact that it is filled with three types of meat: grilled steak, lechon pork, and ham. The meat is placed in a loaf of fresh bread and topped with fries, ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese, and vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and onions.
The sandwich can be consumed as is or it can be grilled, depending on personal preferences. Tripleta is usually so large that one sandwich can easily feed two people.
MOST ICONIC Tripleta
Piragua is a Puerto Rican dessert consisting of shaved ice that is shaped into a pyramid, then covered with fruit-flavored syrup. It is typically sold from brightly colored carts by piragüeros – snow cone makers. The name piragua means canoe in Taino language, although no one is quite sure how that word is connected to this colorful sweet treat.
The syrups used for piraguas vary in flavor – from lemon, grape, and strawberry to the more exotic mango, pineapple, and coconut.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “19 Worst Rated Puerto Rican Foods” list until February 16, 2025, 1,680 ratings were recorded, of which 823 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.