Puerto Rico Food – The Basics
You can‘t come to Puerto Rico without trying the local cuisine. Whether you are planning on eating at local restaurants or buying food at local markets, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of the Puerto Rican names of food and dishes.
Learning some of these (if not all) will help you enjoy your trip here, even more.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Desayuno | Breakfast |
| Almuerzo | Lunch |
| Cena | Dinner |
| Antojito | Snacks |
| Carta | Menu |
| Tenedor | Fork |
| Cuchillo | Knife |
| Cuchara | Spoon |
| Cuenta | Check / Bill |
| Types of Puerto Rican Cooking | |
|---|---|
| A la Parilla | Grilled |
| Al Horno | Baked |
| Asado | Roast |
| Frito | Fried |
| Guisado | Stewed |
| A la Brasa | Braised |
| Ahumado | Smoked |
| Tostado | Toasted |
| Typical Puerto Rican Dishes | |
|---|---|
| Alcapurria | Taro fritter stuffed with meat or cheese |
| Amarillo | Baked plantain |
| Arroz con Grandules | Rice with green pigeon peas |
| Arroz con Pollo | Rice with chicken |
| Arroz y Habichuelas | Rice & Beans |
| Asopoa | Soup |
| Bacalito | Codfish fritter |
| Chicharrón | Pork crackling (fried pork skin) |
| Croquetas de pescados | Fish croquettes |
| Empanada / Empanadilla | Fried pastry turnover stuffed with meat |
| Mofongo | Fried and mashed green plantain |
| Pasteles | Shredded root vegetable tamales |
| Queso Blanco | Puerto Rican white cheese |
| Relleno | Ground beef and mashed potato fritter |
| Tostones | Fried green plantains |
| Pescados & Mariscos | Fish & Seafood |
|---|---|
| Albacora | Swordfish |
| Atun | Tuna |
| Bacalao | Codfish |
| Calamares | Squid |
| Camarones | Shrimp, Prawns |
| Carrucho | Conch |
| Chillo | Red Snapper |
| Dorado | Mahi-mahi |
| Jueyes | Crabs |
| Langosta | Lobster |
| Pulpo | Octopus |
| Robalo | Sea Bass |
| Sardinas | Sardines |
| Salmón | Salmon |
| Carne & Aves | Meat & Poultry |
|---|---|
| Albóndigas | Meatballs |
| Bistec | Steak |
| Cabrito | Baby goat |
| Cerdo | Pork |
| Chorizo | Spicy Sausage |
| Chuleta | Pork chop |
| Chuletón | T-bone steak |
| Churrasco | Skirt steak |
| Conejo | Rabbit |
| Cordero | Lamb |
| Filete | Beef tenderloin |
| Gallina | Hen |
| Guinea | Guinea hen |
| Gandinza | Pigs liver |
| Jamon | Ham |
| Lechón Asado | Roast Pig |
| Molida | Ground as in ground beef |
| Pato | Duck |
| Pavo | Turkey |
| Pinchos | Kebabs |
| Pollo | Chicken |
| Ropa Vieja | Shredded beef |
| Salchicha | Sausage |
| Ternera | Veal |
| Tocino | Bacon |
| Verduras / Vegetables | Vegetables |
|---|---|
| Apio | Celery |
| Berenjena | Eggplant / Aubergine |
| Calabaza | Pumpkin |
| Cebolla | Onion |
| Garbanzos | Chickpeas |
| Habichuelas | Beans |
| Maíz | Corn |
| Papa | Potato |
| Papas Fritas | French fries |
| Pimiento | Bell pepper |
| Repollo | Cabbage |
| Tomate | Tomato |
| Frutas | Fruits |
|---|---|
| Aguacate | Avocado |
| Cereza | Cherry |
| China | Orange |
| Coco | Coconut |
| Fresa | Strawberry |
| Guayaba | Guava |
| Guineo | Banana |
| Limon | Lemon |
| Lima | Lime |
| Piña | Pineapple |
| Toronja | Grapefruit |
| Ulvas | Grapes |
| Dulces & Postres | Sweets & Desserts |
|---|---|
| Arroz con dulce | Rice pudding |
| Flan | Custard / creme caramel |
| Galleta | Cookie / biscuit |
| Limber | Frozen fruit juice |
| Tembleque | Coconut milk & sugar custard |
| Tres Leches | Cake made with 3 milks |
| Bebidas | Drinks |
|---|---|
| Agua | Water |
| Batidas | Fruit shakes |
| Cafe | Coffee |
| Cafe con leche | Coffee with milk |
| Cafe negro | Black coffee |
| Cerveza | Beer |
| Coquito | Rum eggnog (Christmas drink) |
| Jugo | Juice |
| Mavi | Fermented drink from Mavi bark |
| Piragua | Shaved ice drizzled with fruit syrup |
| Refresco | Soda / fizzy pop |
| Ron | Rum |
| Té | Tea |
| Vino tinto | Red wine |
| Vino blanco | White wine |
The above list is just a sample of what you can eat and drink here in Puerto Rico. If you think that one of the translations may not be correct, please add to the comments section below. Also, if there is anything that I have missed off that you think should be there, again, please add to the comments below.
Photo resource: booleansplit, cocola88, nikonvscanon, bigberto, nataliemaynor, heydrienne, sophiea and rajuvaidyazuiq
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excellent dictionary! so useful – thank you!
You missed the root vegetables. I’m working on a similar guide but for vegetarians. How did you create the tables, was it through a built in Wordpress function or did you create them via third party app? Let me know.
Great list and will stumble for ya. Good stuff!
Missy
This is a really extensive review. Now all I need is a plane ticket to Puerto Rico.
Thanks for the feedback.
I’ll work on an update for the root vegetables.
With regards to the table I did it the hard way – manually within the post, though there are a couple of table plugins for WP out there.
Cheers
Please tell me about a vagetable called Pana. Where would I find a dish or special recipe of Pana in Puerto Rico?
Hi Miguel
I was not familiar with Pana, but from what i have been able to find out, it is most probably ‘breadfruit’. For recipes, just google it, but I think that it is usually boiled. Hope that helps
Hello,
I would like to know where I can purchase the Mavi bark. I saw a television show called Bizzare Foods with host Anrew Zimmern. The drink looks delicious and I want to make it. If it is at all possible could you email me and let me know if there is anyway to buy it.
Thanks,
Derek Trapp
quoting Miguel:
Hi Miguel
I was not familiar with Pana, but from what i have been able to find out, it is most probably ‘breadfruit’. For recipes, just google it, but I think that it is usually boiled. Hope that helps
Hola
yes, it can be boil serve with other root vegetables and bacalao(codfish) yummy! .. great thread, thanks
just wanted to add my 2cents, pana can be fry like plantains chips, cooked same way, pana flan is to die for
YUMMY, YUMMY
FLAN DE PANA
NGREDIENTES:
2 tazas de pana cocida majada
1 lata leche evaporada
1 lata leche condensada
5 huevos completos
1 cucharadita de vainilla
2 tazas de azúcar o a gusto
3 cucharadas de mantequilla
pizca de sal
PROCEDIMIENTO:
Se mezcla la pana con la mantequilla o margarina,pizca de sal,
leche condensada, los huevos uno a uno,leche evaporada,vainilla,la azúcar
Se prepara caramelo
En olla o microhondas se usa taza da azúcar y 3/4 de agua
Se cuece hasta que este obscuro mas o menos 10 minutos-O
En olla 1 taza de agua 1 de azúcar y se hierve hasta que tome textura y un color dorado
Se vierte caramelo en molde
Se vierte la mezcla
Se coloca en microhondas 20 minutos
Horno convencional 30 minutos a 350 grados, o hasta que el tenedor que le hunda salga limpio
Se cuece tambien en baño de María- o sea coloca olla grande con agua en hornilla y coloca encima el molde con la mezcla del flan y lo tapa. Esto toma una hora
Se deja enfriar y se coloca en la nevera
I am desperately searching for a place that sells Mavi (Mabi) bark. I brought some home from my last trip home but have not been able to locate a place to buy it in the ststes. Is there a website that I can order it from. My husband is a very big fan of Mavi and I would love to make him some more.
Thanks,
Debra
Hi, what I need to know is, where can I buy the Mavi syrup, or the mavi tree of bark?
Thanks,
Wilson
Hi Wilson
Are you asking about buying Mavi outside of Puerto Rico? One of my sites readers said they were able to get some Mavi from WIFglobal.com so you might want to check that site.