Puerto Rico’s culinary scene looks to the past
Island’s rich history gains prominence as interest in food security rises
If you want to understand Puerto Rico’s culinary scene, you need to look to its past. “There is a trend to eat like our grandparents,” Yare Matos Neives said. “Restaurants’ menus now have dishes our grandparents used to eat.”
Working with local tour group Spoon, Neives guides visitors through the rich history of Puerto Rico — which celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2019 — and its capital, San Juan, through its food. Her walking tour along the cobbled streets of Old San Juan takes you to historic sites draped in the commonwealth’s flag, and restaurants and cafés that are part of a movement toward traditional cuisine and locally sourced ingredients.
One of those places is Princesa Gastrobar. Located at the base of the cliffs surrounding La Fortaleza, the first fort built in the city and residence of the governor of Puerto Rico, the restaurant’s focus is on traditional dishes from the 1800s, like Garbanzada de Bacalao — a stew of pan-seared cod, chickpeas with rice.
Some of the recipes were inspired by “El Cocinero Puerto Riqueño o Formulario,” a modern reprint of an 1859 cookbook of island recipes. A copy of the book has pride of place on a stand in the restaurant, and references to “Grandma’s recipe” are noted in the descriptions of a number of dishes on Princesa’s menu.
Another stop on Neives’ tour is Deaverdura, a restaurant on Calle del Sol that features fresh juices and traditional Puerto Rican dishes — like mofongo. Served across the island, it has African roots and is made by mashing fried green plantain in a bit of broth and melted butter. Meat or seafood is mixed in to create a simple yet hearty meal.
The movement toward eating local started more than a decade before hurricane Maria, but Neives said the Category 5 storm that hit in September 2017 helped increase interest in food security across the island. “We had to rely on canned food — that was all that was left on the shelf,” said the San Juan resident, who explains regular food shipments were disrupted in the months following the hurricane.
Pablo García is another Spoon guide who takes visitors on a food, drinks and street art tour of La Calle Loíza, a centuriesold roadway which connects San Juan in the west to Loíza in the east. The eastern community was settled by escaped slaves who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1662. The Spanish emancipated them and provided each with two acres of land. The area soon became known as the breadbasket of the city. Over time, the length of the roadway was developed, with large homes built on the north side, which extends to the Atlantic Ocean, and working-class neighbourhoods along the southern.
Much of the area was industrialized during the past century before falling into decline. In recent years, Calle Loíza has seen a number of businesses open, an influx of new residents and the creation of murals and artworks reflecting the rich heritage of the area. Feeding this boom are the restaurants focused on using island ingredients.
Garcia said it was students graduating from college or university in the early 2000s who began the back-to-the-farm movement on the unincorporated U.S. territory. Growing food was not an issue on this island with ample sun and fertile soil; finding buyers for it was. Cocobana, located at the corner of Calle Loíza and Calle Santa Cecilia, was among the first to only use locally sourced ingredients in its dishes.
The vegetarian café serves freshly made smoothies, like hand-squeezed coconut milk infused with basil, mint and lemon, sandwiches and comfort food. Its owner, Vanessa Días, makes regular trips to the middle of Puerto Rico to purchase pumpkin bread from a baker who lives on the opposite coast and meets her halfway.
A couple blocks west along Calle Loíza is Tostada. The low wall surrounding this restaurant and its parking lot is painted in block letters with the first line to the poem “Majestad Negro,” by Luis Palés Matos. The famed Puerto Rican poet was known for capturing the rhythms of African and Afro-American cultures.
Tostado only serves food made with 100 per cent local ingredients, including its coffee. The special gourmet blend brewed at the restaurant uses beans from Dan Ruiz Coffee based in Yauco, located in the southwest of Puerto Rico. Coffee was first brought to the island from neighbouring Martinique in 1736, and by 1896, Puerto Rico was one of the biggest exporters in the Americas. Operating for four generations, Dan Ruiz lost the majority of its crops during Maria, but instead of importing beans like other plantations, harvested what it could until its plants recovered.
“There is 500 years of history here,” Garcia said, looking up and down Calle Loíza. “And, it’s tied to food history.”