puerto rico: food

I recently-ish got back from a trip to Puerto Rico with a friend. Puerto Rico is an amazing place and I want to share of some things that made it unlike any that I've visited. Puerto Rico isn't a huge island but I only saw a small part of it- San Juan and Vieques. I've split it up into a few themed posts. Here's the first- food!

[Fried yuca]
I enjoyed this dish a number of times. As a good Southern girl, I love anything that is fried!

[Mofongo]
Mofongo is a Puerto Rican speciality. It's mashed plantain that's topped with meat, seafood or vegetables. It's slightly sweet but overall just a starchy flavor.

[Conch, rice with peas, tostones]
Eaten next to the water from a small shack.
My friend is a vegetarian so this is what resulted from our broken-Spanish attempts to ask for no meat. Conch is apparently an aphrodisiac, according to the man who was cooking our meal, but neither my friend or I ate enough of it to notice the effect. It has a fairly firm texture for seafood, similar perhaps to cooked shrimp, and a mild flavor.

[Pork, rice with peas and tostones]
This was my meal. The pork was delicious and could have fed three people. We were given a sauce- or rather, a ketchup/mayonnaise mixture- for the plantains that was pretty delicious and gave them a french fry-esque flair.
Also note, the mango to the right. A free gift from the restaurateur.

[Shrimp kebabs]
Cooked to order outside at 11pm on Vieques.

[Empanadas]

[Tostones]
Tostones are made with fried plantains. Here they were served with a sweet salsa.

[Shrimp over tostones with rice]


And the drinks:

[Sangria]


[Bushwacker]
My friend and I never heard of this drink but while hiding out a storm that never arrived, we admired one a lovely woman was drinking. She insisted we try one and ordered us each a drink.


[Mojito]
Made with Don Q Cristal.

[Medalla]
Sadly sold only in Puerto Rico.

[Coffee]
A classic. And done well everywhere in Puerto Rico.
We drank coffee at most meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner. Though there were more brunches than separate breakfast/lunches.